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Gumdrops Earflap Hat - Free Crochet Pattern + Video Tutorial

The pretty Gumdrops Earflap it's a warm and elastic hat, perfect for winter!
The hat has no visible seams, (you will notice only on the wrong side the seam made by the yarns carried from round to round). 

I hope you will love it as much as i do! 

Gumdrops Earflap Hat - Free Crochet Pattern with Tutorial

*Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links

The pattern stitch used for this hat is the tricolor raised stitch, that produces a very tick, but soft structure, that on the inside looks like knit!


Don't lose this pattern! 




Gumdrops Earflap Hat - Free Crochet Pattern with Tutorial

SizeHat circumference: 50-52 cm
        Hat height: 17 cm from top till ear flaps + 5cm ear flaps = 22 cm total height with ear flaps
 You can make a smaller/ bigger size by making less/more rounds with increases for the crown of the hat.

Materials used:
- Yarn (Aran weight): Caron Simply Soft in 3 colors:
 a) Hat 1:
     Watermelon , Blackberry and Grape
 b) Hat 2 (as in the picture tutorial):
     Lemonade (color A), Persimmon (color B) and Watermelon (color C)
- 5 mm crochet hook (for the picture tutorial i used a 4,5 mm and the hat ended up a little smaller and not so stretchy as the other one made with a 5 mm crochet hook)
- tapestry needle to sew in the ends.



Stitches, terms and abbreviations used:
magic ring
ch: chain
dc: double crochet
sl st: slip stitch
fpdc: front post double crochet 
bpdc: back post double crochet

Special stitches:
fptr: front post triple crochet = Wrap the yarn twice around the hook, insert the hook from front to the back around the post of the next stitch;  pull loop through. You have now 4 loops on hook. Wrap yarn, pull through the first 2 loops on hook; you have now 3 loops on hook. Wrap yarn around hook and pull through first 2 loops on hook; two loops remained on the hook.  Wrap yarn and pull through the last 2 loops on hook.

bptr: back post triple crochet =  work the same way as for the fptr, but inserting the hook from back to the front around the post of the stitches.

Note: The hat it's worked from top down in rounds. 
You will change the colors at the end of the rounds, slip stitching with new color yarn into the top of the first stitch of the round. Carry the strands of yarns between the rounds, without cutting the yarn at the end of the rounds!!


Watch the Video Tutorial by Bobwilson123 on YouTube below:



Earflap Hat Pattern:


1) The crown:
You can make the crown using just one color (as hat 1), you can change the colors after each round (as hat 2) or you can chose your own sequence of changing colors. Be creative! :)   Make the color changes at the end of the round, slip stitching the new color. The written instructions and picture tutorial are for the

VERSION WITH COLOR CHANGE EACH ROUNDS:


Gumdrops Earflap Hat - Free Crochet Pattern with Tutorial

With yarn Color A (here yellow) and a 5mm crochet hook make a magic ring.

Round 1:  continue with color A and make 12 dc into ring, sl st with color B (here persimmon) to first dc. Pull yarn tail to close the ring.

Round 2: with color B ch2, 2fpdc round each dc around, sl st with color C (here watermelon) into the top of the first fpdc of the round. (24 sts total).

Note: For rounds 3 - 6,  work the first fpdc around BOTH the beginning ch2 and the first stitch of the previous round. This will make the seam less visible. See pictures bellow!

Round 3: with color C ch2, *1fpdc round next st, 2fpdc round next st*, repeat around; sl st with color A into top of first fpdc of the round. (36 sts)

Round 4: with color A ch2, *1fpdc round each of the next 2sts, 2fpdc round next st *, repeat around, sl st with color B into top of first fpdc of the round. (48 sts)


Gumdrops Earflap Hat - Free Crochet Pattern with Tutorial

Round 5: With color B ch2, *1fpdc round each of the next 3sts, 2fpdc round next st *, repeat around, sl st with color C into top of first fpdc of the round. (60 sts)

Round 6: with color C ch2, *1fpdc round each of the next 4sts, 2fpdc round next st *, repeat around, sl st with color A into top of the first fpdc of the round. (72 sts)

2) The sides with the tricolor raised stitches:

Round 7: Continue with color A (lemonade), ch4, *skip next st, work 1fptr around the next st, ch1 *, repeat from * to * around. sl st with color B (persimmon) into top of first fptr. (36 fptr and 36 ch1 spaces total)

Gumdrops Earflap Hat - Free Crochet Pattern with Tutorial
Gumdrops Earflap Hat - Free Crochet Pattern + Video Tutorial

Round 8: With color B ch2, 1fptr around the post of the fpdc st color C (watermelon) placed two rounds below the ch2, skip 1st, ch1, *1fptr around the post of the unworked color C stitch below (2 rounds below), ch1 *, repeat from * to * around, sl st with color C into top of first fptr at the beginning of the round.

