Ice Cream Hat Crochet Pattern: Baby Swirl Hat (6–24 Months)

Picture a scoop of ice cream on a waffle cone, then shrink it down to baby size. That is the idea behind this ice cream crochet hat: a tan ribbed brim that looks like the cone, topped by a crown of swirling post-stitch ribs that spiral up to a point. It comes in three versions: a pastel swirl, vanilla with rainbow sprinkles, and a rainbow swirl finished with a red cherry pompom.

The hat is worked in the round from the brim up, with no separate pieces to seam. Once the crocheting is done, you close the top with a yarn needle. The pattern uses US crochet terms and comes in two sizes, 6–12 months and 18–24 months. If post stitches are new to you, the stitch guide below explains them before you begin.

Materials and Color Options

For all three versions of this crochet baby hat, use Caron Simply Soft yarn and a US H/8 (5 mm) crochet hook. You will also need a yarn needle for closing the top and weaving in the ends, plus a pair of scissors.

The pattern lists 1 ball of each color for both sizes. Solid-color balls are 6 oz / 170.1 g (315 yds / 288 m); Stripes and Paints balls are 5 oz / 141 g (250 yds / 228 m). The pattern does not say how much of each ball a single hat uses.

Abbreviations and Stitch Guide

This tutorial uses US crochet terms throughout. Post stitches are worked around the body (the “post”) of the stitch below rather than into its top.

Before You Start

• The instructions are for the 6–12 months size. The 18–24 months size follows in parentheses, like this: 52 (60).
• The ch 2 at the start of a round does not count as a stitch, so never work into it. The first stitch is the one right after it.
• Close every round with a sl st into the first stitch of that round.
• The cone and the ice cream use separate round numbering. The cone has Rounds 1–9, while the ice cream section begins at Ice Cream Round 6, because it is worked into the unused loops of the cone’s Round 5.
• The stated gauge is for single crochet, but most of the hat is made of half double and double post stitches. Treat it as a starting reference, then compare your fabric density and finished head circumference with the sample. Change your hook size if your stitches are much looser or tighter.

Part 1: The Cone Brim (Bone, Contrast A)

Step 1: Make the foundation ring

With A, ch 52 (60). Join with a sl st to the first chain, checking that the chain is not twisted.

Step 2: Rnd 1, half double crochet round

Ch 2. Work 1 hdc in each ch around. Join with a sl st to the first hdc. 52 (60) hdc.

Step 3: Rnds 2–5, ribbed band

Repeat this one round four times (rnds 2, 3, 4 and 5):

Ch 2. Work 1 hdcfp around the first st. *1 hdcbp around the next st, 1 hdcfp around the next st. Repeat from * to the last st. Work 1 hdcbp around the last st. Join with a sl st to the first hdcfp.

Each stitch is worked as the same type as the stitch below it, so the front and back posts line up into vertical ribs.

Step 4: Cone Rnd 6, front loops only

Ch 1. Working in the front loops only, work 1 sc in each st around. Join with a sl st to the first sc. 52 (60) sc.

Working only the front loops leaves the back loops of Rnd 5 untouched. They form a ridge, and you will use that ridge in Part 2.

Step 5: Cone Rnds 7–8, half double crochet rounds

Repeat twice:

Ch 2. Work 1 hdc in each st around. Join with a sl st to the first hdc.

Step 6: Cone Rnd 9, reverse single crochet edge

Ch 1. Work 1 reverse sc in each st around, working from left to right instead of right to left. Join with a sl st to the first sc. Fasten off.

For a reverse sc, insert the hook into the next stitch to your right, yoh and pull up a loop, then yoh and pull through both loops. Do not turn your work. This creates a neat, rope-like edge.

Part 2: The Ice Cream Swirl (Contrast B)

Step 7: Join the ice cream yarn

Turn the cone so the unworked back loops of Rnd 5 face up. With B, join with a sl st in the back loop only of the first st of Rnd 5.

Step 8: Ice Cream Rnd 6, back loops only

Ch 2. Working in the back loops only, work 1 hdc in each st around. Join with a sl st to the first hdc. 52 (60) hdc.

Step 9: Ice Cream Rnds 7–12, the swirl ribs

These rounds create a two-stitch front-post, two-stitch back-post rib that shifts by one stitch in each round. That gradual shift creates the swirl.

Ice Cream Rnd 7: Ch 2. 1 dcfp around each of the first 2 sts. *1 dcbp around each of the next 2 sts, 1 dcfp around each of the next 2 sts. Repeat from * to the last 2 sts. 1 dcbp around each of the last 2 sts. Join with a sl st to the first st.

Ice Cream Rnd 8: Ch 2. 1 dcfp around the first st. 1 dcbp around each of the next 2 sts. *1 dcfp around each of the next 2 sts, 1 dcbp around each of the next 2 sts. Repeat from * to the last st. 1 dcfp around the last st. Join.

Ice Cream Rnd 9: Ch 2. 1 dcbp around each of the first 2 sts. *1 dcfp around each of the next 2 sts, 1 dcbp around each of the next 2 sts. Repeat from * to the last 2 sts. 1 dcfp around each of the last 2 sts. Join.

