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Okay crafty crochet friends – you asked nicely and now I’m going to give you what you want – a free pattern for the crochet hat that resembles a certain popular cartoon kitty named “Hello”.

Please (with a cherry on top) remember that I’m not a professional pattern writer. I’m a visual learner/artist. I rarely follow crochet patterns and when I do, I tend to make changes as needed. I crocheted my Hello Kitty hat without using a pattern. Yes, even the pointy ears, eyes and nose were improvised and created from scratch.

That being said, I have taken the time to create and write up a pattern for my Hello Kitty Crochet Hat. As promised, I’m providing the pattern for free. You may use this pattern to make your own Hello Kitty Crochet Hat. Please do not copy my pattern. If you would like to share the pattern with a friend, please directly link to my post.

I would love to see your finished projects so be sure to share your results in the comments section below.

Hello Kitty Crochet Hat Instructions

The hat itself is very easy to make. It is crocheted as a single piece and can be easily made larger or smaller. There is no need to worry about gauge as the size of the hat is adjustable to your individual needs.

Materials & Supplies

• White medium weight worsted yarn (hat, ears)
• Red or Pink medium weight worsted yarn (bow, optional trim)
• Yellow medium weight worsted yarn (nose)
• Black medium weight worsted yarn (eyes)
• Matching thread for sewing on eyes and nose
• Black embroidery floss for whiskers
• Sewing needles
• Crochet hook

Before you begin crocheting you will need to measure the head circumference of the person who will be wearing the hat. If the hat is for yourself, measure your own head and if the hat is for a friend, measure his or her head. Try to measure the widest part of the head as this will help you achieve the most comfortable fit. The next step requires a bit of math (gasp! it does come handy after all).

Use your measurement to calculate the diameter of the head (circle). In case you have forgotten, the formula is circumference divided by pi (3.14).

Example:

The circumference of my niece’s head is 22 inches. To figure out the circumference, divide 22 by pi which is 3.14.

22/3.14 = 7

The diameter of my niece’s head is approximately 7 inches.

Remember the diameter because this number is important for  customizing the fit of the hat. Hope my math lesson wasn’t too confusing. If you want to skip the math, you can guessimate the diameter or just start crocheting and measure your round against the head as you go.

Hello Kitty Crochet Hat Pattern

As tempting as it is to finish your project quickly, do not replace the single crochet stitches with half or double crochet. Working with half or double crochet will yield faster but less polished looking results.

Rnd 1: Chain 2

Rnd 2: 6 sc in 2nd ch from hook

Rnd 3: 2 sc in each stitch for a total of 12 stitches

Rnd 4: 1 sc, 2 sc in next st. Repeat pattern for total of 18 stitches.

Rnd 5: 2 sc, 2 sc in next st. Repeat for total of 24 stiches

Continue crocheting in rounds following the pattern of increasing each round by 6 single crochet stitches. The easiest way to do this without counting out stitches is to mark the beginning of each round with a safety pin and adding 1 extra sc at the same 6 points of increase.  You can see in the picture that the “round” is actually more hexagonal than circular.

Keep crocheting until the diameter of the round is equal to the diameter of the head. Do not fasten off.

Right now your hat is looking pretty flat and you’re wondering if your project will ever begin to resemble a hat at all. At this point you will want to continue crocheting in rounds WITHOUT increasing. As you continue crocheting, your flat round will slowly take on a bowl shape. Keep crocheting until your hat (which should look more like a fitted beanie) reaches the desired length.

The trim is optional. If you want to add trim to match the bow, simply change yarn colour about two or three rows before you get to the desired length of the hat. 

Pattern for Hello Kitty Ears

Crocheting the ears is similar to crocheting the round for the hat. Instead of increasing the rounds by 6 stitches, you will be increasing the rounds by 4 stitches.

Rnd 1: ch 2

Rnd 2: 4 sc in 2nd ch from hook

Rnd 3: 2 sc in each sc for total of 8 stitches

Rnd 4: 1 sc, 2 sc in next sc, repeat pattern for total of 12 stitches

Rnd 5: 2sc, 2 sc in next sc, repeat pattern for total of 16 stitches

Rnd 6: 1 sc in each sc for total of 16 stitches

Rnd 7: 3 sc, 2 sc in next sc, repeat pattern for total of 20 stitches

Fasten off and leave a long piece of yarn for sewing ear onto the hat.

Pattern for Hello Kitty Eyes and Nose

Use the following pattern to create a pair of eyes and the nose.

