Hat in Schachenmayr Soraya - S9367

Crochet Hat Pattern: Schachenmayr Soraya Zigzag Beanie – S9367

This free downloadable crochet pattern (design S9367) from Schachenmayr guides crafters through making a cozy, textured beanie featuring a striking zigzag (Zick-Zack) stitch pattern. Rated as a beginner level project, it is an excellent introduction to working in the round from the top down, making it a satisfying and approachable make for those newer to crochet. The finished hat has a circumference of 54 cm, making it a comfortable adult fit.

What Is Being Made

The pattern produces a single crocheted hat worked from the crown downward. The construction begins at the very tip of the hat and expands outward in rounds, creating a smoothly shaped crown before transitioning into the body of the hat, which features a decorative zigzag texture. This top-down method allows for easy size adjustments and gives the finished piece a neat, seamless appearance at the crown.

Construction Technique

• Top-down construction: The hat is crocheted from the top (crown) downward, beginning with a magic ring (Fadenring) into which the first stitches are worked.
• Working in the round: The main body of the hat is crocheted in continuous rounds. Early shaping rounds are closed with a slip stitch, while later rounds transition into spiral rounds (Spiral-Rd), where stitches are worked continuously without closing each round. A contrast-colored yarn marker is used to track the beginning of each round.
• Crown shaping: Increases are worked systematically over the first several rounds by crocheting 3 stitches into a single stitch at regular intervals, building from 18 stitches up to 78 stitches across rounds 1 through 6. This creates the characteristic hexagonal or star-shaped crown typical of top-down beanies.
• Zigzag pattern: From round 7 onward, the pattern transitions into the decorative Zick-Zack-Muster (zigzag pattern), worked according to a crochet chart (Häkelschrift). The stitch count for this section is divisible by 3, and the zigzag rounds are repeated to build the body of the hat to the desired length.
• Back loop only: Round 7 introduces working into the back loop only (hinteres Maschenglied) of each stitch, a technique that creates a subtle ridge or textural line and helps define the transition between the crown and the hat body.

Stitches Used

• Treble/Double crochet stitches (Stäbchen / Stb): The primary stitch used throughout the crown shaping and body of the hat. These tall stitches work up quickly and give the fabric a light, open drape ideal for a chunky-weight yarn.
• Chain stitches (Luftmaschen): Used at the beginning of rounds as a substitute for the first treble crochet (3 chain stitches = 1 treble), and as a turning/starting stitch in round 7.
• Slip stitches (Kettmaschen): Used to close rounds and to join sections neatly.
• Half treble crochet stitches (halbe Stäbchen): Worked in round 6 during the transition from the crown shaping to the hat body, helping to ease the stitch height change smoothly.
• Single crochet / slip stitches (feste Maschen): Also introduced in round 6 and continued in round 7, worked into the back loop only to create a defined ridge at the brim of the crown.
• 3 stitches into 1 stitch increases: A key increase technique used repeatedly in the crown shaping rounds to create the zigzag points and add width evenly.

Gauge

The pattern specifies a gauge of 10 treble crochet stitches × 10 rows/rounds = 10 × 10 cm. Checking gauge before beginning is always recommended, particularly when working with chunky yarns, as hook tension can vary significantly between crocheters and affect the final circumference of