The Beginner Tunisian Toddler Beanie is such a great project for both producing a cute and warm hat for your toddler and at the same time, practicing your Tunisian crochet skills.
I crocheted this beanie in my let’s-crochet-as-fast-as-possible craziness that preceded Christmas. So, you can imagine I didn’t have much time to write up the pattern just before the holidays started.
Now, I am back from my Christmas holidays, which I spent back home in Italy, I am full of energy, and I think that publishing this pattern today, on the last day of December, is a good way to end my crochet year. And wishing you all a Happy 2020!
So, let’s talk a little bit more about the Beginner Tunisian Toddler Beanie.
I wanted this beanie to match the Beginner Tunisian Toddler Scarf so that I could gift a beanie+scarf set to my toddler niece. I ended up gifting the set to someone else than my niece, but that’s a different story. The little girl who got it looked super cute in her beanie and scarf, and that’s all that counts!
Note: this post contains affiliate links. This means that if you purchase something through the links on my blog, I might earn a commission. This will not have any effect on the price you pay. For more info, please, see my Privacy Policy.
Why Tunisian Crochet instead of Knitting?
At first sight, it might be difficult to tell if the beanie is knitted or crocheted. So I have also been asking this question to myself. Why should I crochet something that looks just like knitting? What’s the point? Why don’t I just knit it?
Let’s go in order.
Just to start with, I am not really a knitter and you cannot start learning a new technique when you are in the Christmas presents prep rush. As a side note, I have been practicing some knitting during my holidays back home and I quite enjoyed it! Maybe I’ll talk more about my knitting adventures in another post soon.
Going back to our beanie, even if I had been an amazing knitter, I would still choose Tunisian crochet. Why? Simply because it is warmer!
Tunisian crochet produces a very thick layer that is basically double the one obtained with knitting. And yet, even if it is so thick, Tunisian crochet is super soft and squishy!
Isn’t that a good enough reason? If you agree or disagree, just drop me a comment and let me know what you think about it.
Find more hats and beanies for your child here on the blog…
- Crochet Monster Beanie – Perfect for Halloween!
- Sweet Baby Hat
- Cactus Beanie
Add this pattern to your Ravelry queue HERE and favorite it (– thank you!). Or save it for later by pinning it to your best Tunisian crochet board on Pinterest using this pin.
Materials
- Aran (4, Medium) Weight Yarn
- 6.0-mm (J/10 US, 4 UK) Crochet Hook
- 8.0-mm (L/11 US, 0 UK) Tunisian Crochet Hook. You must be able to accommodate a total length of about 15”.
- Tapestry Needle
- One Pompom
Yarn & Yardage
I used about 157 yds (144m, 80 g) of Paintbox Yarns Wool Mix Aran in color 811, Bright Peach.
Feel free to use any yarn that meets gauge.
Crochet Abbreviations (US Terms)
Ch – Chain
Sk – Skip
Sl St – Slip Stitch
St – Stitch
Tks – Tunisian Knit Stitch
Yo – Yarn Over
Special Stitches
Tunisian Knit Stitch (Tks)
Learn how to crochet the Tunisian knit stitch in this step-by-step tutorial HERE.
Tunisian Return Pass (Return)
Yo, pull through the first loop on your hook, *yo, pull through 2 loops*. Repeat in from * for all the loops on your hook. At the end of the return row, you will only have 1 loop on your hook.
Pattern Notes
- Always skip the very first st.
- The first stitch is included in the stitch count.
- The last stitch is worked under both loops of the final ch from the previous row.
Size
The Beginner Tunisian Toddler Beanie is will fit a toddler with a head measurement of 18-19” (45.5-48.5 cm).
Gauge
- For the brim, 28 rows of sl st in 4” (10 cm).
- For the body of the beanie, working the Tunisian Knit stitch, 13 sts for 14 rows in 4” (10 cm).
Pattern
Brim
Using Paintbox Yarns Wool Mix Aran and the 6.0-mm crochet hook, ch 7.
Row 1. Sl st into the second ch from the hook and into all the remaining chains. (6 sts)
Row 2-93. Ch 1, turn, sl st across. (6 sts)
You should obtain a brim that is 1.7″ (4 cm) by 13.75″ (34.5 cm).
Body of the Beanie
Switch to the 8.0-mm Tunisian crochet hook.
Ch 1.
Row 1. Working on the long side of the brim, pick up a loop from the side loops of each row of the brim, including the very first ch of the ch-7. (94 loops on your hook)
Return. Yo, pull through one loop, *yo, pull through 3 loops on your hook (this way we will close two sts together). Repeat from * for 46 times. Yo, pull through the last two loops on your hook.
Row 2. Tks inserting your hook into both of the sts closed together in the previous return pass. Repeat for all of the 46 sts. Last st. (48 sts)
Return. Standard Tunisian Return.
Row 3. Tks in each st. (48 sts)
Return. Standard Tunisian Return.
Keep repeating row 3 until your piece measures about 8.5” (21.6 cm) in height. (48 sts)
Note that the body of the beanie will be slightly larger than the brim.
Bind off by sl st into each st. To do this neatly, work each st as for a tks but sl st it instead of keeping the loops on your hook.
Leave a relatively long tail to seam the beanie.
Seaming
Lay your beanie flat with the right side facing up and fold the two short sides towards the center of the beanie.
Using the yarn tail and your tapestry needle, seam the beanie along the two short sides with the mattress stitch.
In order to avoid gaps, pay attention to include the extra loop that is just next to the side sts (see panel 2 in the image below).
Finishing
Cut a length of yarn and using your tapestry needle, draw the yarn through the top ch of the beanie. These are the chains that you create when you bind off your Tunisian crochet project by sl st.
To do this, alternate the direction of the needle between in-out and out-in compared to the inside of the beanie.
Once you have completed the round, pull the two ends of yarn tightly and close the top of your beanie.
You are now ready to attach your pompom on the top.
Fasten off and weave in your ends.
Your Easy Tunisian Crochet Beanie for toddlers is ready!
I hope you liked this pattern and I’d love to see your version of it! Please, share your projects on Facebook or Instagram using the hashtag #raffamusadesigns
Check out more free crochet patterns for babies and toddlers…
If I come across a Tunisian toddler I’ll give ’em a beanie. [grin]
Seriously, this is lovely knitting, Raffa, and you deserve compliments for it.
Allora complimenti bella ! 🙂