Black Balsam Beanie | Free Easy Beginner Crochet Hat Pattern

The perfect beanie for those fussy men in your life, my Black Balsam Beanie is quick to stitch up crochet hat and features a heat-retaining yarn from Red Heart Yarns!

Get this FREE crochet pattern from Rohn Strong and JOANN below!The Inspiration

Occasionally, I’ll get a spark of inspiration that takes me from start to finish. Designing is definitely a marathon and once in a while, you need sprints to keep you going. This hat was actually born out of one of those sprints!

I had just finished stitching up my Waterrock Scarf, which you can find the FREE pattern for here, and I thought, I need a matching (but not matching) hat! Having a few skeins of Red Heart Yarns Heat Wave lying around, I knew it was a perfect match.

It just so happened that I was planning a small retreat to the mountains in Asheville, NC that weekend. Tucked in the Pisgah National Forest just southwest of Asheville sits Black Balsam Knob, the highest mountain in the Great Balsam Mountains. As soon as I heard the name, I knew how perfect it was for this beanie! The Black Balsam Beanie was born!

The Yarn

Red Heart Yarns Heat Wave is this amazing new yarn with a patented technology that absorbs direct UV waves and converts them to heat which actually warms the yarn.

I was skeptical too say the least.

During the photo shoot, however, I left the hat on the roof of the car while taking a few photos of another piece. When it was time to put on the hat I was SO surprised. The hat wasn’t just warm from the sun, the yarn itself felt as if it was being heated from within. I was really surprised!

Now, for those of you wondering, it doesn’t get hot to the touch, just warm and that warmth does not stick around if you’re not in the sun.

All in all, I think Heat Wave is a really cool yarn and I’m excited to see more projects featuring this groundbreaking yarn!

The Design Process

I’ve been playing around with this idea of using the wrong side of texture stitches in contrasting colors to really give a new look to tried and true crochet stitch patterns. I chose to work a pattern typical called the ‘sl st crunch stitch’ or simple ‘crunch stitch’ but it’s known by many names. Essentially you work a pattern of half double crochet stitches and slip stitches across the row. Then, on the return row, you’ll work slip stitches into the half double crochet stitches and half doubles into the slip stitches. This gives a fabric with a ton of texture without sacrificing stretch.

A simple rib look cuff, a touch of colorful slip stitches, and all over half double crochet really finish the hat off perfectly! And, let me tell you, I’ve been living in this hat!

BLACK BALSAM BEANIE

MATERIALS:

• 2 Balls of Red Heart Yarns Heat Wave (1 each in colorways Maroon and Grey)
• US I/9 5.5mm crochet hook
• Scissors
• Tapestry Needle

FINISHED SIZE:

20 inches in circumference and 8.5 inches high

GAUGE:

ABBREVIATIONS:

Ch – Chain

Sc – Single Crochet

Sl st – Slip Stitch

St – Stitch

Hdc – Half Double Crochet

Sl st – Slip Stitches

Hdc2tog – Half Double Crochet 2 Together

RS – Right Side

WS – Wrong Side

NOTES:

Hat is worked from brim to crown.

To make the hat longer/shorter simply work more/fewer rows before beginning the decreases at the crown.

Ch-2 does not count as a stitch throughout.

Hat begins in joined rounds, working into both the RS and WS, then continues in joined rounds with RS facing.

HAT

Brim

With Maroon, Ch 9

Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. (8 sts)

Row 2: Ch 1, turn, sc across working into the back loops of each stitch.

Rep Row 2 a further 78 times for a total of 80 rows. Do not end off.

To join the brim, taking care not to twist the ribbed section, match the short ends together and sl st through both thicknesses of fabric. Take care to keep this neat and even.

Body

Rnd 1: Ch 2, working into the end of each row, hdc around, join to first stitch with a sl st. (80 hdc)

Rnd 2: Join Grey, Ch 2, turn, hdc in first st, *sl st in next st, hdc in next st; rep from * around to last st, sl st in last st, join to first st with a sl st.

Rnd 3: With Maroon, work as for row 2.

Rnd 4: With Grey, work as for row 2.

Rnd 5: With Maroon, work as for row 2.

Rnd 6: With Grey, work as for row 2.

Rnd 7: With Maroon, work as for row 2.

Begin to work in the round without joining.

Rnd 8: With Grey, ch 2, turn, hdc in each st around.

Rnd 9: With Grey, ch 2, hdc in each st around.

Rep Rnd 9 until hat measures approximately 5.5″ from edge of brim or desired length.

Crown

Rnd 1: Ch 2, *hdc2tog, hdc in each of the next 8 sts; rep from * around.

Rnd 2: Hdc in each st around.

Rnd 3: Ch 2, *hdc2tog, hdc in each of the next 7 sts; rep from * around.

Rnd 4: Hdc in each st around.

Rnd 5: Ch 2, *hdc2tog, hdc in each of the next 6 sts; rep from * around.

Rnd 6: Hdc in each st around.

Rnd 7: Ch 2, *hdc2tog, hdc in each of the next 5 sts; rep from * around.

Rnd 8: Hdc in each st around.

Rnd 9: Ch 2, *hdc2tog, hdc in each of the next 4 sts; rep from * around.

Rnd 10: Hdc in each st around.

Rnd 11: Ch 2, *hdc2tog, hdc in each of the next 3 sts; rep from * around.

Rnd 12: Hdc in each st around.

Rnd 13: Ch 2, *hdc2tog, hdc in each of the next 2 sts; rep from * around.

Rnd 14: Hdc in each st around.

Rnd 15: Ch 2, *hdc2tog, hdc in each of the next 1 sts; rep from * around.

Rnd 16: Hdc in each st around.

Rnd 17: Ch 2, hdc2tog around.

Weave yarn through each stitch and pull tight to close. Wash and lay flat to block. Weave in all ends.

I really hope you enjoyed this pattern! I just love sharing all these free patterns with you all! If you stitch this up, make sure you take a photo and tag me in them on Instagram and show off your project in the Rohn Strong Maker Community on Facebook too!