Faux Cabled Crochet Bun Beanie – Free Pattern + Video Tutorial

Would you believe this free crochet bun beanie pattern (AKA ponytail hat) uses only single crochet and chain stitches? Despite it’s simple construction, the “cabled” look of this beanie is sure to dress up even the messiest of messy buns. As always, the free pattern is below or you can purchase the ad-free, printable PDF here.

Oh the crochet bun beanie. Outside of our little pocket of the internet, I’m sure no one has any idea what I’m talking about. But inside this warm, wooly corner of craft blogs and internet crocheters, bun beanies are hot. Hot. Hot.

I can see why too. They say, “Hey look, I’m a woman. Yup, see? I have a lot of hair pretty back there. But I don’t care to wash it or style it, so I put this cute hat on and called it a day.” This is my kind of trend.

I wanted to design a free crochet bun beanie pattern that didn’t necessarily have to be pulled over your bun to be put on. Let’s face it, the perfectly imperfect messy bun is sometimes hard to achieve and yanking a hat over it has the potential to create a little too much mess in your messy bun. (Unless you’re my sister, pictured in this post, who has the hair of an equestrian mermaid. So thick. So soft. So shiny.)

A while back, I came across this pillow and I became really intrigued by how single crochet plus a bunch of chain loops could create such an elegant, cabled texture. I pinned the technique and knew I’d use it one of these days. Today is the day! (PS. Are we Pinterest buddies yet? Let’s be!)

This crochet bun beanie pattern literally requires one skein of Lion Brand Lion’s Pride Woolspun yarn, single crochet, periodic sets of 10 chains to create the loops and some decreases thrown in for good measure.

I put together this brief video tutorial so you could see how easy it is to turn your swatch of squiggly chain loops into a stylish “cabled” hat. Check it out below to see the entire bun beanie come together in less than two minutes. (Unfortunately, I’m not this fast in real life!)

Note: The video shows four rows of chain loops because I shot it all at my house before Christmas, only to decide after the hat was finished that I wanted to adjust it a bit. So I tore it all out and recreated it when I was at my parents’ (away from my video recording set up.) #bloggerproblems Anyhow, don’t be concerned when you end up with only three rows of loops or when your row of tacking the loops down (row 14) happens on the back side of the hat instead of the front like in the video. 🙂

Feel free to share and pin this blog post! Please do not publish this pattern as your own. You may make items to sell with this pattern. In exchange, please link back to this post. Do NOT use my photos as your own sales photos. ­­You can read my policies here. Now let’s make something awesome!

Related: 35+ Easy Chunky Beanies to Crochet

Faux Cabled Bun Beanie – Free Crochet Pattern

Purchase the ad-free, printable PDF here.

Add this pattern to your Ravelry favorites here.

Pin it for later here.

Sizes:
One size fits most teen and adult women’s heads

Supplies: So /> /> you can spend more time crocheting beanies and less time shopping, this pattern contains affiliate links at no extra cost to you.
• (1) Lion Brand Lion’s Pride Woolspun in “Honey” approx. 127 yards (100 g) (Note that the any variegated version of this yarn contains slightly less yardage, so you will likely have to eliminate the last row or two of the pattern if you use multicolored Woolspun. The pattern will work, the hat will just be slightly shorter.)
• Tapestry needle
• Size J [6.0 mm] crochet hook (I really like this affordable set!)
• (4) ¾” buttons
• Sewing needle and thread to match buttons
• Scissors

Gauge:
• 5.5 sc stitches = 2”
• 8 sc rows = 2”

Abbreviations (US Terms):
sc – single crochet
approx. – approximately
ch – chain
sk – skip
scblo – single crochet back loop only (Insert hook in back loop of the crochet stitch you’re working, then complete a normal single crochet.)
sc2tog – decrease one stitch by single crocheting two stitches together (Insert hook in first stitch, yarn over and draw up a loop (2 loops are now on hook). Insert hook in next single crochet, yarn over, draw up a loop (3 loops are now on hook). Yarn over, draw a yarn through all three loops on hook.)

