One of the kids in the youth group saw the skull hat I knit for my husband and he asked if I could make him one. Because I crochet faster than I knit, I decided to design a crocheted one for him. The hat is made starting from the brim and works to the top. The brim is crocheted in rows in the rib stitch. This pattern assumes you already know how to change colors when crocheting and how to read a chart. You can use the fair isle or intarsia method for changing colors. I did a modified fair isle where I stranded the yarn not used in the back for about every other stitch and crochet over top the unused color every other stitch just in the area where the skull pattern was. I did not carry the red yarn around the back of the hat. I started a new piece of red yarn for each row. This made for quite a few ends to weave in, but kept the inside of the hat neat and clean looking.
Yarn: Two colors of medium worsted weight yarn of your choice: hat color (black) and skull color (red). Red Heart yarn is pictured.
Skull Chart in PDF format
Yarn Needle for sewing in ends (optional)
Gauge: 3 sc = 1 inch; 3 rows = 1 inch
Size Made: 8 inches from brim to top and 10 ½ inches across when laid flat. This fits a teen/adult female head.
Ch = chain
Dec = crochet two together
Rnd = round
Sc = single crochet
Sc dec = single crochet two stitches together
Sl St = slip stitch
St = stitch
Black (or hat color)
Row 1: Sc in second ch from hook and next four ch stitches. (5)
Row 2-68: Ch 1, turn. Sc in back loops only of each st across. (5)
Row 69: Bring rows 1 and 68 together to form the brim of the hat making sure it’s not twisted. Sc row 1 to row 68. (5)
From this point forward you will be working in rounds. Turn the brim so you can work along the end/top of each row.
Rnd 1: Sc on the end of each row. Join with a slip stitch. (68)
Rnd 2: Ch 1, 31 sc. Start the skull pattern from the chart.The 31 sc takes you to the first color change at the bottom of the chart where the teeth start. The chart is read from right to left. Each stitch not on the chart, the back side of the hat, is done in single crochet with no increases or decreases. When you get to the end of the round, do not join. Continue working in rounds. (68)
Rnd 3: Skip the ch 1 stitch from rnd 2. Continue around using the chart as a guide.
Rnd 4-18: Use the chart to complete the skull pattern. Each stitch not on the chart is single crocheted with no increases or decreases. There are three decreases in each of the rows 16-18. The blackened spaces on the chart should be ignored as they are the stitches taken out by the decreases of previous rows. They do not count as single crochets or decreases. Consider them non-stitches.
Rnd 16 (65)
Rnd 17 (62)
Rnd 18 (59)
59 stitches left after completing the skull pattern.
Rnd 19: 3 sc. *Dec, 6 sc* seven times. (52)
Rnd 20: 3 sc. *Dec, 5 sc* seven times. (45)
Rnd 21: 3 sc. *Dec, 4 sc* seven times. (38)
Rnd 22: 3 sc. *Dec, 3 sc* seven times. (31)
Rnd 23: 3 sc. *Dec, 2 sc* seven times. (24)
Rnd 24: 3 sc. *Dec, sc* seven times. (17)
Rnd 25: Sc. *Dec* seven times.(10)
Rnd 26: Dec five times. (5)
Finish off. Cut yarn leaving a long tail. Pull yarn through each of the remaining stitches and pull tight to close the top. Weave in end.
Row 1: Sc in second ch from hook, 11 sc. (12)
Cut yarn leaving a long tail for sewing to the top of the hat.
Make a pom-pom. Attach that to the end of the pom-pom topper.
How to make a simple pom-pom: For a quick and easy pom-pom, I wrap the yarn around my hand several times. The more wraps, the thicker the pom-pom. I pull the yarn off my hand and pull a piece of yarn through the middle and tie it tightly around the strands that used to be at the top of my hand. I cut the strands that were at the bottom of my hand and trim the ends so they are somewhat even. The pom-pom can then be attached to the topper. I use the same piece of yarn that I used to tie the pom-pom.