If I could only keep one style of handmade sweater in my wardrobe, it would be the crochet hoodie — because a hood changes everything. It is a scarf, a pillow for long drives and a cosy little cave on a grey day, all built into the sweater you are already wearing. Pull it up against the wind, push it down and it drapes like a soft cowl — a hood is the hardest-working detail in crochet, and I am completely besotted with it.
So here are twenty of my favourite hooded designs for you, every one genuinely free: plush sherpa pullovers, button-up hooded cardigans, a Tunisian teddy-bear jacket, sleeveless hooded vests for layering, and hooded ponchos for throwing over everything. Between them they cover sizes from XS to 5XL, yarns from featherlight cotton to cloud-soft chenille, and constructions from one-piece wonders to simple rectangles. I have noted the yarn, the sizing and the honest little details for each one as we go. Pick your favourite, and let's put a hood on it.
1. The Cloud-Soft Sherpa Hoodie
We are starting with the cosiest make on the whole list: Jess Coppom's Sherpa Hoodie at Make and Do Crew, worked in fuzzy sherpa fleece yarn with a nice big hook. The body is crocheted almost seamlessly as one tube, which means minimal joining and that lovely all-over teddy-bear texture with hardly any visible stitches. You get a proper oversized hood — or, if hoods are not your thing on a given day, the pattern includes an alternative split mock-turtleneck collar neckline instead. It is written in grouped sizes from XS/S up to 3X/4X with about ten inches of positive ease, so it drapes like the fleeces you buy in outdoor shops. I wear mine like they do in the photos: half-tucked into jeans with boots, or over leggings for full sofa-ninja mode.
Pattern: Sherpa Hoodie by Jess Coppom at Make and Do Crew — Get the free pattern
2. Balloon Sleeves and a Kangaroo Pocket
The Hawthorn Hoodie from E and P Crochet is the one that gets compliments at the school gate, and I understand why: plush chenille-style worsted yarn, half double crochet throughout, and those gorgeous balloon sleeves gathered into ribbed cuffs. It has everything a hoodie should have — a big oversized hood edged with a drawstring trim, and a proper kangaroo pocket for cold hands and phone-carrying. The sizing is properly inclusive, from XS right up to 5X, and because the stitch pattern is so simple, the whole thing grows quickly once you find your rhythm. Style it the classic way with leggings and chunky trainers, or half-tuck it into a denim skirt. In a dusty rose or soft sage chenille, this is handmade athleisure at its absolute prettiest.
Pattern: The Hawthorn Hoodie by E’Claire Makery at E and P Crochet — Get the free pattern
3. The Button-Up Hooded Cardigan
Is it a hoodie or is it a cardigan? Mélyanna's Aria at Knitting with Chopsticks is happily both: a hooded cardigan worked in simple double crochet panels, sewn together and finished with a hood, two pockets and seven buttons down the front. It is graded as a beginner pattern — honestly, if you can double crochet a rectangle, you can make this — and it uses a fluffy plumed worsted yarn (her sample is Katia Pluma) with a 5 mm hook. The size range is wonderful, XS to 5XL, so nobody is left out of the cosiness. I love this one open over a plain tee and jeans, or buttoned up over a dress when the evening turns cool. It is the cardigan-hoodie hybrid that goes with literally everything you own.
Pattern: Aria Hoodie by Mélyanna at Knitting with Chopsticks — Get the free pattern
4. The Top-Down Trail Cardigan
For those of us who would rather try a sweater on as we go, the Trailhead Cardigan from I Need It Crochet is worked top-down from the yoke, so the length is entirely in your hands — hip length, tunic length, you decide at the mirror. The entire pattern is printed free on the pattern page, hood and patch pockets included, in a worsted cotton-acrylic cake yarn (her sample uses Caron Blossom Cakes) with a 6 mm hook. Sizes run XS to 5XL, and top-down construction means the raglan shoulders grow smoothly with almost no seaming drama at the end. This is my pick for market days and countryside walks: open over a thermal top, hood up against the drizzle, pockets full of treasures. A self-striping cake yarn makes the yoke look especially pretty.
Pattern: Trailhead Cardigan by I Need It Crochet — Get the free pattern
5. The Featherlight V-Neck Pullover
Not every hoodie has to be a winter blanket — KnitcroAddict's pullover is worked in a light number-3 cotton yarn in two colours, so it breathes beautifully in spring and early autumn. The fit is a classic V-neck pullover built from four pieces sewn together, with a hood and a cheerful contrast drawstring that does more styling work than you'd expect from a piece of cord. Sizes run XS to XXL with a 5 mm hook, and the smooth cotton shows every stitch cleanly. This is the hoodie I reach for over a vest top and linen trousers on breezy evenings, or layered under a denim jacket when the seasons are arguing with each other. Choose a soft main colour and let the drawstring be your pop — mustard against grey is my current obsession.
