The Hygge House

Hi, friend, and welcome back! Things are starting to feel a little festive around here. We have our Christmas tree up, the air is getting crisp outside, and the fireplace is a constant cozy presence. Thanksgiving is around the corner, Christmas is the corner just after that, and I am fully embracing the holiday spirit a bit early this year. I absolutely love to crochet, so I thought a simple, cozy crochet project would be a good way to kick off the Christmas season. In this post you will learn: how to crochet a little hat (beanie) ornament from start to finish, how to make a pom-pom and attach it, and how to hang it on the tree. Grab a warm drink, put on your favorite cozy music or show, and let’s begin!

But, what will I need?

This project is relatively simple. If you are experienced with crochet, you will likely get this done within 30 minutes-1 hour. If this is the first project you’ve decided to try, it will take you a bit longer- but that’s okay. This is not a race, and crochet is not a hobby that is meant to be done in a rush. So, welcome! Take your time and understand that you may have to undo your work and start over a few times. Even experienced crocheters have hiccups and have to undo all their hard work just to get one stitch right. I do not say this to intimidate or discourage you- rather the opposite. I say this to encourage you to keep going, even if you have to undo your stitches and move backwards 15 times. Hold your head high and tell yourself that you can do this with some practice- because you 100% can. Now, without further ado, let’s get into materials.

You will need:

• Yarn– Which yarn you use is entirely up to you! If you are a beginner, I recommend starting with a basic acrylic yarn- the kind you see in every store, in just about every color. Not only is it the cheapest option, it is the easiest (in my opinion) to work with. As you start getting into the chunkier or more natural yarns, you will find that the threads separate quite often and your crochet hook will grab only one thread vs all of them, which can be frustrating and confusing to a beginner. I also do not recommend using a very thin yarn (low weight), like a lot of the ones created for baby products- if you are a beginner. This can look amazing, but it can be hard to work with if you are new to this hobby. The very first set of photos in this post is a finished ornament made with this type of yarn, but use it only as inspiration if you are new to this, friend! Try this with a medium-weight yarn first, then if you feel confident and want to try a smaller weight, you can. Tiny yarn also takes a lot more time to complete a project with because it makes such tiny stitches that, in order to make the same-sized project, you will need a lot more of them. These are only my suggestions, but I have faith that whatever you choose will be the right choice for you.
• Crochet hook– Most are metal, and that is best (for me personally) because the yarn slides around on it easily. Once you choose your yarn, look on the wrapping and it will tell you the weight of the yarn and the corresponding crochet hook/ knitting needle sizes. No overthinking, no headache. If you choose a yarn that does not have a label and you aren’t sure what size hook you need, you can place the yarn into the hook of different sizes and see which one feels best. You don’t want one that is too big or it will make your stitches really loose, but make sure it’s not too small either, or your yarn will fall out of the hook a lot, and that’s frustrating. We want this project to be relaxing and bring you joy, not stress you out!
• Scissors– any will work, but I personally like the Fiskars brand orange ones.
• Yarn needle– A needle is relatively cheap and makes this project a lot easier.
• *Optional second yarn– This would be for the pom-pom. You can use the same yarn as the hat for this, or you can choose a different option for some contrast!
• *Optional ribbon– This would be for making the loop to hang it on the tree. If you have a ribbon you like and want to tie that on- go right ahead! Otherwise, just use the yarn you used to make the hat. Not only will this be simple because you already have the yarn out, it will also blend into the hat and not draw eyes away from your creation.

Are you ready to begin?

