There’s something to love about a no-nonsense kind of guy. He tells it like it is. He’s not fancy. But he cleans up nice in blue jeans and a soft t-shirt. He’s ‘salt of the earth’ … which means “basic and fundamental goodness”. The perfect description for this Salt of the Earth Men’s Crochet Beanie.
It’s easy to make and yet beautiful in its simplicity.
I think it’s hard to find a good man’s hat pattern. One that is simple. Not too blingy. Understated, but classic. So I decided I’d make my own. The Salt of the Earth Men’s Crochet Beanie uses just one skein of yarn and works up really quickly. A joy to make. And great to give. My guy loves his and I hope yours does too.
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Salt of The Earth Men’s Crochet Beanie
Here is what you will need:
- US H8/5 mm crochet hook (Did you know you can purchase my go-to hooks on Amazon?)
- 3 oz Worsted weight yarn. I used Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice in Oatmeal.
- tapestry needle and scissors
Fits a medium sized adult. Finished size: About 20″ around by 8.5″ long.
Resources and tutorials you may find helpful in following this pattern: Crochet Abbreviations, US to UK Crochet Conversion Chart. Find links to stitches on the “Tutorial” menu: Getting Started will show basic stitches used in many patterns and Crochet Stitch Dictionary shows our growing collection of crochet stitch tutorials.
Make a magic ring
R1: 8 hdc into ring (8 sts). Work in rounds through row 18.
R2: 2 hdc in ea st around (16 st)
R3: *hdc in next st, 2 hdc in next st, repeat from * around (24 st)
R4: *hdc in next 2 st, 2 hdc in next st, repeat from * around (32 st)
R5: *hdc in next 3 st, 2 hdc in next st, repeat from * around (40 st)
R6: *hdc in next 4 st, 2 hdc in next st, repeat from * around (48 st)
R7: *hdc in next 5 st, 2 hdc in next st, repeat from * around (56 st)
R8: *hdc in next 6 st, 2 hdc in next st, repeat from * around (64 st)
R9: *hdc in next 7 st, 2 hdc in next st, repeat from * around (72 st)
R10-18: hdc around (72 st). At end of row 18, sl st in next st.
**Note: Starting with row 19, rows are no longer worked in a continuous round. Instead begin each row with chain(s) and end by slip stitching to the 1st st.**
R19: ch 2, hdc around (72 st), join.
R20-24: ch 2 (counts as 1st st), *front post hdc in next st, back post hdc in next st* repeat * to * around. Join with sl st to top of 1st st.(72 st).
R25: ch 1, sc around, join to 1st st. (72 st)
Fasten off and weave in ends.
I love seeing your finished projects! If you enjoyed making The Salt of the Earth Beanie I’d love to see yours on Instagram, be sure to tag me @crochet365knittoo. If you are on Facebook, stop over to the Crochet 365 Knit Too Facebook page or pop over to the Crochet365KnitToo Club and share a photo! I’d love to see your work!
I made two of these hats for my hubby (one blue, one grey). He loved them. My father-in-law remarked how neat they were so I crocheted him the same two colored hats. Then my mother-in-law asked if I might be able to make one for her. I chose a rich, dark red for that one since it’s her favorite color. I’m probably gonna use the pattern again to make a hat for my daughter’s birthday and alternate stripes of a solid red and a cream with reds and other colors speckled into it. Super easy pattern and it works up very quickly! Love it! Thank you!!! 🙂
It doesn’t say whether you join at the end of the rounds???
If you look at the first row,the instructions tell you that the hat is worked in continuous rounds, so you do NOT join at the end of the rounds until you get to the ribbing.
I love the ribbing on this hat, but I can’t get the stitches to line up. Any hints?
Since you are working in the round, with the right side always facing you, the post stitches should line up on top of one another (assuming you still have an even number of stitches). You could try putting a stitch marker every so often to remind you what type of stitch goes in a particular spot. That might help you keep on track.
I have made by now over 48 of these beanies for the birthday party that is held every month at our local mens homeless shelter. Each “birthday boy” receives a beanie and other items from our church and the beanies have been a total success and hopefully they are keeping these men warm this winter.
Thanks for the pattern !
Am I supposed to chain two before starting a new row?
The pattern is worked in rounds until row 18 (so “no” on the chain 2 for those rounds). When you get to the ribbing you DO join and ch for joined rounds until the end. Hope that helps!
I made this as a Christmas gift for a friend. He loves it and wears it all the time. Great patterns.
Can you make this pattern for women?
The pattern is size for an average adult. It actually fits my head fine and my husband has an average size head. If you want to make it smaller or larger than that, just go up or down in increments of 2 stitches (just adjust that last row of increases). Hope that helps!
Would goinging down a hook size make it smaller without changing the stitch count?
That should make it slightly smaller. It depends how small you want to make it. Using thinner yarn and tighter grip would affect size as well. Hope that helps!
In order to increase from current pattern size to 27″ or 28″, how many 2-stitch increments would I need to add?
The hat is sized to fit an average adult and is about 20″ around. Keep in mind the hat is stretchy and fits a head that is 21-22″around, so making a hat that is 28″ around would fit something that is 30″ around–which would be quite large. When making a drastic size change like that, you’d also have to adjust the length. To calculate, it’s just a matter of math. The pattern as written is 20″ around with 72 stitches. To find the stitches per inch take 72 and divide by 20 to get the stitches per inch. Then multiply that by the number of inches you desire and round to get an even number. Hope that helps.
I made this for my 7 year old son using a variegated gray, black, and white yarn which made an awesome swirl pattern. I stopped adding stitches at the round of 64 stitches and it was the perfect size for both of my children. Added a puff ball on top. Great pattern and my son LOVES it.
Fun! I’m glad it turned out 🙂
Does the chain 2 count as your first stitch in rows 19 and 25?
I believe so!
I made this for my father and added a breast cancer applique to it – it turned beautifully!
Glad to hear it!
How much yarn does this pattern take?
3 oz. It’s listed in the materials section of the pattern. 🙂
I love this pattern, after trying several different ones for a beanie this one is perfect. Can’t wait to make more. Thank you very much for the pattern, very easy to follow.
Glad you are enjoying it! Definitely a fun one to make!
Well , I’ve got to make this hat , with so many crocheter s giving you a thumbs up .and I have some superwash yarn , my son owns a machine shop , the doors are never closed so I have to make 5 hats before winter blows in . Thank you for being generous g
Question… When I get to row 19 I have nd up getting a “hole”where the chain 2 is after the slip stitch… What am I doing wrong?
The chain 2 counts as a stitch in the ribbing. It does look a little different than a normal hdc and leaves a tiny space. You could trying chaining a bit tighter and see if that helps. I find I don’t notice it when the ribbing is complete.
What if the guy I’m making it for has a but larger head? Does the number of increases matter? (e.g. by twos only) Thanks!
You’ll need it to be a multiple of 2 so that you can do the ribbing at the end, but otherwise increase the number of stitches you need to fit a bigger head.