Moonlit Polka Crown: Free Crochet Hexagon Motif Sun Hat Pattern

Moonlit Polka Crown: A Beginner-Friendly Hexagon Sun Hat

Welcome to the Moonlit Polka Crown, a wide-brim sun hat that looks far more complicated than it actually is. If you have never crocheted before, this is a wonderful first "big" project because it is built from one small, repeatable shape: a six-sided hexagon motif that you will make nineteen times. The finished hat is a flat circular crown of denim blue and cream hexagons whose alternating centers read like scattered polka dots, finished with a simple single-crochet brim for a Victorian-romantic Halloween silhouette. It is light, soft, and slightly structured, with a brim that extends about 2.5 inches (6.5 cm) beyond the crown to shade your face. By the end you will have practiced every core crochet skill: the magic ring, double crochet, single crochet, color changes, and joining pieces together.

Materials Needed

• Yarn: Fingering weight (Category 1) wool yarn, approximately 350 yd (320 m) total — 200 yd (183 m) denim blue and 150 yd (137 m) cream.
• Crochet hook: US C/2 (2.75 mm), or the size needed to match gauge.
• Stitch markers: At least 6, to mark corners and the start of each round.
• Tapestry needle: A blunt-tipped needle with an eye large enough for your yarn, for weaving in ends.
• Scissors: Any small sharp pair for cutting yarn.
• Finished size: Adult, one size fits most (head circumference 21–23 in / 53–58 cm). Finished crown circumference approx. 22 in (56 cm); brim extends approx. 2.5 in (6.5 cm) beyond the crown.

Abbreviations and Beginner Glossary

• ch – chain: yarn over the hook and pull it through the loop on your hook. This makes a small link.
• sl st – slip stitch: insert hook into the stitch, yarn over, and pull through both the stitch and the loop on your hook at once. Makes an almost invisible join.
• sc – single crochet: insert hook into stitch, yarn over, pull up a loop (2 loops on hook), yarn over, pull through both loops.
• hdc – half double crochet: yarn over, insert hook, yarn over, pull up a loop (3 loops on hook), yarn over, pull through all 3 loops.
• dc – double crochet: yarn over, insert hook, yarn over, pull up a loop (3 loops on hook), yarn over, pull through 2 loops, yarn over, pull through remaining 2 loops.
• MR – magic ring: an adjustable loop you crochet into, then pull tight so no hole remains in the center.
• st(s) – stitch(es): one completed crochet stitch.
• sp – space: the gap under a chain from the previous round; you work into the gap, not into a stitch.
• corner – a [sc, ch 2, sc] group worked into one space, which creates a pointed corner on the hexagon.
• join – connect the last stitch of a round to the first with a sl st so the round closes into a circle.
• fasten off – cut the yarn a few inches from the work and pull the tail through the last loop to lock it.

Gauge

Gauge: One finished hexagon motif = 2 in (5 cm) across flat-to-flat; 4 sc = 1 in (2.5 cm) in single crochet.

Gauge matters because it controls the finished size. If your hexagons come out larger than 2 inches, the hat will be too big; if smaller, too tight. To check, crochet one complete hexagon motif exactly as written, then lay it flat and measure straight across from one flat side to the opposite flat side. If it measures more than 2 in, try a smaller hook; if less, try a larger hook. You can also work a small single-crochet swatch and measure 4 stitches across to confirm your sc gauge.

Beginner Tips Before You Start

• Use stitch markers. Place one in the first stitch of every round and one in each corner space so you never lose your place.
• Do not pull your yarn too tight. Tension should be relaxed; tight stitches make the hexagons curl and the hat too small.
• Count your corners every round. Each hexagon must always have exactly 6 corners — if you have 5 or 7, something went wrong and it is easier to fix now than later.
• Make all 19 motifs before joining. Lay them out on a table first so you can check the alternating polka-dot colors before any seams are permanent.
• Keep your tails long. Leave a 6-in (15 cm) tail on each motif; you will use these for joining and weaving in.
• Work in good light. Fingering-weight yarn is thin, and good light makes every stitch easy to see.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Hexagon Motif (make 19)

Make 10 motifs with a cream center and denim blue outer rounds, and 9 motifs with a denim blue center and cream outer rounds. Each motif begins with the center color and changes to the outer color at Round 3.