Yay! You’ve chosen your yarn, you have all of your tools, and now you’re ready to cuddle up and do a cozy craft. My hope for you is that you achieve the hygge mindset during this. I hope that you feel that sense of comfort and contentment, creating something simple yet rewarding, taking your time, and letting yourself unwind. Maybe you’ll inherit a new love for crocheting and go on to create more amazing things. That’s certainly what happened to me! I was freshly postpartum with my oldest child and would snuggle that precious baby on the couch under cozy blankets while watching my favorite shows for hours. I decided to go to the craft store one day and got about 30 spools of yarn (they were buy two get three free, so it got excessive quickly), and began making my baby little beanies to wear. From there, I have learned to make many other things, and have gained the confidence to follow a pattern or video tutorial for things I have not yet tried. I wish this for you, too, should you enjoy this project. Now, without any more chatting, let’s get into the step-by-step process.

So… how do I make it?

I will try to make this as simple as possible for you to follow. Please keep in mind that I am not a professional pattern maker, so I will write this out in a way that everyone, beginner and expert alike, can understand. I will also attach a video for you visual learners. That’s definitely how I learn best!

If you would like to watch a peaceful video of me making one, feel free to check out my YouTube.

The hat:

1. Make a chain– You will start by making a slip knot (shown in the video at the bottom of the instructions). *Make sure you leave about 8-10″ as a tail- you will need this to sew the top of the hat closed later. Next, you will chain (also shown below) however many it takes for your hat to be as tall as you want it. Chunkier yarn requires fewer chains, thinner yarn requires more. If you want a hat that is 3″ tall, chain until it measures 3″, then add another 1″ or so for the cuff of the hat. Keep in mind, it will shorten just a bit once you sew the top of the hat closed- so maybe add one or two more chains to allow for that.
2. You got started! Now we build with half double crochet stitches- Don’t let the complicated-sounding name of that stitch scare you off- you can do this. Once you’ve made your chain the length you would like it, chain one more, then you will start to crochet back down the chain using half double crochet stitches (this will be detailed in the video below- don’t worry!). Once you reach the end of the row, chain one (add one more chain stitch, just like in the beginning) and begin working your way down again with half double crochet stitches. You will insert your hook on the left side of the previous stitches. They will look like little hearts, so you will use the left side of the “heart”. Repeat this until your hat width is about 2x the height (before adding the cuff). For example: I want a hat that sits 3″ tall when finished (excluding the pom-pom, and including the cuff), so I will chain until I reach 3″, then add about another inch to allow for the cuff, the fold where the cuff connects to the hat, and the hat shortening a bit when sewn up at the top (So chain to about 4″ for a 3″ finished hat). Then I will double crochet until I reach about 6″ in width. *Don’t forget to chain one at the end of each row, or it will get shorter across the width of the hat, and you won’t be able to line up the two ends to sew them together.* Once you’re done with all of your rows, you will fasten off– which is just pulling your yarn through as though you are going to chain one, then cutting your yarn off the spool (leave another 8-10″ tail) and pulling it all the way through, then tugging until it’s a tight knot.
3. Look how far you’ve come, friend. Now we sew– You’re going to line up the left and right sides of your rectangle and thread your needle with the 8-10″ either from the beginning, or from when you fastened off. Now, loop over and go through the back to the front, and repeat until you reach the end. Then you will pull your needle through one last time and instead of pulling the yarn all the way through, you will leave a small loop so that you can push your needle through that to create a knot. I would do this twice, just to ensure it doesn’t come undone. Once you have done that, you can cut the remaining yarn off.
4. More sewing– You’re going to thread your yarn needle with the “tail” you haven’t used yet, and weave in and out of the stitches at the top. This doesn’t have to be super precise, and if you feel confused, go ahead and watch the video below; it will make more sense to see it. Once you’ve woven until you’re back where you started, you will pull the yarn until the top of the hat closes completely. Then, again, push your needle through one more time- but don’t pull it through all the way. Leave a small loop so that you can go back through that with the needle and pull it tight. This is how we finish our sewing and create a knot to prevent it from coming undone. You can do this one to three times- whatever you feel best with. Go ahead and fold that bottom cuff up, and, friend, you’ve created a hat! All that’s left to do is make and attach the pom-pom, and create a way to hang it!

