Every December it is the same story in our house: the tree goes up, somebody mentions a family photo, and suddenly everyone needs a Santa hat. The shop-bought ones are fine until they are not — too tight, oddly scratchy, or mysteriously missing the pompom by the second party. That is exactly why I started making my own, and why a handmade crochet santa hat has become my favourite December ritual: one cosy evening of stitching, and I have a hat that actually fits, feels soft, and survives every celebration of the season.
So I have gathered twenty of my favourite Santa hat patterns for you here, and every single one is genuinely free and written to fit grown-up heads. There are family size ranges with proper adult options, true one-size adult designs, a dramatic 27-inch stocking tail, a ruffled Mrs. Claus bonnet, and even a hat that brings its own matching mitts. I have noted the sizing, the brim style, the pompom situation and the yarn for each one as we go — pour something warm, pick your favourite, and let's get you party-ready.
1. The Classic Family Photo Santa Hat
We are starting with the one I would make for the whole family photo: Jess Coppom's Easy Classic Santa Hat from Make and Do Crew. It is worked from the top down in simple double crochet with steady increases, and the size table runs from newborn right through to an adult size fitting 22 to 24 inch heads, so matching hats for everyone are genuinely possible. Her sample pairs Lion Brand Basic Stitch in Red Heather with a super bulky faux fur yarn for the brim, and the fit is deliberately loose and comfy rather than squeeze-tight. My favourite detail is her suggestion to sew a little jingle bell onto the pompom for extra Christmas magic. Wear yours with a red lip and a black dress for the office party, or with jeans and a cream sweater for the school run.
Pattern: Easy Classic Santa Hat by Jess Coppom at Make and Do Crew — Get the free pattern
2. Adult-Only, Aran Weight, Zero Scratchy Joins
This next one was designed for exactly one person: you. The Adult Crocheted Santa Hat from Bee Stitch'd skips the baby sizes entirely and is written for a medium adult head of about 21.5 to 24 inches, worked in aran weight yarn with a 6 mm hook. The body is plain half double crochet in continuous rounds, which makes it breathable and gives that lovely floppy drape, and then you switch to faux fur yarn for the last eight rows so the brim is soft all the way through — no scratchy seam where fur meets fabric, which was the designer's whole motivation. The pompom is crocheted from the same faux fur and lightly stuffed, and the pattern is printed in US terms first with a full UK terms version below it. It is also easy to adjust: stop increasing earlier for a smaller fit, or add plain rows for a longer tail.
Pattern: Adult Crocheted Santa Hat by Bee Stitch’d — Get the free pattern
3. The Beginner-Friendly Tip-Down Classic
If you are fairly new to crochet and want the traditional long red shape, Melissa Hassler's Santa Hat at Lovable Loops is a gentle place to begin. It starts right at the tip and grows downwards in joined double crochet rounds — an increase round, then a plain round — so there is very little to memorise and the long cone shapes itself. The pattern covers toddler, child and adult sizes, with the adult fitting heads of 20 to 23 inches, and you finish with three rounds of super bulky white yarn for the thick, fluffy brim and a matching pompom. There is a step-by-step video tutorial if you like to stitch along with company, and it makes a brilliant first handmade gift.
Pattern: Santa Hat by Melissa Hassler at Lovable Loops — Get the free pattern
4. The Long Moss-Stitch One With a Fur Pom
Nicki Eltz designed her Santa Hat for adults first, and it shows in the proportions: the finished hat is a gloriously long 22.5 inches, so the tip drapes down your back or rests on your shoulder just like Santa's own. You start with a ribbed band of Fable Fur yarn worked flat and joined into a ring, then build the body in moss stitch with worsted weight Brava, decreasing in slow, regular cycles until the long triangle closes. The pompom is crocheted from the leftover faux fur and stuffed with polyfill, which keeps it light enough not to drag the tail out of shape. She includes a hat-size conversion table, so you can adapt it for teens or children too. This is my pick for carol singing and evening walks.
