Whimsical Balaclava Crochet Pattern
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The Whimsical Balaclava Crochet Pattern was designed to keep my children warm and cozy during our bitter cold winters.
With the extremely cold weather we have been having in Southern Ontario (Canada) I wanted to make hats for my children to cover their ears and their wee faces!
I recently received a lovely selection of yarn from Red Heart Yarn (Thank You Red Heart Yarn!!) and I have been itching to get into it to create some new projects.
Included in the package were 2-balls of the newly released Heads Up Yarn – yarn which was perfect for this project!
This design works up very quickly – in fact I designed and crocheted 2 of these hats in less than 5-hours – while watching television.
This size will fit a toddler (or small child – like Darla) – approximate age 2 to 5 years.
Don’t worry though (if you were hoping for larger sizes), I loved the yarn I received so much I actually went online and ordered 4 more balls directly from Red Heart Yarn – because it is not yet available here in Ontario. Once I receive it, I will be designing hats in child, teen and adult sizes too – all for free.
You can wear this hat to cover your entire face (except your eyes)…or you can slide the face bit down to let your nose be exposed – or even slip it down a little further, to rest under your chin, to allow your nose and mouth to be exposed.
I tried to make the side bit strong enough to allow movement because I knew my son would not like his nose being covered. He prefers to have his whole face uncovered but when it is very cold he slides it back over his nose and it keeps him toasty and warm!
You can also fold the hat to create a beanie style for the warmer days.
Very functional. Very fast to crochet and lovely to wear 🙂
The yarn is soft, durable and warm.
Get the full written pattern for the Whimsical Balaclava Hat below.
Whimsical Balaclava Crochet Hat Pattern
Yarn: Red Heart Heads Up Yarn (2 balls makes 2 hats)
Hook: 6.00 mm
Finished Size: fits 19″ to 20″ head circumference; height at back of head is 23 cm; height at front is 27 cm; width at eye level is 21 cm.
Gauge: 4 dc sts = 4 cm; 2 rows of dc = 3 cm
Abbreviations Used
US Crochet Terms
Our Crochet Translation Project offers translations in many languages.
Check out the Basic Crochet Terms in 10 languages here.
sc : single crochet
dc : double crochet
sl st : slip stitch
st : stitch
fdc : chainless foundation double crochet stitch
ch : chain
R : round
x : times to repeat
MC : main colour yarn
CC : contrast colour yarn
Tutorial to Help: fdc – Chainless Foundation Double Crochet Stitch
Notes
This hat is worked in rounds. The slip stitch to join and chain-2 are not counted as stitches unless specified in the written instructions. When joining at the end of each round skip over the chain-2 to sl st into the first st of the round.
You may wish to work over the tails of your yarn to make this project even easier (less ends to sew in later!).
I swing the tail of the yarn behind the work and crochet over it as I go – so I don’t have any yarn ends to sew in afterwards.
Whimsical Balaclava Crochet Pattern Free
R1: Using your MC yarn, crochet 10 dc into a magic loop, sl st to the 1st dc of the round to join [10]
R2: ch 2, 2 dc into each st around, sl st to the 1st dc of the round to join [20]
R3: ch 2, (1 dc in the first st, 2 dc in the next st) 10 x, sl st to the 1st dc of the round to join [30]
R4: ch 2, (1 dc in the first 2 sts, 2 dc in the next st) 10 x, sl st to the 1st dc of the round to join, do not finish off the MC yarn [40]
R5: Pull your CC yarn through the loop on your hook to ch 2, *work over the tail of the CC yarn to secure it in place* 1 sc in each st around, sl st to the 1st dc of the round to join, do not finish off the CC yarn [40]
R6: Pull your MC yarn through the loop on your hook to ch 2, 1 dc in each st around, sl st to the 1st dc of the round to join [40]
R7: Pull your CC yarn through the loop on your hook to ch 2, 1 sc in each st around, sl st to the 1st dc of the round to join, do not finish off the CC yarn [40]
R8: Pull your MC yarn through the loop on your hook to ch 2, 1 dc in each st around, sl st to the 1st dc of the round to join [40]
R9 – 11: Repeat R8; do not finish off MC yarn at the end of R11 [40]
R12: Pull your CC yarn through the loop on the hook to ch 1, 1 sc in each st around, sl st to the first dc of the round to join [40]
R13: Continuing with CC yarn, ch 2, 1 dc in each of the next 13 sts,
ch 2, 1 sl st into the same st you just crocheted the last dc in;
1 sl st in each of the next 15 sts,
*1 sl st in the next st, ch 2, 1 dc* (*all into the same st)
1 dc in each of the next 11 sts
sl st to the 1st dc of the round to join [40 – including the 15 sl st for the eye opening]
R14: Continuing with CC yarn, ch 2, 1 dc in each of the next 13 sts.
