Today’s slouch hat crochet pattern is part of the twelfth annual Crochet Cancer Challenge with SweetPotato3. The Amaya Slouch is a beginner-friendly slouch hat crochet pattern that also works as a “chemo cap.” The pattern is available in four sizes. The Amaya Slouch is forever free on my blog, but the PDF version is available for free with a coupon code through 11:59pm Eastern time on October 31, 2024, so read on for details.
I’m joining the twelfth annual Crochet Cancer Challenge with Sweet Potato 3. Participating designers contribute free PDF versions of their patterns in exchange for your pledge to donate a hat to a person living with cancer. You can find out more about this year’s challenge and download free printable tags for your donations here.
When designing a pattern for a “chemo cap,” I keep a few things in mind: comfort, warmth, style, and the crocheting experience. For comfort, I choose a very soft yarn since scalps can be very sensitive after experiencing traumatic hair loss. If I’m new to a yarn, I make sure it’s on the Knots of Love approved yarn list. I first came across Lion Brand Mandala Ombré yarn while reviewing Yarn Cake Amigurumi: 15 Cute Creators to Crochet (available through independent booksellers or here on Amazon), since every pattern is made with Mandala Ombré. You can buy Mandala Ombré online at Lion Brand | LoveCrafts | Amazon. Mandala Ombré is a medium (#4/aran/worsted) weight acrylic self-striping yarn available in tonal and multi-colored cakes and it works up beautifully! Mandala Ombré also happens to be on the Knots of Love list, so I knew it would be soft enough for a chemo cap. I chose 204BS Harmony because the cancer I’m bringing attention to this year is colon cancer, which has the awareness color of dark blue. My maternal grandfather had colon cancer, and this year I was finally able to schedule my first colonoscopy as part of the process of screening for colon cancer, so it seemed the right choice.
With comfort out of the way, I thought about warmth. A hat with a lot of holes doesn’t work as a chemo cap because the person’s head can get pretty chilly. After all, they were used to having the insulation of hair before and hospitals and clinics are often heavily air conditioned and folks may be waiting and receiving treatment for long periods of time.
As far as style, I try and design chemo caps just like other hats. In other words, something I think someone would want to wear and not just because it keeps their head warm but also because they like how it looks. Slouch hats work for a lot of different sized heads, for different amounts of hair, to keep hair inside or to let it flow out. And, slouch hats often work for different genders. Slouch hats can be someone’s go-to hat during treatment and then their outdoor hat after growing back hair.
Finally, the crocheting experience. Most folks I know that crochet for charity are “production crocheters.” They typically will make a lot of hats (or scarves or baby blankets or…) to donate and so they like patterns that are easy to remember but not too dull. The Amaya Slouch hat crochet pattern is easy enough to crochet while watching streaming and the self-striping yarn does all the colorwork so there are only the start and finish ends to weave in. Easy peasy. The bobble at the top keeps things a bit interesting but doesn’t use as much yarn as pompoms.
If you’re looking for more chemo caps, check out the free crochet patterns I’ve designed for the Crochet Cancer Challenge in previous years:
- 2023: Tri-Color Slouch Hat in 10 sizes,
- 2022: Salvatore Slouch,
- 2021: Triumphant Textures Beanie in 10 sizes,
- 2020: Herringbone Slouchy Beanie in 9 sizes, available as a free download exclusively for Underground Crafter newsletter subscribers, and
- 2018: Auntie Em Twister Hat in 6 sizes.
Scroll down for the free Amaya Slouch hat pattern. The Amaya Slouch is my contribution to the twelfth annual Crochet Cancer Challenge with Sweet Potato 3. Throughout October 2024, the PDF version of hat crochet pattern which is suitable for donation to a person living with cancer will be available for free for at least 24 hours. Some designers are offering the PDF version for free for a longer time.
The Amaya Slouch is the featured pattern in the Crochet Cancer Challenge for October 11, 2024. You can download the PDF version for free on Ravelry using coupon code MakeADifference24 through 11:59pm Eastern time on October 31, 2024 in exchange for your pledge to donate a hat to a cancer patient…or use the Crochet Cancer Challenge Download Pattern Here button below to add the pattern with coupon code to your cart. Check that your cart is set to zero before checking out as there will be no refunds for accidental purchases.
Don’t forget to head back to the Crochet Cancer Challenge Blog Hop post on Sweet Potato 3 to get the rest of the free patterns in the blog hop.
If you make your own Amaya Slouch, I’d love to see it! Share your progress and questions by tagging me on Bluesky as @UndergroundCrafter, Facebook as @UndergroundCrafter, or on Instagram as @ucrafter. You can also share a picture in the Underground Crafters Facebook group. Sign up for my weekly newsletter and get a coupon code for your choice of one of my premium patterns and private access to my vault of subscriber goodies. Plus, you’ll never miss one of my free patterns again!
Add the Amaya Slouch to your favorites or queue, or buy the ad-free PDF on Ravelry.
