Bee Hive Square Hat Free Crochet Pattern

Bee Hive Square Hat Free Crochet Pattern

Introduction

This little Bee Hive Square Hat is a sweet, simple make for the smallest heads in your life — perfect for beginners who have just mastered the double crochet and want a project that looks far more intricate than it is. It's worked as a soft cylinder of stacked solid granny square rounds, striped in apricot and peach DK merino, so the texture reads like gentle honeycomb ridges without a single complicated stitch. The calm, Japandi palette and the tiny crochet bee perched at the crown make it a keepsake-worthy gift for a newborn or a 0–6 month baby shower. It feels light, squishy, and warm against delicate skin, and it slips on easily thanks to the stretchy granny-square fabric.

Materials Needed

• Yarn: DK weight (light worsted, CYC 3) merino wool, approx 110 yd total:
  • Color A (apricot): 60 yd
  • Color B (peach): 45 yd
  • Color C (dark brown): 3 yd
  • Color D (pale yellow): 2 yd
• Hook: 4.0 mm (US G/6)
• Notions: tapestry needle, scissors, small amount of polyester fiberfill for the bee, stitch marker (optional)
• Finished size: circumference 14 in / 35.5 cm, height 5.5 in / 14 cm; fits head 13–16 in / 33–41 cm (0–6 months)

Abbreviations

• ch — chain
• sl st — slip stitch
• sc — single crochet
• dc — double crochet
• inc — increase (work 2 sc in the same stitch)
• dec — decrease (work 2 sc together into 1 stitch)
• sp / sps — space / spaces
• MR — magic ring
• rep — repeat
• st / sts — stitch / stitches

Gauge

1 solid granny square round (one dc cluster side) = 2 in / 5 cm; 4 dc = 1 in; 4 rounds = 2 in. Work a small swatch of a few granny rounds and measure a side of the square to check your gauge before starting.

Tips Before You Start

• Work in joined rounds and change color at the join — this keeps the stripes crisp and the corner spaces aligned.
• The ch 3 at the start of each round counts as your first dc, so don't add an extra dc beside it.
• Keep your tension relaxed: the hat is a straight cylinder with no increases after the crown, so a tight gauge will make it too small to fit.
• Count your 60 dc at the end of each body round — the corner ch-2 spaces are easy to miss and will throw off the stripe height.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Crown Square (Color A)

R1: In a magic ring: ch 3, 2 dc, [ch 2, 3 dc] x3, ch 2, join to top of ch 3 (12 dc, 4 ch-2 sps).

R2: Sl st to corner sp, ch 3, 2 dc in sp, ch 2, 3 dc in same sp, *3 dc in next sp, ch 2, 3 dc in same sp* x3, join (24 dc).

R3: Sl st to corner, ch 3, 2 dc, ch 2, 3 dc in corner, *3 dc in each of next 2 sps, ch 2, 3 dc in corner sp* x3, join (36 dc).

R4: Sl st to corner, ch 3, 2 dc, ch 2, 3 dc in corner, *3 dc in each of next 3 sps, ch 2, 3 dc in corner sp* x3, join (48 dc).

R5: Sl st to corner, ch 3, 2 dc, ch 2, 3 dc in corner, *3 dc in each of next 4 sps, ch 2, 3 dc in corner sp* x3, join (60 dc). Crown now measures 14 in circumference; fasten off A.

Body Stripes (worked straight, no increases, 4 corner sps per round)

Join B at any corner sp.

R6: Ch 3, 2 dc in corner sp, *3 dc in each sp to next corner, ch 2, 3 dc in corner sp* x3, join (60 dc).

R7: With B, rep R6 (60 dc).

R8–9: With A, rep R6 (60 dc).

R10–11: With B, rep R6 (60 dc).

R12–13: With A, rep R6 (60 dc).

R14–15: With B, rep R6 (60 dc).

R16–17: With A, rep R6 (60 dc).

R18: With B, rep R6 (60 dc). Hat height is now 5.5 in. Do not fasten off.

Brim Edging (Color B)

R19: Ch 1, sc in each dc and 2 sc in each ch-2 sp around, join (68 sc).

R20: Ch 1, sc in each sc around, join, fasten off (68 sc). Weave in ends.

Bee Button (Colors C and D)

Bee body (C):

R1: MR, 6 sc, join (6).

R2: Inc x6 (12).

R3: [sc, dec] x4 (8). Stuff lightly.

R4: Dec x4 (4), close.

Wings (D), make 2: Ch 4, 3 dc in 4th ch from hook, sl st to base, fasten off.

Sew wings to the top of the bee body. Embroider 2 C stripes across the bee body.

Assembly and Finishing

Turn the hat inside out and weave in all ends neatly on the wrong side. Block lightly to 14 in circumference by misting with water and pinning to shape, then let it dry fully. Sew the bee button to the crown center last, stitching through R1–R2 of the crown so it sits securely and flat.

Pro Tips and Variations

• Swap the apricot and peach for any two soft neutrals — oatmeal and cream give an even calmer Japandi look.
• For a slightly taller hat, add two more rounds of R6 in B before the brim; the stitch count stays at 60 dc.
• Make the bee in a contrasting mustard and skip the wings for a simple honeycomb button instead.