Falling Autumn Leaves Beanie - Free Crochet Hat Pattern

The trees are changing colours in my neighbourhood, the evenings are cooling down, and I lit our first fire of the year last night.  

One of my favourite Autumn "jobs" coincides with the ending of daylight saving, when the night starts to fall a little earlier each evening, making me want to curl up on the couch and watch TV with a crochet hook in hand.
It's at this time of the year that I usually dig out my yarn and start planning projects to keep my busy over the winter.
I've got a few projects on the go at the moment - a knitted vest for my 3 year old, both kids could do with another hat for winter, and they could do with some nice warm slippers as well, and my sister's birthday is coming up next month.  There's certainly lots to keep me out of trouble!

Fresh of the hook is this the first of two winter beanies for my boys, so I thought I'd share the pattern with you. Enjoy!

Falling Autumn Leaves Beanie

I wish I knew the names and suppliers of the
yarns I used - they were all purchased from
Op Shops and Thrift Stores, and were
missing their original labels. Tan and Brown
are wool or wool blends, the multicoloured
is a cheap and cheerful acrylic.
Cost to make: next to nothing.

This pattern is written in US terms

4.5mm (US 7, UK 7)

Sized to fit 2-3 year old

Worsted weight wool in 3 colours - in this case: 

Main = Tan

Accent = Multicoloured browns and oranges

Spike = Dark Brown

Stitches

SS - slip stitch

SC - single crochet

DC - double crochet

HDC - half double crochet

HDC Spike Stitch - Yarn over, insert hook through base of previous round, draw up loop, pull through all three loops.  This YouTube tutorial from CrochetCabana explains how to work a single spike stitch. The only difference between the pattern and the video is that you wrap the yarn over the hook before inserting into the row below, creating one extra loop on the hook which you then draw the yarn through.

I carry the yarn on the inside of the hat, working with 3 live balls so when it comes to the end, there are less ends to weave in.

1. ACCENT colour: Chain 4, join with slip stitch. Ch2, (counts as 1 DC), then 11 DC into ring. Join with SS, (12 DC)
2. MAIN colour. Chain 2 (counts as 1 HDC), HDC in the same stitch. 2HDC in each of the next 11 stitches, join to Ch2 with SS. (24 HDC)
3. ACCENT colour. Chain 2 (counts as 1 HDC), work 2 HDC into next stitch, then 1HDC in the following. Repeat 2HD-1HDC until the end, join with a SS. (36 HDC)
4. MAIN colour. Chain 2, work 1DC into same stitch (counts as 2DC), 1DC into each of the next 2 stitches, then 2DC in the following stitch. Repeat 2DC-1DC-1DC until end, join with a SS. (48 DC)
5. ACCENT colour. Chain 2, work 1HDC into the same stitch (counts as 2HDC). Work 1 HDC in each of the next 3 stitches, then 2HDC in the following stitch. Repeat 2HDC-1HDC-1HDC-1HDC until end, join with SS (60HDC)
   **For larger sizes, work extra rounds from here, increasing the number of single stitches by one each round (IE the next increase round would have 2DC-1DC-1DC-1DC-1DC), alternating between the accent and main colours for each round**
6. MAIN colour. Ch2, 1DC in next stitch, and in each stitch until end. Join with SS.
7. ACCENT colour. Ch2, 1HDC in the next stitch and each of the following stitches until end. Join with SS.
8. MAIN colour, Ch2, 1DC in next stitch, and in each of the following stitches until end. Join with an SS. 
9. SPIKE colour. Ch 1, 1 HDC in each of the next 2 stitches. Work SPIKE STITCH into the base of the previous round, then 1HDC in each of the next 2 stitches. Continue until end, and you should finish with 20 Spike Stitches and 40 HDC stitches.
   **NOTE: the Spike Stitch counts as a stitch, but as it is worked into the base of the DC from the previous round, the top of the stitch is skipped.
10. Repeat rows 7, 8 & 9 three more times,
11. ACCENT colour. Ch2, 1 HDC in each of the next stitches until the end.
12. MAIN colour. Ch2, 1 HDC in each of the next stitches until the end.
13. SPIKE colour. Top Stitching.  Working in slip stitch, with the yarn on the inside of the beanie, work a row of slip stitch between the two loops of HDC that form the final round.
14. Cut yarn, weave in ends. 

The inside of hat. When working with colour, I like to keep the yarn connected and
carry it through  so that when you've finished there are less ends to weave in.

You don't have to spend a fortune on yarn if you shop around. All of the wool I used in this beanie  came from Op Shops and Thrift Stores, so it cost next to nothing to make. The downside of this is that I don't know the brands of the yarns as they were purchased without labels. The multi coloured yarn is a type of cheap acrylic, but when paired with the tan and brown yarns which are wool, or wool rich, it's created a lovely warm and durable preschooler hat.