If your hair lives in a bun Monday to Friday, you know the winter struggle: squash it flat under a beanie, or freeze with it piled on top. The crochet messy bun hat ends that argument — a proper warm hat with a clever opening at the crown, so your bun or high ponytail pops straight through and your ears stay toasty. School run, dog walk, frosty market morning — hair up, hat on, done.
So here are twenty of my favourite bun hat designs, every one genuinely free: quick one-skein chunky makes, real crochet cables, a buffalo plaid with a ribbon drawstring, lacy stitches for lighter days and a marvellous twisted design made for really thick hair. Some start by crocheting around a hair elastic, some simply stop decreasing before the crown closes, and one even buttons open so you never pull it over your bun at all. I have noted the yarn, the opening style and the sizing honestly for each one — pick your favourite and let's keep that bun warm.
1. Bean-Stitch Texture in a Self-Striping Bulky
Amanda Saladin's Quick and Easy Messy Bun Hat is the one I would hand a confident beginner first: you crochet a stretchy ribbed band in rows, join it into a circle, then work the body upwards in her modified bean stitch, a puffy stitch with a soft, squishy texture. It is made in a single ball of Lion Brand Scarfie, a bulky wool-blend yarn that shades from colour to colour as you work, so the stripes cost you zero effort. Two hooks do the job — a 6.5 mm for the ribbing and a big 8 mm for the body — and the crown decreases stop short, leaving the opening your bun needs. The finished hat measures about 20 inches around and seven and a half inches long.
Pattern: Quick and Easy Messy Bun Hat by Amanda Saladin at Love Life Yarn — Get the free pattern
2. Real Cables, Worked Around a Proper Crown Opening
If you have been waiting for a bun hat with genuine cables, Jennifer Pionk's Cabled Messy Bun Hat is the showpiece of this collection. The body is covered in front-post treble cables, including a sweeping six-stitch forward cable, worked in continuous rounds so no visible seam interrupts them. You start with a ribbed band worked in rows and crocheted together, then switch hooks — a 5 mm for the band, a 6 mm for the body — and build the cabled crown upwards, stopping the shaping while there is still a neat hole at the top for your hair. The pattern comes in two adult size groupings, teen/adult small and adult medium/large, and Jennifer includes a full video tutorial if cables are new to you.
Pattern: Cabled Messy Bun Hat (Adult Sizes) by Jennifer Pionk at A Crocheted Simplicity — Get the free pattern
3. Matching Hats for You and Your Mini-Me
Sarah Zimmerman's Mommy and Me Messy Bun Hats might be the sweetest gift make on this list: one pattern, two sizes, a matching pair for you and your favourite small person. Both sizes start the same clever way — a chain of twenty joined into a ring, which becomes the bun opening, with single crochets worked over the ring before the body grows downwards. The stitch is her cluster V-stitch, an open, lacy cluster with a lot of stretch, so the hats forgive a whole range of head sizes. She works them in two colours of Bernat Super Value, a sturdy everyday acrylic, carrying the yarn up inside rather than cutting it at every stripe. Sarah reckons she made both hats in about an hour. Match your colours exactly, or let the little one choose her own combination.
Pattern: Crochet Mommy and Me Messy Bun Hats by Sarah Zimmerman at Repeat Crafter Me — Get the free pattern
4. Beehive Ribs With a Draught-Proof Elastic Opening
Pam Stark became rather famous in the bun hat world — her model Chelsea was dubbed the original Messy Bun Hat Girl after their video went viral — and this Beehive design is her textured take on the classic. It is worked from the bottom up, starting with a ribbed brim with just enough stretch to pull over even a very generous bun. Above it, horizontal beehive ribs give the hat a structured, almost knitted look. The detail I appreciate most is at the top: like all of Pam's bun hats, this one has an elasticised opening that hugs close to your hair, so no icy draught sneaks in around your bun. If you occasionally wear your hair down, she has a closed beanie version of the same design on her site too.
Pattern: Beehive Messy Bun Hat by Pam Stark at Made With A Twist — Get the free pattern
5. Cables and Broomstick Lace in a Fine DK Yarn
Kristin Omdahl's Kendra hat is the elegant one of the family. It pairs a snug cabled band with a light, airy body of broomstick lace — those beautiful long loops worked over a fat knitting needle or dowel — so you get warmth without bulk. The whole thing is crocheted in a fine DK-weight yarn with a small 3.5 mm hook, and it begins around a hair elastic, so the opening is built in from the first round. Kristin has written it in five sizes, from a 16-inch up to a 24-inch circumference, the widest size range in this collection. You will need roughly 123 to 218 yards depending on your size, so it is a lovely way to use that one special skein of DK you have been saving.
