Pattern Collection: Free Patterns for Newborn Hats – Crochet for Little Hats Big Hearts or Your Favorite Charity!

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If you’ve seen my Baby Cabled Heart Hat or my Apple Crisp Hat, you may have noticed that I am a huge supporter of Little Hats, Big Hearts. As I mentioned in those posts, my mom leads a small little chapter of LHBH in Central Illinois, so I have been crocheting as many red newborn hats as I can using free crochet baby hat patterns I’ve found online. I made it past my personal goal of 20 hats, and my friends in the Happy Stitchers club at the YMCA have started crocheting and knitting some too! (Find out where to donate to LHBH here.)

Predictably, I got bored of making the same little hat over and over again. Since I’m sure you all can relate, I’m indulging my second favorite hobby of collecting crochet patterns and sharing them with you all here! Since these hats are meant for charity, I’ve included only FREE crochet patterns for you to browse through.

So pull up a comfy chair, grab your favorite H-hook and some cherry red yarn, and join me in supporting the American Heart Association and a local Hospital or NICU in your state with some adorable baby hats!

I’ve loosely divided them into two categories: easy, beginner friendly crochet patterns, and stunning intermediate patterns, but with a little persistence and patience, even a novice should be able to finish any of the hats on the list!

Please spread the word by pinning this collection on Pinterest so you don’t lose track of it!

Easy Crochet Newborn Hat Patterns

These free crochet baby hat patterns work up easily, even for fairly new crocheters. I love taking some of these crochet projects with me in my purse for whenever I need to wait for a while: the doctor’s office, after school in the car line, or even just to relax my mind after a long day.

Chevron Puffs Hat – Salty Pearl Crochet

This gorgeous hat uses subtle puff stitches to create a chevron pattern that circles the sides of this hat. You’ll love the rich texture- this hat is so fun to make!

Bambina Beanie – Underground Crafter

This beautiful newborn beanie was designed in purple with the Click for Babies charity in mind. I love the tiny, delicate shells on this hat! Be sure to read the whole post for some fantastic information about donating to newborn charities!

Apple Crisp Hat – Salty Pearl Crochet

Of course, I have to include this cute little hat I whipped up for you all! This pattern spices up a traditional double crochet baby hat with alternating front loop and back loop stitches for just a hint of delicious texture but no fuss or complicated stitching to remember.

Dusty Blue Bulky Beanie – Charmed by Ewe

This pattern had my heart at Bulky! All newborn hats work up quickly, but this one will go by even faster- so you can donate MORE hats of course! This pattern was written by Charmed by Ewe, but is currently housed at All Free Crochet– which is an excellent site to go searching for crochet patterns of all sorts.

Crochet Preemie Hat – Cre8tion Crochet

This cute baby hat was originally created by Lorene of Cre8tion Crochet for a NICU Crochet Challenge- check out her post for more information! This is a fairly easy pattern to crochet, but the post stitches take a bit of extra attention.

Elianna Puff Beanie – AG Handmades

The clever spin on the puff stitch adds some charming interest to this sweet baby hat. The 0-3 month size is just right for a newborn with a larger head (like my babies!) but you’d need to make a few adjustments if you wish to make a preemie size. (Try experimenting with a lighter yarn or smaller hook.) As a bonus, this hat comes in several larger sizes! Perfect for gifts to babies of all ages.

Herringbone Baby Hat – Little Monkeys Crochet

Sometimes all it takes to bring your hat to the next level is just a slip of the wrist. Herringbone Half Double Crochet took me a little getting used to, but I love the sleek, angular look of this stitch. Once you try it, you’ll be hooked!

Simple Double Crochet Bulky Hat – Oombawka Design Crochet

It doesn’t get any simpler than this! Easy, breezy double crochet with bulky yarn makes for a classic look that’s just as relaxing to crochet as it is to wear. You’ll want to make one in every size, from preemie to Adult.

Lacy Butterfly Hat – Cream of the Crop Crochet

You would never guess by looking at it, but the beautiful lace butterfly in this hat is made with simple chain spaces! What a beautiful way to embellish a hat without the buttons, pom poms, or ribbons that most NICU donation charities discourage.

Stunning Intermediate Patterns

These newborn hat patterns will challenge you to grow your crochet skills. They’re absolutely gorgeous, but not suited for new beginners or crocheting while watching TV! (I know I’m not the only one who does this.)

Double Knot Beanie – Stitch 11

This adorable hat is so fun! The knotted ends up top make the square shape shine, and are perfect for donating to charities that don’t allow pom poms or bows that could potentially come off the hat. Plus, it’s extra stretchy, so it will fit little babies, and bigger babies as well. I put this in the intermediate category because of the unique construction to make the knots, but there’s a handy photo tutorial to guide you through your first try!

Slouchy Diamond Cap – Melody’s Makings

This stunning, diamond banded hat comes in BOTH knit and crochet versions for all my fellow bistitchuals! Melody of Melody’s Makings has SO many fantastic free crochet baby hat patterns it was hard to choose just one to feature here. Be sure to browse her blog and check out her Ravelry Shop as well!

Newborn Cable Beanie – Crochet Kim

Cables can be tricky the first few times you crochet them, but they definitely make up for it with visual impact! How sweet and cozy is this hat! Any new baby would be lucky to receive this. Since it’s worked in a lighter yarn, this hat will be super soft and stretchy, but require a bit more crochet time.

Baby Cabled Heart Hat – Salty Pearl Crochet

Alright, Friends, could these cute raised cabled hearts BE any more adorable? This sweet little hat would make a perfect donation to Little Hats Big Hearts. Once you learn the cabled heart motif, the hat isn’t too hard to make at all. I have a photo tutorial for the cable pattern to help you with stitch placement for the cabled hearts.

Newborn Malia Hat – Little Monkeys Crochet

I fell in love with the Malia patterns as soon as I saw them, but I didn’t realize the hat came in a free newborn size! How absolutely adorable! If you’re donating, you may want to exclude the pom pom, as most crochet charities prefer newborn hats without that sort of decoration on them. The pattern includes a video tutorial (in the adult size) to help you get through the unique construction.

Thank you for supporting Little Hats Big Hearts!

(or your favorite yarn charity!) Part of the joy of crochet comes from the ability to spread warmth across our communities. Please share this great collection of FREE newborn crochet hat patterns with your yarn friends, crochet clubs, or even on Pinterest to raise awareness for the cause- after all, isn’t it more fun to crochet together?