Gumdrops Earflap Hat - Free Crochet Pattern with Tutorial
Gumdrops Earflap Hat - Free Crochet Pattern + Video Tutorial


Round 9: With color C ch2, 1fptr around the post of the fptr st color A placed two rounds below the ch2, sk 1 st, ch1, * 1fptr around the post of the unworked color A stitch below (2 rounds below), ch1*, repeat from * to * around, sl st with color A into top of first fptr.

Gumdrops Earflap Hat - Free Crochet Pattern + Video Tutorial

Round 10: With color A ch2, 1fptr around the post of the fptr st color B placed two rounds below the ch2, sk 1 st, ch1, * 1fptr around the post of the unworked color B stitch below (2 rounds below), ch1*, repeat from * to * around, sl st with color B into top of first fptr.

Round 11: With color B ch2, 1fptr around the post of the fptr st color C placed two rounds below the ch2, sk 1 st, ch1, * 1fptr around the post of the unworked color C stitch below (2 rounds below), ch1*, repeat from * to * around, sl st with color C into top of first fptr.
Continue the next rounds this way, always alternating the 3 colors, starting the new round with the color used two rounds below! 
 
Repeat rounds 9 - 11 until you achieve the desired length.

Last round: Continue with last color used, ch2, 1fpdc ( notice front post double crochet, not triple anymore!) around the post of fptr st placed two rounds bellow the ch2, sk1 st, ch1, * 1fpdc around the unworked color C stitch bellow, ch1 *, repeat from * to* around till the last st, don't ch1 anymore. Cut yarn and finish off invisible. (See picture bellow)

Gumdrops Earflap Hat - Free Crochet Pattern with Tutorial

3) The Ear flaps:
The ear flaps are worked in rows, turning the work at the end of each row. You will use fpdc stitches on the right side and bpdc stitches on the wrong side.


Gumdrops Earflap Hat - Free Crochet Pattern with Tutorial

First Earflap:

Row 1: Wrap yarn around hook twice and make a fpdc around a fpdc of the hat edge, *1fpdc around the next fptr two rounds bellow, 1fpdc around next fpdc *, repeat from * to * for a total of 14 fpdc, turn.
Note: at the beginning of each round be sure to have the loop on the hook tight, to not produce holes on the sides.

Row 2: skip first st, 1bpdc round each of the next 12 sts, 1sl st into top of last st, turn;

Row 3: skip first st, 1fpdc round each of the next 10 sts, sl st into top of last st, turn;

Row 4: skip first st, 1bpdc round each of the next 8 sts, 1sl st into top of last st, turn;

Row 5: skip first st, 1fpdc round each of the next 6 sts, sl st into top of last st, turn;

Row 6: skip first st, 1bpdc round each of the next 4 sts, 1sl st into top of last st.
Cut yarn. Fasten off, sewing the yarn tail along the side of the earflap, to even it, in case you have small holes.

Second Earflap
Count 16 stitches from the first ear flap to the left (this will be the back side of the hat from one ear to other), start the second ear flap in the next stitch, working the same way as for the first ear flap.

4) Octopus Curlicues written instruction:  (see also the CHARTED PATTERN)   Start with a magic ring, *chain 25, return and make 3 sc in second chain from hook and 3 sc in each chain remained. Slip stitched into magic ring with other color yarn*.  Repeat from * to * , always alternating the colors. I made 3 curliecues in each of the 3 colors.

Pull yarn tail to close the magic ring. Form the curlicue shape, rolling them in spiral. Cut yarns. Sew in the lose ends. Sew the curlicues on the top of your hat.

5) Braided tails:  Use 6 long tails of yarn folded in half, pull them around the front post of the 2 middle stitches of the last row. See photo collage below.


That's it! I hope you'll have fun with your Gumdrops Hat! :) Please share pictures of your projects made using this pattern on my Facebook Page Myhobbyiscrochet.

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Gumdrops Earflap Hat - Written Instructions and Pictures Copyright © 2013 Kinga Erdem
This pattern is free for your personal use, you can sell the products of your work, a link back to my blog would be appreciated. Do not use my photos for selling purposes or modify them in any way.
Please don't repost the pattern itself to any other sites, but please share the link to the pattern if you want to share the pattern with your friends. You may not give away copies of this pattern.
Do not make video tutorials or translate my pattern in other languages without my written consent!
Thank you.
Kinga