This free Cable Slouchy Hat Crochet pattern uses post stitches to create a trendy cable stitch design that will keep your head nice and cozy this winter.

This cable slouchy hat crochet pattern uses crochet post stitches to create a wavy cable design. Add a faux fur pom to make your crochet hat extra special!

Wow, it’s been a bit since I made something with pretty crochet cables! This poor slouchy hat has been sitting in my “projects done” pile since January. It’s finally getting its chance to shine.

I named this hat after the Straits of Mackinaw. The Straits is the narrow passage under the Mackinaw Bridge and around a few Islands that connects Lake Michigan and Huron.

If you’ve never crocheted cables or used post stitches to make designs like this I highly recommend checking out my little crochet cables crash course here. It will give you a little insight into how I like to crochet cables and my best tips for success.

Straits Cable Slouchy Hat Crochet Pattern Featured Photo

Materials and Pattern Information

  • 256 yds Red Heart Soft or similar #4 worsted weight yarn.
    • Colors Shown: Seafoam and Deep Sea 
  • 5mm crochet hook
  • scissors
  • tapestry needle
  • faux fur pom (optional)

If you want to make this hat in a solid color you’ll only need one skein of Red Heart Soft. I went on a little stash dive and came up with 2 partial skeins of this yarn in 2 colors that just happen to coordinate so that’s how I did mine. I made a note in the pattern on where to change color.

Color blocks work well to enhance crochet cables but stripes or variegated yarns sometimes will hide them, so be aware of that when you are choosing yarn.

Some good substitutes for this yarn would be:

Caron Simply Soft

Lion Brand Heartland

Straits Cable Slouchy Hat In Progress

Gauge and Sizing

  • Gauge: 8 sts x 7 rows = 2 in
    • Pattern for gauge: BLO sc
  • Finished Hat Measures: 10 in across x 10 in tall lying flat
  • Adult Size

Abbreviations

I use US Terminology

Ch(s): chain(s)

Sc: single crochet

St(s): stitch(es)

BLO: back loop only

Hdc: half double crochet

FpTr: front post treble crochet

FpDtr: front post double treble crochet

FPtr2tog: Front post treble crochet 2 stitches together, decrease

Hdc2tog: half double crochet 2 stitches together, hdc decrease

Sc2tog: single crochet 2 stitches together, sc decrease

Special Stitches

  • Front Post Treble Crochet (FpTr): Yo (yarnover) 2 times, insert hook around stitch indicated from front to back to front, (yo, pull through 2 loops) 3 times.
  • Front post double treble crochet (FpDtr): Yo 3 times, insert hook around stitch indicated from front to back to front, (yo pull through 2 loops) 4 times.
  • Front Post Treble Crochet 2 Together (FpTr2tog): Yo 2 times, insert hook around stitch indicated from front to back to front, (yo pull through 2 loops) 2 times. 2 loops left on hook. Yo 2 times, insert hook around next indicated stitch from front to back to front, (yo pull through 2 loops) 2 times. 3 loops left on hook. Yo pull through all loops.

Notes and Tips for Making the Straits Slouchy Hat

  • Hat is worked from bottom up starting with ribbed band.
  • Turn after each round on body of hat unless otherwise noted
  • Ch 1 does not count as a stitch
  • Keep your tension loose and even when working the post stitches
  • All post stitches are worked around the stitches 2 rows below
  • Add this to your favorites on Ravelry!

This crochet cable hat pattern can be a little tricky, so I’m going to label this as an intermediate pattern. The one thing that always makes me trip up on patterns like this is how wordy the instructions are. It’s so easy to get lost!

If this sounds like you, my best tip is to take the pattern and break each row up into little chunks. You could even write it out on separate lines!

This hat starts at the bottom with a ribbed band that you’ll work in rows. Then you seam the short ends of the band together to form the bottom of the hat.

Next you’ll start crocheting the body of the hat around the raw edge of the band. After a couple set up rows, you’ll get into the fun part: the crochet cables!

At the top of the hat, I included a few decreases that coordinate with the cable design. After the last row you’ll finish off and cinch up the top. I added a fuax fur pom but that is optional.

Save this pattern on Pinterest!

This Crochet cable Slouchy Hat Pattern features a really pretty wavy cable design created with post stitches. Add a faux fur pom to make this hat extra special!