Pattern: Kendra Cables & Lace Messy Bun Hat by Kristin Omdahl — Get the free pattern
6. The Button-Up Beanie That Never Touches Your Bun
Jess Coppom solved the bun hat's one annoying problem — dragging a finished hat down over a carefully piled bun — with four buttons and a bit of genius. Her Faux Cabled Bun Beanie is worked completely flat, in rows, and buttons up at the back at the end, so you fasten it around your head without your hair moving a millimetre. The cables are a happy cheat: not a single post stitch in sight, just single crochets and chains arranged to look wonderfully cable-like. It starts with a ribbed band and is worked in Lion Brand Woolspun, a soft bulky wool blend, with a 6 mm hook. The size fits most teen and adult women, and because it unbuttons flat it is also a dream to gift — no head-measuring required.
Pattern: Faux Cabled Bun Beanie by Jess Coppom at Make and Do Crew — Get the free pattern
7. Stripes and a Flower, Started on a Hair Elastic
Lauren Brown's striped ponytail hat is a pure cheerful classic, and it begins the way I wish every bun hat did: by crocheting the first round of double crochets directly around a ponytail elastic, so the opening is stretchy, sturdy and perfectly round from the start. Lauren suggests working around two thin elastics rather than one fat one — if one snaps, your hat survives — or swapping in a chain loop the same size. From there it is simple double crochet rounds in worsted-weight yarn with an easy stripe sequence in two colours, finished with neat single crochet rounds at the brim. She adds an optional oversized crochet flower at the side, which turns the whole thing delightfully retro. The adult size is the one written here, and there is a matching kids' version on her site if you fancy twinning.
Pattern: Ponytail Hat / Messy Bun Hat by Lauren Brown at Daisy Cottage Designs — Get the free pattern
8. Buffalo Plaid With a Ribbon Drawstring Finish
Bethany Dearden is the queen of crochet plaid, and her messy bun version wraps that bold buffalo check around a hat with a hole exactly where you need it. The body is worked from the bottom up in her plaid stitch — the colour changes are just double crochets in a repeating sequence, and the post walks you to her original plaid hat pattern on the same site for the body rows before bringing you back for the bun shaping. Then you choose your finish: a traditional decreased crown that stops at a small opening, or her pretty cinch finish, where the last round has chain spaces and a length of ribbon woven through as a drawstring. The ribbon version is my favourite — tie it in a bow over your bun.
Pattern: Crochet Plaid Messy Bun Hat by Bethany Dearden at Whistle and Ivy — Get the free pattern
9. One Ball of Super Bulky, One Cosy Evening
Jennifer Dickerson's Chunky Messy Bun Hat is the sprinter of this collection: one ball of Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick, a 9 mm hook, and a hat that genuinely comes together in an evening. The brim is a simple ribbed band worked in back-loop single crochet rows and seamed into a ring, then the body grows upwards in an open V-stitch pattern that keeps the chunky yarn from feeling heavy. Two decrease rounds draw the crown in — and here is the bun hat trick in its simplest form — you simply stop before it closes, and the gap that remains is your opening. Jennifer finishes hers with an optional big wooden button on the brim, adorable against the glacier-blue sample, and a full video tutorial sits alongside the written pattern. At 7.5 inches tall with a 21-inch circumference, it is a true one-size friend.
Pattern: Chunky Messy Bun Hat by Jennifer Dickerson at Fiber Flux — Get the free pattern
10. All Single Crochet, Straight Off the Hair Tie
Ashleigh Kiser designed her 1 Hour Messy Bun Beanie for the December gift rush. You tie your yarn straight onto a thick hair tie and work twelve single crochets around it, then simply keep going: increases, plain rounds, and you are done, with not one fancy stitch in the whole hat. Her sample stripes half a skein of Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick in Starlight with half a skein in Fig, swapping colours every couple of rounds and carrying the yarn up the inside, though one solid skein works beautifully too. The big 10 mm hook is what makes it so fast, and the finished beanie is soft, squishy and properly warm. A video tutorial comes with the pattern, where Ashleigh shares her trick for getting the fit just right.