Rnd 1: With center color, make a magic ring. Ch 3 (counts as first dc), work 11 dc into the ring, join with sl st to top of ch-3. (12 dc)

Rnd 2: Ch 3, dc in same st, [ch 2, 2 dc in next st] around, ch 2, join with sl st to top of ch-3. (6 ch-2 sps, 12 dc)

Rnd 3: Change to outer color. Sl st into next ch-2 sp, ch 1, [sc, ch 2, sc] in same sp (corner made), *ch 1, [sc, ch 2, sc] in next ch-2 sp; rep from * around, ch 1, join with sl st to first sc. (6 corners, 6 ch-1 sps)

Rnd 4: Ch 1, sc in each sc and in each ch-1 sp around, working [sc, ch 2, sc] in each ch-2 corner sp. Join with sl st to first sc. Fasten off, leaving a 6-in (15 cm) tail for joining. (6 corners)

Join-As-You-Go Assembly

Arrange all 19 motifs flat: 1 center motif, 6 motifs around it, and 12 motifs in the outer ring. Alternate the center colors so no two adjacent motifs share the same center color — this is what creates the polka-dot effect.

Join motifs with sl st through both layers along matching edges: hold two motifs right sides together, insert your hook through the corresponding sc of both motifs at once, and sl st across the edge. Work all joins in denim blue. First join the center motif to the 6 surrounding motifs, then join the 12 outer motifs to form the full circular crown disc. Weave in all ends.

Crown Shaping

With denim blue, join yarn at any outer edge sc of the assembled disc.

Rnd 1: Ch 1, sc evenly around the entire outer perimeter of the joined disc, working 1 sc in each sc and 1 sc in each joining seam, join with sl st to first sc. (approx. 132 sc)

Rnds 2–3: Ch 1, sc in each sc around, join with sl st to first sc. (132 sc) Do not fasten off.

Brim

Rnd 1: Ch 1, sc in each sc around, join with sl st to first sc. (132 sc)

Rnd 2 (increase rnd): Ch 1, *sc in next 10 sc, 2 sc in next sc; rep from * around, join with sl st to first sc. (144 sc)

Rnd 3: Ch 1, sc in each sc around, join with sl st to first sc. (144 sc)

Rnd 4 (increase rnd): Ch 1, *sc in next 11 sc, 2 sc in next sc; rep from * around, join with sl st to first sc. (156 sc)

Rnd 5: Ch 1, sc in each sc around, join with sl st to first sc. (156 sc)

Rnd 6 (increase rnd): Ch 1, *sc in next 12 sc, 2 sc in next sc; rep from * around, join with sl st to first sc. (168 sc)

Rnds 7–8: Ch 1, sc in each sc around, join with sl st to first sc. (168 sc)

Rnd 9 (final edge): Ch 1, sc in each sc around, join with sl st to first sc. Fasten off and weave in ends. (168 sc)

Assembly and Finishing

Seaming: All motif joins are done with slip stitches worked through both layers at once (explained in the Join-As-You-Go section above). Hold pieces right sides together, match the corner scs, and slip stitch along the edge, keeping your tension even so the seams lie flat.

Weaving in ends: Thread each tail onto your tapestry needle, turn the hat to the wrong side, and weave the tail in and out through the backs of several stitches for about 1 inch. Then change direction and weave back the other way to lock it, and trim close to the work.

Blocking: Block the hat lightly over a bowl or hat form, mist with water, and allow it to dry fully to set the brim shape. This opens up the stitches, smooths the seams, and gives the brim its gentle curve.

Pro Tips and Variations

• Change the colors: Swap denim blue and cream for black and pumpkin orange for a bolder Halloween look, or pastel pink and white for spring.
• Adjust the size: Because the crown is built from 2-inch motifs, adding or removing motifs from the outer ring changes the circumference by roughly 2 inches per motif. Keep the brim increase rounds evenly spaced if you change the stitch count.
• Substitute yarn: A sport weight (Category 2) yarn will make a slightly larger, warmer hat — always re-check your gauge with one motif first.
• Stiffen the brim: For a firmer sun-hat brim, mist the brim with a little fabric stiffener before blocking and let it dry over the bowl.