Ice Cream Rnd 10: Ch 2. 1 dcbp around the first st. 1 dcfp around each of the next 2 sts. *1 dcbp around each of the next 2 sts, 1 dcfp around each of the next 2 sts. Repeat from * to the last st. 1 dcbp around the last st. Join.

Ice Cream Rnds 11–12: Repeat Rnds 7 and 8.

You should still have 52 (60) stitches. Both counts divide evenly by 4, which is why the 2-and-2 rib works.

Step 10: Ice Cream Rnd 13, first decrease

Ch 2. Skip the first st. *1 dcbp around the next st, 1 dcfp around each of the next 2 sts, skip the next st. Repeat from * to the last 3 sts. 1 dcbp around the next st, 1 dcfp around each of the last 2 sts. Join with a sl st to the first st. 39 (45) sts.

Step 11: Ice Cream Rnd 14, second decrease

Ch 2. Skip the first st. *1 dcbp around the next st, 1 dcfp around the next st, skip the next st. Repeat from * to the last 2 sts. 1 dcbp around the next st, 1 dcfp around the last st. Join. 26 (30) sts.

Step 12: Ice Cream Rnds 15–16, plain rib rounds

Ice Cream Rnd 15: Ch 2. 1 dcfp around the first st. *1 dcbp around the next st, 1 dcfp around the next st. Repeat from * to the last st. 1 dcbp around the last st. Join.

Ice Cream Rnd 16: Ch 2. 1 dcbp around the first st. *1 dcfp around the next st, 1 dcbp around the next st. Repeat from * to the last st. 1 dcfp around the last st. Join.

The count stays at 26 (30) in both rounds.

Step 13: Ice Cream Rnd 17, third decrease

Ch 2. Skip the first st. *1 dcfp around the next st, skip the next st, 1 dcbp around the next st, skip the next st. Repeat from * to the last st. 1 dcfp around the last st. Join. 13 (15) sts.

Step 14: Ice Cream Rnds 18–19 and closing the top

Ice Cream Rnd 18: Ch 2. 1 dcbp around the first st. *1 dcfp around the next st, 1 dcbp around the next st. Repeat from * around. Join.

Ice Cream Rnd 19: Ch 2. 1 dcfp around the first st. *1 dcbp around the next st, 1 dcfp around the next st. Repeat from * around. Join.

Fasten off, leaving a long tail. Thread it onto a yarn needle, pass it through the remaining stitches, pull tight to close the top and fasten securely.

Finishing Each Version

Version 1: Pastel swirl

Weave in the ends. This version has no extra trim.

Version 2: Rainbow sprinkles

With C, embroider small sprinkles onto the ice cream. The original pattern shows the placement only in a photograph and gives no stitch instructions, so the following is my own suggestion rather than part of the pattern: use short straight stitches in random directions, spaced well apart, and pull each end through to the inside before fastening off.

Version 3: Cherry pompom

With C (red), wind the yarn around 3 fingers about 40 times. Slide the loops off and tie them tightly in the middle with a strand about 12" [30.5 cm] long. Cut through the loops on both sides, trim the pompom into a smooth round shape and attach it to the top of the hat.

Tips and Common Mistakes

• Mark your first stitch. A stitch marker in the first stitch of each round makes the join and the final stitch much easier to find.
• Count at the checkpoints. Check your total after Cone Rnd 1, Ice Cream Rnd 12, Ice Cream Rnd 13, Ice Cream Rnd 14 and Ice Cream Rnd 17, using the table above. The decrease rounds are the easiest place to lose track.
• Do not twist the foundation chain. A twisted chain cannot be fixed later, so check it before the first join.
• Do not work into the ch 2. It is a turning chain only, and working into it adds stitches.
• Use the right loops in Part 2. Cone Rnd 6 uses the front loops of Rnd 5. The ice cream join and Ice Cream Rnd 6 use the unused back loops of Rnd 5. Mixing them up can remove the ridge you need to build the ice cream section.
• Keep post stitches relaxed. Tight posts pucker the ribbing. If front and back post stitches are new to you, practice on a small swatch first.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Ice Cream Crochet Hat

Which size should I make?

Measure the head circumference. The pattern gives 17" (43 cm) for 6–12 months and 18" (45.5 cm) for 18–24 months. Because the ribbing stretches, check that measurement against your gauge before you start.

Can I change the size?

The post includes the two sizes given in the original pattern, and I have not tested any others. The swirl rib and the crown decreases depend on the stitch counts for each size, so I recommend following the stated counts rather than adding or removing stitches.

Can I use a different yarn?

Yes, as long as you can match the gauge. Choose a soft yarn of similar thickness to Caron Simply Soft and make a swatch before you commit.

What are front-post and back-post stitches?

Post stitches are worked around the body (the post) of the stitch below rather than into its top. A front-post stitch is worked with the hook in front of the work, and a back-post stitch with the hook behind it. Alternating them creates the raised ribs on this hat.

Why does the brim have its own rounds 6–9?

Those cone rounds, which begin in the front loops of Rnd 5, create a tan collar at the base of the ice cream. The ice cream section then grows from the unused back loops of Rnd 5.