Pattern: Santa Hat by Nicki Eltz at Nicki’s Homemade Crafts — Get the free pattern
5. Rustic Tweed Texture With a Faux Fur Brim
For a Santa hat with a cosier, more rustic personality, look at the Classic Rustic Santa Hat from Stardust Gold Crochet. The body uses an up-and-down stitch — alternating double and single crochet — which builds a beautifully textured fabric, and her samples use tweedy Impeccable yarn for a heathered, vintage feel. As written, the adult size starts with 68 stitches and fits heads of about 22.5 to 23 inches, and she includes full adjustment tables for a small adult size too. A two-round faux fur brim and a faux fur pom finish it off, and there are stripe variations if you fancy red and white bands instead of solid red — her green version is pure woodland elf. I love this one with a chunky knit sweater for a tree-farm photo day.
Pattern: Classic Rustic Santa Hat by Stardust Gold Crochet — Get the free pattern
6. Two Easy Rounds, Repeated All the Way Down
Jo's Easy Santa Hat at Jo to the World Creations is built on a rhythm so simple you will have it memorised by round four: one increase round and one plain round, alternating single and double crochet, repeated from tip to brim. It is written for an adult head of about 23 inches and finishes around 19 inches tall, with a gentle curve worked in so the hat flops to one side. The trim uses fluffy Bernat Pipsqueak, or two strands of ordinary worsted held together if that is what your stash offers, and the pompom is made with an easy cardboard method she walks you through. Beginners, this is a confidence-builder that still looks completely polished in the family album.
Pattern: Easy Santa Hat by Jo at Jo to the World Creations — Get the free pattern
7. The Beanie-Shaped Santa for Matching Photos
Not every Santa hat needs the long cone. Nicole Chase's Simple Christmas Beanie keeps the red body and white brim but shapes them into a neat, wearable beanie, and it might be the most size-inclusive pattern in this collection: newborn through adult, every size written out in full. You crochet the white ribbed band first, to the exact circumference you need — the adult is about 23 inches — then work the red body upwards in double crochet and finish with an optional faux fur pom. She used Brava Worsted, with photo and video tutorials for every step. Because it sits like an ordinary winter hat, this is the one my family actually keeps wearing after the photos are done.
Pattern: Simple Christmas Beanie by Nicole Chase at The Nicole Chase — Get the free pattern
8. A Vintage Fold-Up Brim in a Wool Blend
Sarah's Classic Santa Hat at Rich Textures Crochet has an old-Christmas soul. The brim is a slip-stitch band worked in rows in the back loop only, deliberately extra deep so you can fold it up for double cosiness around your ears, and the body is double crochet worked in the back loop for a subtle ribbed texture. She sized it for an adult head — gender neutral, with a good amount of stretch in that brim — and hers finished about 13 inches long, a gentle slouch rather than a dramatic tail. Her yarn choice is worth copying: Lion Brand Wool-Ease in a deep red called Tawny Port with a soft Fisherman cream, a wool blend that makes the whole hat feel like something from a vintage Christmas card.
Pattern: Classic Santa Hat by Sarah at Rich Textures Crochet — Get the free pattern
9. Bobble Rows on a Deep Fold-Back Brim
Janice's Santa Hat at Crochet 'n' Create does something different with its brim, and I am slightly obsessed. The hat body is worked first in one piece, finishing at a 21 inch head circumference — a comfortable adult fit — in DK yarn, and then you return to the cast-on edge to crochet a deep brim decorated with rows of bobbles, 27 in the first bobble row alone, before folding it back up over the hat. The result is textured, squishy and completely charming, topped with a pompom and, if you like, little reindeer buttons as a playful finishing touch. The pattern is given in full twice on the page, once in UK terms and once in US terms, so nobody has to translate as they go. In soft cream and red it looks straight off a Scandinavian Christmas shelf.
Pattern: Santa Hat by Janice at Crochet ‘n’ Create — Get the free pattern
10. Brim First, With a Two-Tone Pompom
Kickin Crochet's Santa Hat flips the usual construction: you begin with the white brim, a band of half double crochet worked through the third loop so it ribs up like knitting, then switch to red and simply decrease twice per round — wherever you like, staggered — until the long cap closes. That freedom makes it wonderfully mindless television crochet, and the designer calls it exactly that. It is a one-size-fits-most design that stretches to fit up to an adult large of about 22.5 inches, and her sample uses Caron Simply Soft in red and white, less than a skein of each. The finishing touch is my favourite: a big pompom made by wrapping red and white yarn together, so the pom itself is marbled like a candy cane. A video tutorial shows the third-loop technique first.