Pattern: Crochet Hoodie by KnitcroAddict — Get the free pattern
6. The Lounging-Around-the-House Hoodie
E and P Crochet named this one honestly: the Happy At Home Hoodie was designed for slow days, and it shows in every thoughtful detail. It is worked in a light, drapey number-3 yarn (her sample uses Coboo, a cotton-bamboo blend), with wide ribbing, a drawstring hood and dramatic side slits — about eleven inches — that make it slouch and move like a designer sweatshirt. The sizes are generous groupings from XS up to 4X/5X, so pick your group and crochet on autopilot. This is the one I live in over soft joggers with a book and a cup of tea, but it is absolutely presentable enough for the doorbell, the school run and the corner shop. Loungewear you made yourself just hits different, doesn't it?
Pattern: Happy At Home Hoodie by E’Claire Makery at E and P Crochet — Get the free pattern
7. Granny Stitch, But Make It a Hoodie Cardigan
Sharon Goodwin's Granny Stitch Hooded Cardigan at Jera's Jamboree takes our beloved granny stitch — breathable, rhythmic, impossible to put down — and turns it into a proper hooded cardigan with buttons. The clever construction means there is almost no sewing at all: only the shoulder seams are joined, the sleeves are worked straight into the armholes, and the hood is crocheted directly onto the garment, starting nine rows down from the neckline so it sits deep and cosy. It is written in DK yarn in eight sizes, S to 5X, in both UK and US terms, with seven buttons fastened through buttonholes worked into the edging. The designer used a softly colour-shifting yarn, and the granny clusters carry the gradient beautifully. Over a tee with a midi skirt, this is spring's sweetest layer.
Pattern: Granny Stitch Hooded Cardigan by Sharon Goodwin at Jera’s Jamboree — Get the free pattern
8. The Long Cross-Stitch Hooded Cardigan
Justina at Colour Ceilidh Crochet built this long hooded cardigan entirely from rectangles — no shaping charts, no scary maths — and then let texture do all the talking: the whole garment is worked in crossed double crochet stitches that look intricate but are honestly just doubles with a twist. Her samples use Vanna's Choice in burgundy, silver heather and dusty blue, worked on a big 9 mm hook, so the fabric grows gratifyingly fast for a knee-skimming coat. It comes in nine sizes, XS to 5X, and yes — there are practical pockets, because a long cardigan without pockets is a missed opportunity. Wear it open over jeans and a plain top and let the crossed stitches be the jewellery. This is the cardigan people will assume you bought somewhere expensive.
Pattern: Crochet Cross Stitch Hoodie by Justina at Colour Ceilidh Crochet — Get the free pattern
9. The Chunky Jacket With the Giant Hood
Crochet with Carrie's Oversized Hood Cardigan is so chunky and warm that she calls it a jacket herself, and she is right — in bulky weight-5 yarn (her sample is Stylecraft Special Chunky in Parchment), it is outerwear. The magic stitch is the yarn-over slip stitch worked through the back loop, which creates a dense, knit-look ribbing across all seven sideways-worked panels: back, two fronts, two sleeves and two hood panels that join into one huge, wonderful hood. Sizes S to 3XL have finished busts from a very relaxed 50 inches up to 70, so size down if you like less slouch. Throw it over everything from October onwards — with boots and a scarf, this is your handmade winter coat, no apology needed.
Pattern: Crochet Oversized Hood Cardigan by Crochet with Carrie — Get the free pattern
10. Cross-Stitch Texture for Crisp Fall Days
Carrie's Hooded Fall Cardigan is the sensible sister of her chunky jacket: worked bottom-up starting from ribbing, in an aran-weight yarn, with a subtle single-and-double cross stitch that gives the fabric a woven, almost tweedy texture. Two hooks do the work — 5.5 mm and 6 mm — and the sizes run S to 3XL, fitting busts from about 34 to 52 inches. The hood finishes with a ribbed inner edge, which is one of those small couture touches that makes the hood sit beautifully instead of flopping about. This is the cardigan I imagine in rust, forest green or warm camel over a turtleneck and cords, crunching through leaves with a coffee in hand. Proper autumn, in sweater form.
