Whoever said you can't wear a bun under a hat has not seen the Madison Messy Bun Hat yet and they should! This timeless classic stitches up mostly with a double crochet, so beginners can easily stitch their way through the pattern. See the free pattern below or get the ad-free printable PDF pattern here.
Madison Messy Bun Hat Crochet Pattern
This crochet messy bun hat design is my new favorite, I hope it becomes one of your new favorites as well. The Madison Messy Bun Hat is extra stylish with a row of mesh stitches above the ribbing, and is fast and easy to make!
You can even customize your hat with some other fun mesh stitches! I have pulled together 45 of my favorite crochet stitches into a collection of video tutorials. Find a ton of mesh and other stitches included! Watch the video here free for 2 days.
It took me less than an hour to work up with bulky yarn and a size 6.5mm K crochet hook.

I briefly went over the ponytail holder in the second paragraph in the Puffy Bun Hat Pattern.
By the way, before we get to the pattern, if you enjoy crocheting simple shapes to make your crochet patterns a little easier (like rectangles), you may want to check out my Crochet Anything with Rectangles class where you'll take the basic shape and learn to crochet any crochet pattern out of just rectangles. Check out the class here.
Skill Level: Intermediate
Materials:
Hook: US Size K/10½ (6.5 mm) crochet hook or size needed to obtain gauge
Yarn: Bulky weight yarn
10 yds color A
20 yds color B
20 yds color C
Notions:
Scissors
Yarn needle
Ponytail holder / hair elastic
Size:
Circumference: 20 inches; Height: 10 inches
Get the ad-free printable PDF pattern here
Gauge:
W10 dc x 5 rnds = 4 inches
This pattern uses US crochet terms.
ABBREVIATIONS | DESCRIPTION |
---|---|
blo | Back loop only |
ch | Chain |
dc | Double crochet |
fpdc | Front post double crochet |
rnd | Round |
sc | Single crochet |
sc2tog | Single crochet 2 together |
sl st | Slip stitch |
st(s) | Stitch(es) |
Pattern
Join rnds where indicated with a sl st in the first st of the rnd.
Hat
On rnd 1, work into the ponytail holder as though it were a starting circle of chains. It should end up hidden inside your stitches.
Rnd 1: Ch 1, 20 dc in ponytail holder, join. (20 dc)
Rnd 2: Ch 2, 2 dc in first st, dc in next st, [2 dc in next st, dc in next st] around, join. (30 dc)
Rnd 3: Ch 2, 2 dc in first st, dc in each of next 2 sts, [2 dc in next st, dc in each of next 2 sts] around, join. (40 dc)
Rnd 4: Ch 2, 2 dc in first st, dc in each of next 3 sts, [2 dc in next st, dc in each of next 3 sts] around, join. (50 dc)
Rnds 5-8: Ch 2, dc in each st around, join. (50 dc)
Rnd 9: Ch 3 (counts as ch-1 sp), sk first st, dc in next st, [ch 1, sk next st, dc in next st] around, join in starting ch-1 sp. (25 dc, 25 ch-1 sps)
Rnd 10: Ch 2, dc in each ch-1 sp and in each st around, join. (50 dc)
Ribbing
Ribbing is worked sideways in rows, joining to the body of the hat at the end of every RS row.
Row 1: Ch 4, sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each of next 2 chs, sc2tog in first 2 sts on hat. (3 sc, 1 sc2tog)
Row 2: Turn, sk first st, sc in blo of each of next 3 sts. (3 sc)
Row 3: Ch 1, turn, sc in blo each of first 3 sts, sc2tog in next 2 sts on hat. (3 sc, 1 sc2tog)
Row 4: Turn, sk first st, sc in blo of each of next 3 sts. (3 sc)
Rows 5-50: Repeat rows 3-4 23 times.
Fasten off, leaving a long tail.
Sew ends first and last row of ribbing together.
Weave in all ends.
Get the ad-free printable PDF pattern here
If you're looking to add a new repertoire of stitches to your knowledge base, you have to check out the Ultimate Crochet Stitch Library. You'll have all the stitches you need to crochet anything you've ever wanted to. These are the foundational stitches for the majority of patterns out there!
Pattern and photos © 2016, Cream Of The Crop Crochet™. All Rights Reserved.
What a creative idea to start with a ponytail holder! So much faster and easier.