Pattern: Santa Hat by Kickin Crochet — Get the free pattern
11. The Stocking Cap With Santa's Ribbon Belt
Shannon's Christmas Stocking Cap at The Loophole Fox has the sweetest surprise detail in this collection: built-in openings around the hat that you weave a half-inch ribbon through to make Santa's belt. The hat is worked from the bottom up, starting with a stretchy third-loop ribbed brim, in two sizes — child, and an adult size for a 22 inch head that finishes 21 inches long. The textured body uses yarn over slip stitches and half double crochet in the third loop, so it is rated intermediate, though every special stitch is explained with tutorials. A pom at the tip finishes the stocking-cap silhouette, and swapping the red for green turns the same pattern into an elf hat.
Pattern: Christmas Stocking Cap by Shannon at The Loophole Fox — Get the free pattern
12. Extra-Long With a Holly Sprig at the Brim
If you believe a Santa hat should commit to the drama, Salena Baca's Long Crochet Santa Hat for the American Crochet Association is your pattern. It comes in three circumferences — 18, 21.5 and 25 inches around — designed for teens and adults, and the largest is a full 29 inches long, so the tail sweeps right down your back. The hat is worked from the peak down in one piece, and the brim band alternates plain rounds with bobble rounds for texture. Best of all, the pattern includes a little holly leaf and berry motif to sew at the brim, which turns a simple hat into a proper costume piece. Her sample is famously made in lavender birthday colours for her sister, but the instructions work just as beautifully in classic red and white.
Pattern: Long Crochet Santa Hat by Salena Baca at American Crochet Association — Get the free pattern
13. The 27-Inch Showstopper Tail
Jan Bay's Long Santa Hat at Unique Baby Gear Ideas is the most thoughtfully engineered hat in this list. It comes in Adult Small/Medium, for heads of about 21 to 23 inches, and Adult Large, for heads up to 25 inches, and it lays roughly 27 inches long before the pompom. You start with a deep back-loop ribbed brim, build a properly fitted crown, and then the decreases shift into a two-stage taper placed beside the seam — the clever trick that makes the long tail drape gracefully to one side instead of sticking out like a cone. Jan is refreshingly upfront that this is a brand-new pattern, so she builds in measurement checkpoints all the way down the tail; follow them and the fit takes care of itself.
Pattern: Long Santa Hat by Jan Bay at Unique Baby Gear Ideas — Get the free pattern
14. A Puff-Stitch Band and a Puff-Stitch Pom
Sarah Watson's Bobble Santa Hat at Stitch and Hound has a vintage softness to it that I keep coming back to. The hat itself is smooth double crochet growing from the tip, but the wide band is worked in puff stitches, and — the detail that makes it — the pompom is also crocheted entirely from puff stitches and stuffed, so it is round, textured and feather-light. The pattern is written in five sizes from baby to adult large, with the adult at a 20 inch circumference and the adult large at 22 inches, so your own hat will fit exactly the way you like it. Her sample pairs a heathered red with a tweedy cream for the band and pom. A captioned video tutorial comes with it, and beginners are genuinely welcome here.
Pattern: Bobble Santa Hat by Sarah Watson at Stitch and Hound — Get the free pattern
15. Red-and-White Stripes Dotted With Bobbles
Erangi Udeshika's Bobbles and Stripes Santa Hat at Crochet For You is for those of us who look at a plain red hat and think: it needs more going on. Worked top-down in worsted yarn, it alternates bands of red and white, and through the middle of every red stripe runs a round of white four-double-crochet bobbles like a row of tiny snowballs around the hat. The sizes run from 6 to 12 months through toddler and child up to an adult of 19 to 20 inches around and a wonderfully long 23 inches tall, and you will need about 400 yards of yarn in total. It finishes with two rounds of front and back post half double crochet, which give the brim a proper ribbed edge. There is a video tutorial for the contrasting bobble technique if you want to see the colour carries done cleanly.