Pattern: 1 Hour Messy Bun Beanie by Ashleigh Kiser at Sewrella — Get the free pattern
11. Waffle-Like Texture in a Roving Yarn That Shades Itself
Amanda Saladin's Simple Textured Messy Bun Hat is all about the fabric. A ribbed band worked in rows comes first, then the body is built from alternating rounds of chain spaces and front post double crochets that settle into a lovely waffle-like texture. She works it in one skein of Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable, the softly roving acrylic whose long colour changes do all the striping for you — her sample is the moody blue-green Tidal colourway. Two hooks again, a 5.5 mm for the ribbing and a 6 mm for the body, and the crown shaping keeps the texture going right up to the opening. My favourite detail is the optional final round, single crocheted around a hair elastic, which gives the opening a polished, stretchy edge. Finished at about 20 inches around, this is a gorgeous one-skein gift.
Pattern: Simple Textured Messy Bun Hat by Amanda Saladin at Love Life Yarn — Get the free pattern
12. Worked Flat, Seamed Up, Finished With Shells and Buttons
The Addison hat from Crochet Dreamz is the construction rebel of this roundup: no rounds at all until the very end. You crochet a ribbed band in rows, work the body flat in a pretty rhythm of half double crochet groups and V-stitches, then shape the top with decrease rows that stop while the opening is still generously open. The sides are seamed together with single crochet, a row of sweet shells is worked along the seam edge, and a little column of metal buttons is sewn on purely for decoration — the designer is upfront that they are embellishment, not a closure. Her sample is in Willow Yarns Wash worsted in a soft blue Celestial shade with a 6 mm hook. Sizes: child, teen/adult small, and adult medium/large.
Pattern: Addison Ponytail or Messy Bun Hat by Crochet Dreamz — Get the free pattern
13. A Rainbow You Can Wear With Your Bun Out
Melissa Hassler's messy bun beanie is the happiest hat in this collection: a top-down double crochet hat in full rainbow stripes, white at the top and then red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple in turn. It starts with a ring of 22 chains — that ring is the bun opening — and gentle increases shape it out into a proper beanie. The pattern is written for toddler, child and adult sizes, the adult fitting a 20 to 23 inch head, and it is genuinely beginner-friendly: double crochet, single crochet, simple colour changes, nothing more. If rainbow is not your mood, the stripes work in any sequence — ombre greys, team colours, or every leftover scrap in your basket. Melissa includes a step-by-step video tutorial as well, making this a lovely choice for a younger crocheter's first hat.
Pattern: Messy Bun Beanie by Melissa Hassler at Lovable Loops — Get the free pattern
14. Two Hats in One — It Is Reversible
Tonya Bush's Inside and Out hat earns its name: the stitch pattern looks completely different on the reverse side, so one hat gives you two distinct looks. It is worked in two colours of Lion Brand Jeans yarn — a denim-look cotton blend — with a clever crossed stitch where single crochets and long double crochets reach down into skipped stitches, which builds that woven, two-faced texture. You begin on an elastic ponytail holder, so the opening has stretch and structure from the first round, and front and back post rounds finish the brim with a smart ribbed edge. The pattern as written fits an adult at about 19 inches around and seven inches tall, and Tonya explains how to resize it by simply keeping your starting chain an even number.
Pattern: Inside and Out Reversible Messy Bun Hat by Tonya Bush at Nana’s Crafty Home — Get the free pattern
15. Soft Textured Lace, Grown Downwards From the Hairband
Kristin Omdahl's second entry here, the Primrose, takes the top-down route: you begin with simple stitches worked around a hairband, then flow down into a textured lace pattern that looks intricate but settles into an easy rhythm after a round or two. The stretch in the stitchwork is the quiet hero — it hugs comfortably, keeps its shape wear after wear, and forgives a slightly wandering gauge. It is written for a medium worsted-weight yarn with a 5 mm hook, and the yardage runs from about 160 to 213 yards across the sizes, so even the largest version is a modest one-or-two-skein project. This is the bun hat for milder winter days and long walks, when a super-bulky hat would be too much but bare ears are not an option.
