Visor Hat in Caron Simply Soft - Downloadable PDF

Visor Hat in Caron Simply Soft – Free Crochet Pattern by Darlene Dale

This Visor Hat is a fun, urban-style crocheted hat designed by Darlene Dale and worked in Caron Simply Soft yarn. The hat features a structured brim visor, ear coverage, and decorative buttons for a bold, street-ready look. Available as a free downloadable PDF, this pattern is rated beginner level, making it an excellent project for newer crocheters who want to build confidence while creating a wearable, stylish accessory.

What Is Being Made

The finished project is a crocheted visor hat with a circumference of approximately 21.5 inches (54.5 cm). The hat is designed to sit snugly on the head while covering the ears, and it includes a flat visor brim at the front. Decorative buttons are added as embellishments to give the hat its distinctive, funky character.

Materials Used

• Yarn: Caron Simply Soft, an aran weight yarn, in the colorway Ocean (9759) as the Main Color (MC). Each skein contains 170 g / 6 oz and 288 m / 315 yds.
• Quantity: 2 skeins of the Main Color are required, as the entire hat is worked holding two strands of yarn together throughout.
• Additional materials: Decorative buttons for embellishment, a stitch marker to track rounds, and a crochet hook appropriate for the gauge.

Gauge

The pattern gauge is 12 stitches and 12 rows = 4 inches (10 cm) in single crochet. Because the hat is worked with two strands held together, achieving the correct gauge is important for ensuring the finished hat fits properly at the stated circumference.

Techniques Used

• Working in the round (continuous rounds): The crown of the hat is worked in continuous spiral rounds without joining or turning at the beginning of each round. A stitch marker is used to track the start of each round and is moved up as work progresses.
• Crown shaping with increases: The hat begins at the very top of the crown with a small magic-ring-style start — chaining 2 and working 6 single crochets into the second chain from the hook. Increases are then worked systematically across multiple rounds to expand the crown outward in a flat, even circle.
• Back loop only (BLO) crochet: Round 12 is worked in the back loops only, which creates a subtle ridge line that defines the transition between the crown and the body of the hat. This is a common technique used to add texture or create a visual fold line in hats and beanies.
• Working back and forth in rows: After the body of the hat is complete, the visor is constructed by transitioning from working in the round to working back and forth in flat rows. This shift in construction is a useful technique for crocheters to learn, as it allows a flat, shaped panel to grow from a circular base.
• Reverse single crochet (reverse sc): Also known as the crab stitch, reverse single crochet is worked in the opposite direction of normal crochet (right to left instead of left to right). It creates a neat, rope-like edging that is commonly used to finish hats, necklines, and cuffs with a polished look.
• Holding two strands of yarn together: Throughout the entire pattern, two strands of Caron Simply Soft are held together as one. This technique effectively doubles the yarn weight, creating a thicker, sturdier fabric that gives the hat its structure and warmth without requiring a bulky yarn.
• Slip stitch edging on the visor: Slip stitches are used at the edges of the visor rows to create clean, defined borders and to shape the brim neatly.

Stitches Used

• Chain (ch) – used at the start of the pattern and at the beginning of certain rows
• Single crochet (sc) – the primary stitch used throughout the hat body, crown, and visor
• Single crochet in back loop only (BLO