Pattern: Bobbles and Stripes Santa Hat by Erangi Udeshika at Crochet For You — Get the free pattern
16. Boho Bobbles With a Fluffy Finish
Ashley's Crafty Boho Santa Hat at A Crafty Concept takes the classic shape and gives it a relaxed, free-spirited twist. The body grows from the tip in half double crochet, and every fifth row becomes a bobble row, so little pops of texture spiral down the long cone. The pattern covers toddler, child and adult sizes — the increases simply continue further for the grown-up version — making it another lovely candidate for matching family sets. The brim and pompom are worked in fluffy faux fur yarn, which against those neat bobbles looks effortlessly boho rather than costumey. I picture this one over loose waves and a cream knit dress at an outdoor winter market, cocoa in hand.
Pattern: Crafty Boho Santa Hat by Ashley at A Crafty Concept — Get the free pattern
17. Santa's Face, Crocheted On
For pure joy, nothing in this collection beats Melissa Hassler's Santa Face Hat at Lovable Loops. You crochet a red hat top, a band of super bulky white for the hairline, and then a skin-tone face section — and then the fun starts: you make and sew on a round nose, a swirly white mustache, two black eyes and two pink cheeks. The pattern comes in six sizes from 0 to 3 months all the way up to an adult fitting 20 to 23 inch heads, so the whole family can be a row of Santas. It is rated advanced beginner, mostly for the sewing-on of pieces, and there is a video tutorial to follow along with. For Christmas morning photos and office fancy dress, this one wins the room every time.
Pattern: Santa Face Hat by Melissa Hassler at Lovable Loops — Get the free pattern
18. The Santa Hat That Brings Its Own Mitts
Eleonora Tulley of Coastal Crochet gives us two gifts in one pattern: her Santa Hat & Mitts set, shared free on Simply Yarn. The hat is worked up from a ribbed band — child size first, then an adult size for a 54 cm, roughly 21.75 inch, head — and the adult body includes pretty V-stitch panels between the plain sections. The yarns are Scheepjes Chunky Monkey for the red and a fluffy Softy yarn for the white trim, cuffs and pompom, so everything matches perfectly. And the mitts are not an afterthought: they use the same rib and V-stitch language and finish with a little embroidered snowflake on the back of each hand. The pattern is written in UK terms with a conversion guide alongside.
Pattern: Santa Hat & Mitts by Eleonora Tulley of Coastal Crochet — Get the free pattern
19. One Size Fits All — Even in Grinch Green
Yarnovations keeps things beautifully simple with a Santa Hat designed to fit just about every adult who tries it on. The secret is the ribbed brim, which naturally adjusts to different head sizes — the hat was designed on her husband's 23 inch head, and she wears it all over town herself. It is worked from the bottom up in half double crochet with decreases each round, and finished with a 3 inch pompom. One honest note: the written pattern itself is a free download on the Yarnovations free patterns page — the pattern link below takes you to the hat's own page, which points you straight to it. And yes, their family famously made theirs in green at her husband's request, Grinch comments and all.
Pattern: Santa Hat by Yarnovations — Get the free pattern
20. Mrs. Claus Herself, Ruffle and All
We are finishing with the hat I suspect half of you will choose: Jan Bay's Mrs. Claus Hat, the gathered, ruffled partner to her long Santa hat earlier in this list. It is made in one adult size, with a fitted lower band for heads of about 21 to 23 inches, and above it the red crown is worked much wider — 96 stitches gathered down to 72 — so it puffs softly behind your head like an old-fashioned bonnet. Around your face sits a deep white ruffle finished with 36 scallops, and at one temple, two little holly leaves with three red berries. Jan suggests trying the band on before you add the ruffle, since the band is what controls the fit. Make this one with the long Santa hat as a couple's set and your Christmas card photo is done.
Pattern: Mrs. Claus Hat by Jan Bay at Unique Baby Gear Ideas — Get the free pattern
Conclusion
And that is twenty Santa hats, my friend — classic cones and neat beanies, ribbon belts and holly sprigs, a 27-inch showstopper tail and one very charming ruffled bonnet, every single one free and every single one sized for a grown woman's head. If you are short on time, the two-round Jo hat or the tip-down Lovable Loops classic will be off your hook in an evening; if you want a heirloom, give the engineered long tail or the hat-and-mitts set a slow, happy weekend. My best tip: make yours in November, before the photo requests start, and make one extra — somebody always forgets theirs.
Now tell me — are you team classic red cone, team extra-long stocking tail, or team Mrs. Claus ruffle? And tell me honestly, who else in your family is getting a matching hat this year? I read every comment, and I cannot wait to see your makes!