Pattern: Primrose Messy Bun or Ponytail Hat by Kristin Omdahl — Get the free pattern
16. Ripples and Lace for the In-Between Months
Amanda Saladin's third design here is the lightest of her trio: the Ripple Lace Messy Bun Hat. A ribbed brim worked in rows gives you a snug, stretchy fit around the ears, then the body opens into a rippling lace built from crossed stitches and front post trebles worked two rows below, which pull the fabric into gentle waves. It looks impressive in photographs and turns out to be a simple two-round repeat once your hands learn it. At the crown, the shaping decreases in quick rounds and stops with eleven stitches remaining — that little ring is exactly the right size for a ponytail to slip through. Make it in a smooth yarn with good stitch definition, and save it for bright, cold spring mornings.
Pattern: Ripple Lace Messy Bun Hat by Amanda Saladin at Love Life Yarn — Get the free pattern
17. A Big Hook, a Chain Ring and the Easiest Start of All
Tammy at Posh Patterns keeps things blissfully simple: chain 24, join it into a ring, and that ring is your bun opening — no elastic, no drawstring, no fuss. The body is plain half double crochet rounds that flare gently outwards, worked with a big 8 mm hook and a soft, self-striping roving yarn (her sample is Loops & Threads Facets in a rosy colourway), so the hat grows fast and the colours shift on their own. The finishing touch is four rounds of front and back post half double crochet at the bottom edge, giving you a proper ribbed brim that grips nicely. One honest note: the free pattern on the page is the teen/adult size; the toddler and child sizes live in her optional ad-free PDF.
Pattern: Messy Bun Hat by Tammy at Posh Patterns — Get the free pattern
18. The Möbius Twist, Made for Seriously Thick Hair
This one is different, and the designer is refreshingly honest about why: she could never find a bun hat pattern that fitted her own enormous amount of hair, so she designed one with extra room where it counts. The construction is a Möbius twist — instead of crocheting in an ordinary round, you work in a figure of eight around both sides of the starting ring, which builds a twist into the hat and creates that extraordinary swirling texture, deepened by rounds of front post double crochet. She works it in Caron Simply Soft, a smooth worsted yarn, with a 6 mm hook, and the crown decreases towards the opening. You can stop a round early for a bigger hole for a bigger bun, or work the optional final round around an elastic hairband for a snugger finish.
Pattern: Messy Bun Hat by Littlejohn’s Yarn — Get the free pattern
19. One Hour, One Elastic, Three Sizes
Amelia's 1 Hour Messy Bun Beanie is built the beginner-friendly way: twenty single crochets worked around a strong hair elastic — do give the elastic a good tug first to test it, as she insists — then half double crochet increases until the hat is wide enough, straight rounds for the body, and a few rounds of front and back post stitches for a ribbed finish. The whole hat is one piece, uses only about 70 to 80 yards of heavy worsted yarn and a 5 mm hook, and the adult size fits a 20 to 22 inch head. The pattern comes in three sizes — child small, child large and adult small — and here is the honest detail: the directions pop up on her page when you pop your email in, free, which is simply how she shares them.
Pattern: 1 Hour Messy Bun Hat by Amelia at Amelia Makes — Get the free pattern
20. A Ribbed Band and Invisible Decreases, Modelled by a Very Patient Daughter
We are finishing with a hat its designer made for her little girl to wear on Christmas Day. The band is worked in rows first, then joined with a crocheted seam — a mattress-stitch-style slip stitch join, so there is no sewing needle involved and no break in your flow. Single crochets pick up around the band, the body is worked in easy half double crochet rounds, and the crown is shaped with invisible decreases, which pull the top in smoothly without the little bumps ordinary decreases leave. The decreases stop at twelve stitches, and that tidy ring is the bun opening — clean, firm and just the right size. Worked with a 6.5 mm hook, it is a comfortable evening make, and the smooth crown shaping suits a solid, sophisticated colour beautifully.
Pattern: Messy Bun Hat by Craftify My Love — Get the free pattern
Conclusion
And that is twenty bun hats, my friend — cables and plaid, rainbows and ripples, one-hour wonders and a hat that buttons itself around your bun. If you are brand new to this style, start with the Sewrella one-hour beanie, the Fiber Flux chunky hat or the Posh Patterns ring start; if your hair laughs at ordinary hats, the Möbius twist and the Beehive were designed with you in mind. One tip that works across all twenty: you can nearly always work the last round around a spare hair elastic for a snugger, longer-lasting opening.
Now tell me — are you team high bun or team low ponytail, and which of these twenty is going on your hook first? I read every comment, and I cannot wait to see your makes!