Amaya Slouch
Slouch Hat Crochet Pattern by Underground Crafter
This beginner-friendly crochet slouch hat uses can also serve as a “chemo cap.” The Amaya Slouch is a one-skein wonder available in four sizes and was designed for the Twelfth Annual Crochet Cancer Challenge with Sweet Potato 3.
Finished Sizes
- Newborn (Infant, Child, Adult). Photographed sample is size Adult shown on a mannequin with 22.5” (57 cm) head circumference.
- Newborn: 12.5” (32 cm) hat circumference x 5” (13 cm) height.
- Infant: 16” (40.5 cm) hat circumference x 6” (15 cm) height.
- Child: 19” (48.5 cm) hat circumference x 7” (18 cm) height.
Materials
- Lion Brand Mandala Ombré yarn (available online at Lion Brand | LoveCrafts | Amazon) (100% acrylic, 5.3 oz/150 g/344 yd/315 m) – 1 skein in 204BS Harmony, or approximately 70 yd (105 yd, 140 yd, 185 yd)/64 m (96 m, 128 m, 169 m) in any self-striping medium weight yarn.
- US Size H-8/5 mm crochet hook, or any size needed to obtain correct gauge.
- Yarn needle.
Gauge
- Through Rnd 5 in pattern = 4” (10 cm) diameter. For best results, always check your gauge.
Abbreviations Used in This Pattern
- bob – 5-repeat bobble – [Yo, insert hook in st, yo and draw up a loop, yo and draw through 2 loops] 5 times in same st, yo and draw through all 6 loops on hook. A helpful video tutorial for this stitch is available below.
- If you can’t see the video tutorial above for the bobble, click HERE to watch it on Instagram.
- ch – chain
- dc – double crochet
- rep – repeat
- Rnd(s) – Round(s)
- RS – right (front) side
- sc – single crochet
- sc2tog – single crochet 2 stitches together – [Insert hook in next st, yo and draw up a loop] twice, yo and draw through all 3 loops on hook. Yarn Obsession has a helpful video tutorial for this stitch here.
- sl st – slip stitch
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- WS – wrong side
- yo – yarn over
- [] Repeat instructions between brackets as indicated.
Pattern Notes
- Ch 1 at start and sl st at end of Rows and Rounds DO NOT count as stitches.
- Like my mannequin? It’s from CanvasHead/WELLDONE on Etsy.
Pattern Instructions
Slouch (All Sizes)
Increase for Crown
- Ch 4, skip 3 ch, join with sl st to next ch to form ring.
- Rnd 1: (WS) Ch 1, bob 4 times in ring, join with sl st to first bob. (4 sts)
- Rnd 2: Turn to RS, ch 1, 3 sc in first bob and in each bob around, join with sl st to first sc. (12 sts)
- Rnd 3: Ch 1, 2 dc in same st and each st around, join with sl st to first dc. (24 sts)
- Rnd 4: Ch 1, starting in first st [2 dc in next st, dc in next st] around, join with sl st to first dc. (36 sts)
- Rnd 5: Ch 1, starting in first st [2 dc in next st, dc in next 2 sts] around, join with sl st to first dc. (48 sts) NEWBORN SIZE ONLY: Continue on to Work Even.
- Rnd 6: Ch 1, starting in first st [2 dc in next st, dc in next 3 sts] around, join with sl st to first dc. (60 sts) INFANT SIZE ONLY: Continue on to Work Even.
- Rnd 7: Ch 1, starting in first st [2 dc in next st, dc in next 4 sts] around, join with sl st to first dc. (72 sts) CHILD SIZE ONLY: Continue on to Work Even.
- Rnd 8: Ch 1, starting in first st [2 dc in next st, dc in next 5 sts] around, join with sl st to first dc. (84 sts) ADULT SIZE ONLY: Continue on to Work Even.
Work Even (All Sizes)
- Work Even Rnd 1: Ch 1, dc in first st and each st around, join with sl st to first dc.
- Rep Work Even Rnd 1 until hat height measures approximately 4.5” (5.5”, 6.5”, 7.5”)/11.5 cm (14 cm, 16.5 cm, 19 cm) from below bobbles (starting at Rnd 2). Do not fasten off.
Decrease Rounds
- Decrease Rnd 1: Ch 1, starting in first st [sc2tog, sc in next 2 (3, 4, 5) sts] around, join with sl st to first st. – 36 (48, 60, 72) sts
- Decrease Rnd 2: Ch 1, starting in first st [sc2tog, sc in next 4 (6, 8, 10) sts] around, join with sl st to first st. – 30 (42, 54, 66) sts
- Next Rnd: Ch 1, sc in first st and each st around, join with sl st to first sc.
- Rep Next Rnd until hat height measures approximately 5” (6”, 7”, 8”)/13 cm (15 cm, 18.5 cm, 20.5 cm) from below bobbles (starting at Rnd 2). Fasten off.
Finishing
- With yarn needle, weave in ends on inside of hat.