*FREE* 1940s Crochet Hat Pattern!

FREE 1940s Crochet Hat Pattern

Anyone out there that, like me, has been on the search for a particular kind of vintage hat, only to be thwarted by something like budget, color, material, or just plain not being able to find one?! Well you are thwarted no longer!


FREE 1940s Crochet Hat Pattern

This is how I've felt about a black 1940s hat. Black hats aren't generally too hard to find, but the kind of 40s hat I was looking for eluded me. Finally, I decided to look in my stash and give something a shot, because surely some kind of hat would be better than having no black hat, right?

(To give some background, many of my previous hat-making attempts have failed miserably, barring the Fair Isle beret I successfully made.  But nothing architectural or not-a-flat-beret-shape has ever worked out.)


In my stash, I looked for black materials: fabrics, ribbons, yarn, etc. The only thing I had a lot of was black craft yarn (a Caron One Pound skein). Although not my ideal thing to work with, I scoured my knitting books, pattern FB groups, and Pinterest for something I could try out.



FREE 1940s Crochet Hat Pattern

I ran across a "Sport Hat" pattern from the "Complete Guide to Modern Knitting and Crocheting" from 1949. It was worth a shot! 

Also... I've never crocheted a whole project. I've used crochet to finish knitting projects, but that's all. But how will I learn if I don't try?!


This hat is GREAT for crochet beginners. The entire thing is made of single crochet stitches.  All you have to know in addition to that is how to increase or decrease by putting more than one stitch into another stitch and just be able to keep track of your rows.  



FREE 1940s Crochet Hat Pattern

It only took me three to four days to do this.  The pattern calls for hat wire to stiffen the brim edge, but I wanted to work from my stash. An old wire hanger did just fine! I bent it to shape and wrapped the ends together to make it a loop. I crocheted this to the edge of the brim, then I put the fringe the pattern calls for around the edge. I think it turned out great, and after wearing it for a day, the hat feels... well, like a real hat! The brim is stiff and everything keeps its shape.

I topped it with a red bow around the crown, but I left it loose and didn't sew it down so I can switch it out to match other outfits. Can you imagine the trimming possibilities?!



FREE 1940s Crochet Hat Pattern

All in all, I'm super pleased with this project and I think I'll be repeating it in other colors in the future.  If you'd like to give it a go yourself, the pattern and my details are below!

Click here for a printable version of this pattern
FREE 1940s Crochet Hat Pattern

However, if in being honest with yourself you know crocheting isn't up your alley, version 2 of this sewing pattern has a similar shape.

In-depth TLDR details

Yarn: craft yarn, Caron One Pound Yarn (it's a "worsted weight," commonly found craft yarn)
Crochet hook: 3.75mm  (The pattern old hook size translates to a 3.5mm, but nonetheless 3.75mm worked out for me!  There's no gauge, but this did work out to a 22 inch head size for me.)
Pattern: "Sport Hat" from "Complete Guide to Modern Knitting and Crocheting"
Year: 1949
Notions: wire for the brim, any ribbon or trimmings you'd like to add
How historically accurate is it?  The acrylic fiber is not 1940s-appropriate, but the stash-busting method sure is!  The silhouette and shape are spot on, too. 
Any tricky parts to the pattern?  It took me a bit to realize the top of the crown is actually a rectangle when I was going through the directions. Also, there's no included gauge, so hopefully the info I provided can help you find your own hook/yarn combos.
Did you change anything?  I used a 3.75mm hook instead of 3.5mm
Time to complete: 3-4 days
First worn: June 16, 2018
Total cost: Obviously I bought the yarn at some point, but now it's a stash item. The pattern book was gifted to me and I bought a spool of red ribbon for $3
Notes: I'll definitely be making this pattern again!  The silhouette is very 1940s, and similarly shaped original 1940s hats are expensive and hard to come by. It's worth it to make my own. Not to mention my mind is whirling with different materials I could crochet it in and trim it with!

Have you ever crocheted a hat?  Is there a particular kind of hat you're dying to add to your collection?  What does it look like?


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FREE 1940s Crochet Hat Pattern

2 comments

  1. Hi, one of my display windows is in this blog somewhere, How can I find it

    ReplyDelete
  2. Display windows? I'm not sure what you mean, Violet!

    ReplyDelete