Notes:
• The ribbing of this beanie is worked first and the hat is built on top.
• The entire hat is worked in a rows back and forth and becomes round when buttoned at the end.

Ribbing Band

To begin ribbing, ch 6.

Row 1: In the second ch from hook, sc, sc in each of next 4 ch; turn. (5 sc)

Row 2: Ch 1, scblo in each of next 5 sc; turn.

Repeat Row 2 until piece measures 23”.

Row 3: Ch 1, scblo in next 2 sc, sk next sc, ch 1, scblo in next 2 sc; turn. (Buttonhole created.)

Row 4-5: Repeat row 2.

Do not fasten off. Turn ribbing and continue with the beanie section working along the long edge of ribbing that is closest to your hook. (See photo A.)

Related: 27+ Free Crochet Hats and Beanies for Adults

Beanie

Notes:
• This pattern is intended to use one entire skein of Lion Brand Woolspun. Since yarn is measured by weight, yardage can vary slightly. If you come up short, simply do not work row 17.
• When each chain loop is created in row 1, work the next single crochet in the very next stitch of the previous row. (Therefore you will have single crocheted in each single crochet from the previous round and you’ll have 14 chain loops popping up from the row of single crochet. See photo above for reference.)

Foundation Row: Ch 1, sc 60 along long edge of ribbing; turn. (60)

Row 1: Ch 1, sc 4, ch 10, sc 4, [ch 10, sc 4] 14 times; turn. (14 ch loops created)

Row 2: Ch 1, sc 2, sk 1 sc, ch 1, sc 2, sc in each sc; turn. (Buttonhole created.) (60)

Rows 3-4: Ch 1, sc in each sc; turn. (60)

Row 5: Repeat row 1. (60)

Rows 6-7: Repeat row 3. (60)

Row 8: Repeat row 2. (Buttonhole created.) (60)

Rows 9: Repeat row 1. (60)

Row 10: Repeat row 3. (60)

Row 11: Ch 1, sc 4, [sc2tog, sc 8] 5 times, sc2tog, sc 4; turn. (54)

Row 12: Repeat row 3. (54)

Row 13: Ch 1, sc 4, [sc2tog, sc 9] 4 times, sc2tog, sc 4; turn. (49)

Notes:
• Pull the chain loops from row 1 through the loops of row 5 and pull those loops through the loops of row 9. Reference the video tutorial above for a visual example.
• Row 14 picks up row 9 chain loops every few stitches. Just stretch the row 9 chain loop up to see where it should be tacked down on row 14. Because of how the decreases are done in row 13, sometimes there will be two single crochet between the chain loops and sometimes there will be three.
• To tack down the chain loops, insert hook through chain loop before working the single crochet so that the loop is anchored to the single crochet stitch. Check out the brief video tutorial above to see this in action. (Note: tacking the loops down in row 14 will happen on the back side of the hat instead of the front like in the video.)

Row 14: Ch 1, sc 2, sk 1 sc, ch 1, sc in each sc until end of row, working through row 9 chain loops as appropriate. (Buttonhole created.) (49)

Row 15: Ch 1, sc 3, [sc2tog, sc 8] 4 times, sc2tog, sc 4; turn. (44)

Row 16: Ch 1, sc 5, [sc2tog, sc 9] 3 times, sc2tog, sc 4; turn. (40)

Row 17: Ch 1, sc 4, [sc2tog, sc 8] 3 times, sc2tog, sc 4; turn. (36)

Fasten off.

Finishing

Sew buttons onto hat to coordinate with buttonhole placement. Weave in any remaining yarn ends.

Throw your hair in a bun, pop on your crochet bun beanie and walk out the door—messy hair, don’t care!

I love to see your finished projects! Use #MakeAndDoCrew and tag me Instagram (@MakeAndDoCrew) to show off your stitches and have a chance to be featured.

Are you one of those rad chics who makes your own accessories? Good for you! You might like these free patterns too:

“Cabin Boots” with Flip Flop Soles

“Desert Winds” Free Crochet Triangle Scarf

Nordic Crochet Super Scarf