Pattern: Crochet Hooded Fall Cardigan by Crochet with Carrie — Get the free pattern
11. The Teddy-Bear Tunisian Jacket
If you have never tried Tunisian crochet, Jess Coppom's Sherpa Sweater Jacket at Make and Do Crew is the gentlest possible introduction — and the finished jacket genuinely looks like teddy-bear fleece from a shop. The secret is working Tunisian simple stitch in fuzzy bouclé yarn (Lion Brand Baby Soft Bouclé) and wearing the "wrong" side out, which is where the fleece magic lives. A quick honesty note: the free pattern is split across two blog posts — the fronts, back and sleeves are in Part 1, and the pockets, joining and the lovely picked-up hood (worked about sixteen inches deep and seamed at the crown) arrive in Part 2, which is where the pattern link below starts you off. Eight sizes, knit-look slip-stitch cuffs in a contrasting khaki, and a fabric so snuggly it should come with a warning.
Pattern: Sherpa Sweater Jacket by Jess Coppom at Make and Do Crew — Get the free pattern
12. Chunky Trebles and a Sweater Pin
From the DROPS studio comes 92-20, a hooded cardigan with real vintage drama: bold chunky treble crochet, fronts that overlap and close with a sweater pin instead of buttons, and a fluffy loop-yarn (Puddel) edging that trims the whole garment like fur. The hood is worked around the neck opening to a generous depth, so it frames the face beautifully when it is up and rests like a shawl collar when it is down. It is written in five size groupings, in DROPS Ull-Flamé, and like every DROPS pattern it is completely free on the Garnstudio site, charts and all. Style it closed with the pin over a simple dress and let the texture carry the outfit — or wear it open as a statement coat-cardigan. This one has heirloom energy.
Pattern: Hooded Cardigan (DROPS 92-20) by DROPS Design — Get the free pattern
13. The Sleeveless Hoodie Vest
Let me be honest about what makes this one special: the Happy-Go-Lucky Hoodie by Breann at Hooked on Homemade Happiness has no sleeves at all — it is a hooded vest, and I mean that as the highest praise. The body is literally one panel of half double crochet folded and seamed, then the hood is made and sewn on, which makes it one of the fastest garments on this list. It is worked in worsted cotton, comes in sizes S to 3X, and it has pockets, because Breann understands us. A hooded vest is the layer you never knew you needed: over a long-sleeved tee in spring, over a thin sweater in autumn, hood up against a sudden breeze. If your arms get hot but your neck gets cold, friend, this design was made for you.
Pattern: Happy-Go-Lucky Hoodie by Breann Mauldin at Hooked on Homemade Happiness — Get the free pattern
14. Two Rectangles and a Lace Panel Vest
Another sleeveless beauty, and another construction miracle: Your Dusk Hooded Vest at Knitting with Chopsticks is made from two simple rectangles plus a hood — that is genuinely the whole recipe. Mélyanna works it in cosy Wool-Ease worsted, adds an oversized, snuggle-deep hood, and runs a panel of cream puff-stitch lace down the front so the plain fabric has something to dream about. The sizes are some of the most generous on this list, grouped from XS/S up to 5XL/6XL. Because it is a vest, it layers where other hoodies fight you — over shirts, blouses and thin knits — and the lace panel means it never reads as "sporty" unless you style it that way. Cream over a floral midi dress is my favourite version: soft, romantic, with a hood for the walk home.
Pattern: Your Dusk Hooded Vest by Mélyanna at Knitting with Chopsticks — Get the free pattern
15. The Breezy Open-Front Summer Hoodie
Yes, a hoodie can absolutely be a summer garment — this Bernat design, hosted in full at FaveCrafts, proves it. It is a split-front pullover in simple half double crochet, with ribbed bands worked sideways, side slits that keep it airy, and a shaped hood you pin and sew to the neckline. The yarn choices say it all: Bernat Handicrafter Cotton or Satin worsted, so it breathes and drapes instead of insulating. The size range is quietly enormous — XS/S up to 4/5XL, with finished busts reaching 68 inches — and the pattern is printed completely on the page, no downloads or sign-ups needed. Beach evenings, festival nights, air-conditioned everything: throw it over a sundress or shorts and you have instant "I planned this outfit" energy.