Next you will work 13 fdc stitches: For the first fdc, begin in the space created by the ch2 (just before the sl st bit of the eye opening) of the previous round, (do not let the fdc sts twist as you work across!). Work 11 more fdc. For the last fdc st begin the st the same by inserting the hook into the fdc st prior, then insert the hook through the 1st dc st from the round below (the first st after the sl sts on the eye opening) before pulling up the loop to complete the st. This anchors the fdc in place.
Next, crochet 1 dc into the same st you just anchored the fdc into. Crochet 1 dc into each remaining st across, sl st to the 1st dc of the round to join and finish off the CC yarn [40]
R15: Pull your MC yarn through the loop on your hook to ch 1, crochet 1 sc in each of the first 11 sts, 1 dc in each of the next 18 sts; 1 sc in each of the final 11 sts [40]
R16-19: Repeat R15, Finish off.
Visit this link for the Child, Teen and Adult Sizes.
Here is the flower pattern for Darla’s hat:
Super Quick and Easy Flower Embellishment
This is a spin-off of the Simply Irresistible Crochet Flower Pattern
Using the same yarns and hook as indicated above –
R1: MC: 7 sc in a magic ring, finish off and weave in ends (7)
R2: Using CC, *[sl st into the fl of the first st, ch 2, beginning in 2nd ch from hook crochet 5 fsc stitches, sl st to the bl of the first st]* 1 petal made. Repeat from * to * to make 6 more petals (7 petals), finish off and weave in ends.
Tutorials: How to Join With a Slip Stitch, How to find the loops to work into for the petals
Happy crocheting!
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Hi Amanda, This one is my favorite for the foundationless double crochet: https://oombawkadesigncrochet.com/chainless-foundation-single-half-double/
Hope this helps, Rhondda
Hi! I love this pattern but I’m struggling with the fdc how to begin and end them. Can you do a video tutorial???
Hi Agi 🙂 Yes there is a teen version available for free too – here’s the link: https://oombawkadesigncrochet.com/child-teen-adult-whimsical-balaclava/
Could you help me and give me the patterns for a 13 years old teen? Thank you so much!! My son fell in love with this hat. 🙂
Hi Darcy 🙂 I do have a 2nd version too I wrote last year – I think the eye bit might be easier to understand. This is the link just in case: https://oombawkadesigncrochet.com/warm-winter-ski-masks/ I’m planning on making new ones again this month with a new yarn – but I can’t guarantee the exact date I will be releasing them. We haven’t needed them yet this year with our ‘warmer’ winter weather we’ve been having so I’ve put them off to complete other projects. Hope one of those will work in the time being 🙂 any questions just send me a message or a contact form email from the site! All the best, Rhondda
I got a message from my sister this morning asking if I could make ski masks for her two children. I’d found one pattern to show her, but I think I like this one better.
Hi Margaret! I’m so happy you tried the patterns! Thank you so much for letting me know 🙂 I would love to see them too – I am thinking it is time to make some new mittens for my children so hopefully I will have larger sizes available for next year and maybe I will try to do a with and without button option 🙂 Thank you again, Rhondda
Rhondda, I too loved the Red Heart Heads Up yarn for it’s warmth and softness, but cursed it often because it was prone to splitting. I have made two of the balaclavas for my daughters ages 6, almost 7 and 10.5. All I have to do is add the flower for my oldest daughters, she insisted that hers has a flower too, so people won’t think it’s a boys hat, lol. I also made my youngest daughter mittens loosely following your Darla’s mitten pattern. Alyssa didn’t want the button, because she said it would be too hard for her to do by herself at school for recess time. So I just closed the cuff and followed the rest of the pattern,using more of the Red Heart Heads Up yarn and changing colours as I liked. I’ll do the same for my oldest daughter, as she has very small hands, probably no more than an average 5 year old hand, but longer. My youngest also has small hands and wears an average 2-3 year old mitten size. If I figure out how, I will share pictures of the finished Balaclavas and Mittens.
Did you ever happen to do the male adult pattern for this hat?
Thank you Tracy! My children love wearing their Whimsical Balaclavas 🙂
Love your designs, but this one makes me smile, its great, gotta give it a go, n maybe put a face on it too, thankyou very much x
Hi Judy, You are very welcome 🙂 I just received my yarn order from Red Heart so I plan to design the child/womens and mens sizes in the next few weeks – so we are all ready for next winter!! This one has been so long and so cold! I need to be better prepared for next year! Thank you for leaving me a comment 🙂 You really did just make my day! Rhondda
Thank you for the pattern – I would love to have an adult size for my "chicago Bears" football fanatics who go to the game in snow, sleet or rain. I will start making these for christmas presents next year.
Thank you for all the patterns you post, We all appreciate your talent and hard work.
Judy