The Pom-Pom:

*This is also all shown in the video below*

1. Wrap the yarn– Get the yarn you have chosen for your pom-pom, and cut a piece about 8″ long. Set that to the side and begin wrapping the remaining yarn around three or four of your fingers (more fingers equals a bigger pom-pom). Once you have a thick layer of yarn, whatever feels right to you, you will tie it off. (The thicker the layer, the fluffier the pom-pom, and vice versa)
2. Pinch– the piece of yarn you are wrapping between your thumb and pinky finger, and cut it off the spool. You will then take the 8″ piece you cut at the beginning and wrap it around the thick layer of yarn by going between your fingers. I personally use a crochet hook to go between my fingers (towards the base of my fingers) to grab the 8″ piece and pull it about 1/3 of the way through. You will then take the other end (on the back side of your hand) and bring that around and in between your fingers on the opposite side. You should now have both ends of the 8″ string facing you, one on each side of the wound yarn.
3. Tie– Now, tie those ends together and gently slide all of the yarn off of your fingers. Once it’s off your fingers, it will be easier to tie it tight. When you are done with that, make sure the ends of the 8″ string are out of the way, and begin cutting all around your new ball of yarn- making sure you are cutting the sides right in the center.
4. Shape– Once you’re done cutting and your ball of yarn is looking more like a pom-pom, you will snip pieces that are longer than others to match and continue going all around the pom-pom, snipping and fluffing until you like the way it looks.
5. Attach– Yay, you made a pom-pom! Now it’s time to attach it to the little hat you made. When you look at the top of your hat, you should see a circle in the middle where it all singed together to create a closed, tight loop. You will take your crochet hook and insert it through the hat from the bottom (inside the hat) on the right side of that circle. Grab one piece of the 8″ string attached to your pom-pom and pull it through from the top, so that the string is now on the inside of the hat. You will do the same exact thing on the left side of the circle- just make sure you do it directly across the circle from the first string so that your pom-pom sits nicely and centered. Once both of your strings are pulled through to the inside of the hat, and you like how your pom-pom is sitting, you will tie those two strings together tightly several times. You have to make sure you pull those strings so that the base of the pom-pom is sitting flush with the top of the hat, and tie this tightly because if there is any slack to the string above the knot you tie, your pom-pom will flop around instead of sitting perfectly attached. And now you’re done with the hat! I am so proud of you for making it this far.

How to hang it up:

1. Let’s hang it up– We are finally at the very last step, friend. Let’s get this ornament ready to go on our tree! You will take a 10″ piece of yarn or a beautiful ribbon and attach it just behind the pom-pom. Fold your string in half, then tie a knot that leaves a loop about 2.5″ long (this will be shown in the video). Now we attach it! This will be done just like how you attached the pom-pom, except you will be doing this within the stitches behind the pom-pom, versus on either side of the circle. You will also want to pull the strings through the hat closer together than you did for the pom-pom, leaving only about 1/4″ between them. Pull the ends of the strings on the inside of the hat until the knot on the outside is flush with the hat, then tightly tie them together. Once you finish that… you’re done!

So… am I a crocheter now?

That, my friend, is up to you! If you are new to this, did you enjoy it? Do you feel proud and accomplished now that you’re done, even if you got frustrated during the process? I really hope so. Learning a new skill can be time-consuming and challenging, but it can be oh-so-worth it if you persevere. It’s not a race. Allow yourself the grace to mess up and try again. Maybe you’re a natural and this comes easily to you, or maybe this presents as a challenge and you have to use a lot of patience to get through it. Either way, I hope you love your final product and enjoyed some time relaxing in the cozy environment you set up for yourself. Now, go hang that beauty on your tree, use it to decorate a gift bag, repurpose it as a door hanger, or go make 10 more simply because you enjoyed this project. And again, I am so proud of you for trying- and accomplishing- something new.

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