Pattern: Cool Summer Hoodie by Bernat Design Team at FaveCrafts — Get the free pattern
16. The One-Piece Poncho With an Optional Hood
Ashlea's Lori Poncho at Heart Hook Home is a feat of friendly engineering: the body is worked in one single piece, from wrist to wrist, in alternating double crochet and slip stitch rows — so there is no sewing in the body at all. The hood is optional and I will say so plainly, but the full hood instructions are right there in the pattern if you want it (and you do, it changes the whole mood from chic to snuggly). It comes in two sizes — One Size covering roughly XS to 1XL, and a Plus Size reaching about 5XL — and you can work it in sport, DK or worsted yarn depending on how warm you want it, with optional fringe along the hem. Football games, bonfires, market mornings: this is throw-it-on perfection.
Pattern: Lori Poncho by Ashlea Konecny at Heart Hook Home — Get the free pattern
17. The Top-Down Poncho With a Hood and One Button
Raffinement, DROPS 140-44, is a poncho rather than a pullover — full disclosure, as always — but its hood is too good to leave off a hoodie list. The poncho is worked from the neck down in happy rounds of treble shell groups, in DROPS Polaris (or two strands of Cloud held together) on a big 12 mm hook, so it grows at a genuinely thrilling speed. The hood is worked up along the neck edge to about thirty centimetres deep, and the little split at the front fastens with a single button, like a storybook cloak. Sizes run S to XXXL. Wear it over a long-sleeved dress with boots and feel like the heroine of a Scandinavian novel, or over jeans when the weather cannot decide. Either way: that hood, that drape, those shells.
Pattern: Raffinement Poncho (DROPS 140-44) by DROPS Design — Get the free pattern
18. Self-Striping Rectangles, Zero Fuss
The Striped Poncho with Hood shared at Craftorator might be the most beginner-friendly garment here: two rectangles of an open slip-stitch mesh, seamed across the shoulders, plus a hood rectangle folded and seamed — and the pattern generously gives you two different ways to attach the hood, so you can pick the method you like. It is worked in Lion Brand Scarfie, a self-striping yarn, so the gentle cream-to-taupe stripes happen all by themselves while you relax into the rhythm. One honest note: it is written in a single size, about 36 inches across and 21½ inches long, with the hood around 12½ inches tall. As a layer over leggings and a long-sleeve top it is effortlessly chic, and it packs flat for travel like a dream.
Pattern: Striped Poncho with Hood by Craftorator — Get the free pattern
19. The Patchwork Stash-Buster Hoodie
Justina's Crochet Patchwork Hoodie at Colour Ceilidh Crochet is what your yarn leftovers have been waiting for: a hooded cardigan built from plain half-double-crochet squares, each one using only about seven grams of yarn. You make 78 squares for the smaller size or 93 for the larger, arrange them until the colour story makes your heart sing, seam them (her tip: use those long yarn tails for seaming and save the weaving-in), then work ribbing around the hem, fronts and that gloriously large, fairy-style hood. It comes in two size groups — XS–L and XL–2X — in light worsted stash yarns with a 5 mm hook, and you can even add mismatched buttons for full patchwork charm. No two will ever be alike, and that is entirely the point.
Pattern: Crochet Patchwork Hoodie by Justina at Colour Ceilidh Crochet — Get the free pattern
20. Sunflowers, Side Slits and a Fairytale Hood
We are finishing with the showstopper: Justina's Sunflower Cardigan Coat at Colour Ceilidh Crochet, a long coat built from sunflower granny squares — just four rounds each, with bobble-stitch petals that pop right off the fabric. The squares join into columns (even the hood is a column of four), the coat falls to about 35 inches, longer in the biggest sizes, and fun side slits keep it swishing as you walk. It is written in nine sizes, XS to 5X, in Vanna's Choice worsted — rust, mustard, burgundy and olive in her autumnal sample — on a 9 mm hook, with a video tutorial if you like company while you crochet. Over a plain dress and boots, this is the outfit strangers stop you to ask about. Pure fairytale, with a hood.
Pattern: Sunflower Cardigan Coat by Justina at Colour Ceilidh Crochet — Get the free pattern
Conclusion
And that is twenty hoods, my friend — sherpa clouds and chenille pullovers, button-up cardigans and breezy cotton splits, a Tunisian teddy jacket, two honest little vests, and ponchos with hoods deep enough to disappear into. If you are new to garments, start with the Aria cardigan, the Happy-Go-Lucky vest or the striped poncho; if you are ready for a showpiece, the Sunflower coat and the DROPS pin-closed cardigan are calling your name. Whichever you choose, remember the hoodie's golden rule: comfort is not the opposite of style — with a hood this good, comfort IS the style.
Now tell me — are you team cosy pullover hoodie or team hooded cardigan, and which of these twenty is going on your hook first? I read every comment, and I cannot wait to see your makes!
