# Crochet Leafy Fall Hat – Free Crochet Pattern
Fall makes me want to crochet all the cozy things, and this leafy fall hat is one of my all-time favorite autumn makes! The secret is a clever little maneuver called the extreme drop stitch — worked upside down, it blooms into the prettiest leaf shapes right inside the fabric. In warm browns and rusty ambers, it looks like you scooped up a pile of fall leaves and turned them into a hat.
It’s worked top-down in joined rounds, so it comes together faster than you’d think, and a fluffy pom pom on top finishes it off perfectly.
Materials
- Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice in 2 colors: one for the base of the hat and one for the leaves (a color-changing brown yarn makes the leaves extra pretty)
- 6 mm crochet hook (US J)
- Pom pom (or make one with yarn)
- Tapestry needle
Size & Gauge
- Adult size: fits a 57 cm / 22″ head circumference; measures 23 cm / 9″ tall and 23 cm / 9″ wide when lying flat
- Gauge: 12 double crochet stitches and 8 rows = 10 x 10 cm / 4″ square
Pattern Notes
- This hat is worked top-down in joined rounds: chain 3 at the start of each round (counts as the first dc) and end every round with a slip stitch into the first stitch.
- The stitch count is a multiple of 8 — keep that in mind if you want to size up or down.
- The chain spaces only exist to guide the extreme drop stitch; they are not counted as stitches.
- All terms are US crochet terms.
The Extreme Drop Stitch
Don’t let the name scare you — it’s just a tall stitch worked into several rows at once, and it’s what creates the leaves:
1. Yarn over, insert hook in the next ch-space, pull up a loop. Yarn over, pull up another loop. You now have 5 loops on your hook.
2. Yarn over, insert hook into the ch-space from the row directly below, pull up a loop. Yarn over, pull up another loop. You now have 9 loops on your hook.
3. Yarn over, insert hook into the ch-space from the row below (the 3rd ch-space), pull up a loop. Yarn over, pull up another loop. Yarn over, pull up another loop. You now have 15 loops on your hook.
4. Yarn over, insert hook into the ch-space from the row above, pull up a loop. Yarn over, pull up another loop. You now have 19 loops on your hook.
5. Yarn over, insert hook into the ch-space from the row above (the 5th ch-space), pull up a loop. Yarn over, pull up another loop. You now have 23 loops on your hook.
6. Yarn over and pull through all loops together. Chain 1.
Leafy Fall Hat Pattern
Round 1: Start with 48 foundation double crochet stitches and slip stitch into the first stitch. (Don’t panic if it looks too tight — it widens out beautifully in the next few rows.)
Round 2 (creating ch-spaces):
- Ch 3, 1 dc in the next 3 sts, *ch 1, 1 dc in the next 8 sts* 5 times, ch 1, 1 dc in the next 4 sts, sl st. (48)
Round 3 (3 ch-spaces above ch-spaces):
- Ch 3, 1 dc in next 2 sts, *ch 1, 1 dc in next st, ch 1, 1 dc in st after ch-space, ch 1, 1 dc in next 6 sts* 5 times, repeat once more but end with 3 dc and sl st. (48)
Round 4 (3 ch-spaces above 3 ch-spaces):
- Ch 3, 1 dc in next 2 sts, *ch 1, 1 dc in st after ch-space, ch 1, 1 dc in st after ch-space, ch 1, 1 dc in st after ch-space, 1 dc in next 5 sts* 5 times, repeat once more but end with 1 dc in next 2 sts and sl st. (48)
Round 5 (extreme drop stitch):
- Ch 3, 1 dc in next 2 sts, *change color, ch 1, extreme drop stitch, change color, ch 1, 1 dc in next 6 sts* 5 times, repeat once more but end with 3 dc and sl st. (36)
Round 6 (ch-spaces):
- Ch 3, 1 dc in next 2 sts, *1 dc in the gap before the extreme drop, 1 dc in the gap above the extreme drop, 1 dc in next 3 sts, ch 1, 1 dc in next 3 sts* 5 times, repeat once more but replace the last 3 dc with a sl st. (48)
Round 7 (3 ch-spaces above ch-spaces):
- Ch 4, *1 dc in next 6 sts, ch 1, 1 dc in next st, ch 1, 1 dc in st after ch-space, ch 1* repeat 5 times, 1 dc in next 6 sts, ch 1, 1 dc in next st, ch 1, sl st. (48)
Round 8 (3 ch-spaces above 3 ch-spaces):
- Ch 4, 1 dc in the dc after the ch-space, *1 dc in next 5 sts, ch 1, 1 dc in st after ch-space, ch 1, 1 dc in st after ch-space, ch 1, 1 dc in st after ch-space* 5 times, 1 dc in next 5 sts, ch 1, 1 dc in st after ch-space, ch 1, sl st. (48)
Round 9 (extreme drop stitches):
- First, move up a bit: make a slip stitch in the dc after the ch-space
- Ch 3, 1 dc in next 5 sts, *change color, ch 1, extreme drop stitch, change color, ch 1, 1 dc in next 6 sts* 5 times, ch 1, extreme drop stitch, ch 1, sl st. (36)
Round 10 (ch-spaces):
- Ch 3, 1 dc in next 3 sts, *ch 1, 1 dc in next 2 sts, 1 dc in the gap before the extreme drop, 1 dc in the gap above the extreme drop, 1 dc in next 4 sts* repeat 5 times, ch 1, 1 dc in next 2 sts, 1 dc in the gap before the extreme drop, 1 dc in the gap above the extreme drop, sl st. (48)
Round 11 (3 ch-spaces above ch-spaces): Repeat Round 3. (48)
Round 12 (3 ch-spaces above 3 ch-spaces): Repeat Round 4. (48)
Round 13 (extreme drop stitches): Repeat Round 5. (36)
Round 14:
- Ch 3, 1 dc in next 2 sts, *1 dc in the gap before the extreme drop, 1 dc in the gap above the extreme drop, 1 dc in next 6 sts* 5 times, repeat once more but end with 3 dc and sl st. (48)
Brim
Rounds 15–17 (3 rounds): Ch 3, 1 front post double crochet in each st across, sl st. (48)
Closing the Top
With a needle and the long yarn end, weave through all the stitches at the top. Pull tight, weave in the ends, and add your pom pom to finish it off. Done!
Sophie’s Tips
- Mark the first stitch of each round with a stitch marker — with all those chain spaces, it’s easy to lose your place.
- The hat looks narrow at Round 1 but relax — those drop-stitch rows add a ton of width.
- Try the leaf color in a variegated autumn yarn; each leaf comes out a little different, and it’s gorgeous.
Happy hooking, friend — may your fall be full of crunchy leaves and cozy stitches!