Row 1: ch 5

Row 2: 1 sc in 3rd ch from hook, 1 sc in next 2 stitches. 3 sc in last stitch

Row 3: (You will now be working in the free loops of the foundation ch stitches.) 1 sc in next 3 stitches, 2 sc in the last stitch of the foundation row.

Row 4: 1 sc in next 4 stitches, sl st in next sc. Fasten off weave in loose ends.

Pattern for Hello Kitty Bow

The bow is the most flexible piece of the project. You can adjust the length of the foundation chain row to your needs. To make a wider bow, simply add more chain stitches. You can also add more rows to your liking.

Row 1: Ch 30, join ends together with a sl st to create a ring

Row 2-7: 1 sc in each sc all around. Fasten off with a sl st and leave an extra long tail for wrapping around the centre of the bow. Knot and weave in end into backside of the bow.

Once you have completed all the pieces (1 hat, two eyes, 1 nose and 1 bow) you are ready to put the hat together. The key to achieving the Hello Kitty look is the placement and spacing the eyes, nose and whiskers. For best results, compare your work to the original licensed character.

Enjoy the free pattern but please remember that I wrote this out from scratch and I’m not a professional. I tried very hard to write out exactly what I crocheted. If you have questions or need tips, please leave a comment below so everyone may benefit.

Have fun crocheting your hats!

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Thanks for visiting inspirednest.ca. If you liked this post, why not leave a comment or subscribe to the blog via RSS Feed. You can also follow me on Twitter for the latest updates!

Last week I revealed the handmade stencil and die cut cards I made for one of my readers. While I was working on the cards, I came up with the idea to customize a brand new cork memo board for my final “Pay it Forward 2011″ gift. I’ve had this cork board from Ikea for ages with the intention of making it a little bit more interesting.

A few weeks ago I saw a Paris themed cork board at Homesense. They also had London and New York boards. I was tempted to buy the board for my daughter’s room to compliment the 5ft Eiffel tower decal on the wall. The boards were “natural looking” with black iconic images screened directly onto the cork. They were nice but $29.99 for a memo board is a bit steep for my taste. I’m much happier spending $6.99 at Ikea and dressing my cork board up for less.

In the case of the spare memo board, I didn’t spend an additional penny on this project because I already had everything I needed: 1 brand new cork board, craft paint and stencils.

Voilà! A pretty, custom cork memo board for my last Pay it Forward 2011 gift. This one is for you Teresa!

I was hesitant to show off my finished project because I made a boo boo but it’s not really a big deal. Still looks nice and the board functions perfectly fine!

I am so in love with these colours from Martha Stewart Crafts paint line by Plaid. I used Gray Wolf for the frame, Vanilla Bean for the branches and Surf for the birds.

I like these colours so much that I might just have to use them as the jumping off point for our basement media room design.

Want your own custom painted cork board? Here’s what you need and the how to!

Create a Custom Cork Memo Board with Stencils and Paint

Supplies

• Cork memo board (mine was from Ikea)
• Craft paint
• Stencils
• Painter’s tape or stencil tape
• Foam pouncer or stencil brush
• Foam brush (for painting frame)

Directions:

Start by covering the cork board with painter’s tape along the inside edge of the frame. Doing this will allow you to paint a clean edge along the frame without splattering all over the cork. My project isn’t the the best example because I painted the frame after I did the stencil work! That’s because painting the frame came as an afterthought.

Next, use a small foam or bristle brush to paint the frame in the colour of your choice. I used the multi-surface paint by Martha Stewart Crafts (available at Michaels). It’s a gorgeous neutral taupe gray. Once the paint is dry you can remove the painter’s tape.

Arrange the stencil/s on the board to your liking. Use the green tape to adhere the stencil to the cork. This prevents the stencil from slipping or moving when you apply the paint.

Use a foam pouncer or stencil brush to apply the paint. When working with stencils it is best to apply the paint in thin layers until you reach the desired saturation of colour.

Now, I left my board as is at this point but you can do so much more to make the board even more interesting. Maybe install some D hooks and use ribbon or tulle to hang the board up? Or how about adding pockets to hold receipts? That would be handy!

Okay folks, that is it – I am done with paying it forward! Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to get back to my other projects…

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Thanks for visiting inspirednest.ca. If you liked this post, why not leave a comment or subscribe to the blog via RSS Feed. You can also follow me on Twitter for the latest updates!