Print + Crochet in Comfort

You can find a low-cost AD-FREE printable version of this crochet pattern in my shop. You can print it out or use it digitally on your devices.

You can also find this pattern on Ravelry or Etsy

Straits Cable Slouchy Hat Crochet Pattern 

Band

Ch 9 to start

Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. Turn

Row 2: ch 1, working in BLO, sc in same st as ch 1 and in each st across. Turn

Row 3-64: repeat row 2

Join short ends of band with sl st to form tube. Continue to body of hat.

Body

Round 1: Ch 1, Hdc evenly around band placing 1 hdc in each row end. Join to first hdc with sl st. Turn

Rnd 2: ch 1, hdc in same st as ch 1 and in each st around. Join to top of 1st hdc with sl st. Turn.

Rnd 3: Ch 1, FPtr around next 2 sts 2 rows below. *Hdc in next 4, FpTr around next 4 sts 2 rows below, repeat from * around until 6 sts remain. Hdc in next 4, FpTr around last 2 sts 2 rows below. Join to top of 1st FpTr with sl st. Turn

Rnd 4: Ch 1, hdc in same st as ch 1 and in each st around. Join to top of 1st hdc with sl st. Turn

Rnd 5: Ch 1, hdc in same st as ch 1 and next st. FpDtr around first 2 FpTr from 2 rows below. FpDtr around next 2 FpTr from 2 rows below. *Hdc in next 4. FpDtr around next 4 FpTr from 2 rows below. Repeat from * around until 2 sts remain. Hdc in last 2. Join to top of 1st FpDtr with sl st. Turn

Rnd 6: Ch 1, hdc in same st as ch 1 and in each st around. Join to top of 1st hdc with sl st. Turn

Rnd 7: Ch 1, hdc in same at as ch 1 and in next st. FpTr around next 4 FpDtr from 2 rows below. *Hdc in next 4 sts, FpTr around next 4 FpDtr from 2 rows below. Repeat from * around until 2 sts remain. Hdc in last 2 sts. Join to top of 1st st with sl st. Turn

Rnd 8: Ch 1, hdc in same st as ch 1 and in each st around. Join to top of 1st hdc with sl st. Turn

Rnd 9: Ch 1, FpDtr around first 2 FpTr from 2 rows below. Hdc in next 4, *FpDtr around next 4 FpTr from 2 rows below, hdc in next 4 sts. Repeat from * around until 2 sts remain. FpDtr around last FpTr from 2 rows below. Join to top of 1st FpDtr with sl st. Turn

Rnd 10: Ch 1, hdc in same st as ch 1 and in each st around. Join to top of 1st hdc with sl st. Turn.

Rnd 11: Ch 1, FpTr around 1st 2 FpDtr from 2 rows below. Hdc in next 4, FpTr around next 4 FpDtr. Repeat from * around until 6 sts remain. Hdc in next 4. FpTr around last 2 FpDtr from 2 rows below. Join to top of 1st FpTr with sl st. Turn.

Row 12-24: repeat rows: 4-11. I changed color at the beginning of row 14

Decrease Rounds

Rnd 25: Ch 1, hdc2tog over 1st 2 sts. *Fptr2tog around next 2 FpTr from 2 rows below, twice. Hdc2tog twice over next 4 sts. Repeat from * around until 6 sts remain. Fptr2tog around next 2 FpTr from 2 rows below, twice. Hdc2tog over last 2 sts. Join to top of 1st hdc2tog with sl st. Do not turn

Rnd 26. Ch 1. Sc2tog around. Join to top of 1st sc2tog with sl st. Finish off, leave long tail. Using yarn needle, weave yarn tail in and out around top of hat. Pull to cinch closed. Weave in end.

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4 Comments

  1. Just curious if this could be tweaked into a regular beanie hat instead of a slouchy hat? It’s such a beautiful pattern!

  2. Is there supposed to be another row of HDC after the second row 11, which is technically row 24, before going on to the decrease row 25?
    Also, what about the holes created amid the beanie where the trebles are done, do you stitch these closed after?

  3. I love this design and I was so excited to get started on it. But something is a miss. You state that it’s an Adult size but when I get done with the band it doesn’t fit it’s still about 5″ to shy of fitting my head. If I add to the band would it throw off the pattern?

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