Free Long Santa Hat Crochet Pattern

By Jan Bay

This free long Santa hat crochet pattern is a bit unique. It gives the classic Christmas cap a more dramatic adult silhouette with a deep white brim, fitted red crown and an extra-long tapered tail that falls naturally down one side. This hat adds a bit of whimsy and fun without giving up the closer-fitting head section you want when you're caroling, taking Christmas photos or holding your baby. The shaping of mine starts with that fitted head section, moves into a sculpted two-stage taper and ends in a slender tail with a fluffy pom-pom. The extra-long shape may be what catches your eye first, but the deliberate fit and shaping are what really set this Santa hat apart.

Worsted Weight Yarn for the Long Santa Hat

What Makes This Long Santa Hat Different?

The long tail isn't just extra yardage tacked onto an ordinary Santa hat. The fitted part of the crown stays comfortable around your head first, then the shaping changes direction and starts narrowing into that exaggerated stocking-cap tail. I wanted the hat to look wonderfully long without having a wide, heavy cone hanging off the side of your head.

The last part gets especially narrow before the pom-pom. That's intentional. A broad tip plus a heavy pom-pom can pull a long hat out of shape, while the slimmer ending keeps the look closer to the example image and lets the tail hang more naturally.

There's another little construction detail worth knowing before you begin. Once the long tail starts, the decreases sit beside the joined-round seam rather than marching evenly around the entire hat. That gives the crown a subtle shaping spine and helps encourage the finished tail to sweep toward one side.

If you're after something tiny for gifts or decorating rather than a wearable adult stocking cap, my mini crochet Santa hat pattern is the better fit. For a completely different Christmas-hat silhouette, there's also the crochet Mrs. Claus hat pattern.

Materials for This Long Santa Hat Crochet Pattern

For the drape in the example image, I'd use a soft medium-weight yarn rather than anything especially stiff or scratchy. The tail needs enough structure to keep its shape, but it still has to bend and fall comfortably over your shoulder.

You'll need:

Medium #4 worsted-weight yarn in Christmas red: approximately 300 yards for Adult S/M or 330 yards for Adult Large.

Medium #4 worsted-weight yarn in white: approximately 100 yards for the brim and pom-pom.

5 mm crochet hook, or the hook size needed to match gauge.

Locking stitch marker.

Yarn needle.

Scissors.

Pom-pom maker or a piece of cardboard for making a 3 to 3 1/2-inch pom-pom.

If you're comparing yarn labels, the Craft Yarn Council Standard Yarn Weight System is a useful reference. Don't rely on the number on the label alone, though. Match the gauge below and choose a yarn that still feels soft enough for a long hat you'll actually want to wear.

Gauge and Finished Size

Red crown gauge: 14 half double crochet stitches and 11 rounds = 4 inches.

Brim target: approximately 14 rows of back-loop single crochet = 4 inches measured along the length of the relaxed ribbing.

The brim is supposed to stretch. Measure it lying flat without pulling on it.

Adult Small/Medium: approximately 20 1/2-inch finished brim and crown circumference. Intended for a head measuring about 21 to 23 inches.

Adult Large: approximately 22 3/4-inch finished brim and crown circumference. Intended for a head measuring about 23 to 25 inches.

The 10-stitch white brim is designed to finish at roughly 2 3/4 to 3 inches deep, although the exact depth will vary slightly with your individual single-crochet stitch height.

From the top edge of the white brim to the narrow red tip, the crown is calculated to measure approximately 24 1/4 inches at the stated round gauge. Including the brim, expect a laid-flat hat length of roughly 27 inches before adding the pom-pom.

Those measurements are calculated from the stated gauge. This pattern has been engineered to the finished design shown on the page, but it has not been physically test-crocheted yet. Check your gauge and the measurements as you work rather than waiting until the tip is finished.

Stitches and Abbreviations

ch: chain

sc: single crochet

BLO: back loop only

hdc: half double crochet

hdc2tog: half double crochet two stitches together

sl st: slip stitch

st/sts: stitch/stitches

rnd/rnds: round/rounds

The beginning chain does not count as a stitch anywhere in this pattern.

The red crown is worked in joined rounds. Do not turn unless an instruction specifically tells you to do so.

Before You Start the Hat

There are two size numbers throughout the instructions. The first number is Adult Small/Medium and the number in parentheses is Adult Large.

Keep a stitch marker at the joined-round seam once you begin the red crown. Later, that seam becomes part of the shaping rather than something we're trying to hide in the center back.

You can let the tail fall on either side when you wear the hat. Position the shaping seam slightly behind the ear on the side where you'd like the tail to settle.

Crochet the Deep White Brim

With white yarn, ch 11.

Row 1: Sc in the second ch from the hook and in each ch across. Turn. 10 sc.

Row 2: Ch 1. Sc in the BLO of each st across. Turn. 10 sc.

Repeat Row 2 until you have 72 (80) total rows.

Before joining the brim, lay the strip flat and check the length. At the target gauge it should measure about 20 1/2 (22 3/4) inches relaxed.

If the strip is dramatically longer or shorter, don't force it to fit by stretching or bunching it. Fix the gauge now. The red crown uses one stitch for each brim row, so the brim count and crown count have to agree.

After Row 72 (80), cut the white yarn leaving a tail about 18 inches long and fasten off. Bring the first and last rows together without twisting the strip. Thread the white tail through a yarn needle and whipstitch the two short ends together through corresponding stitches to form a ring. Fasten securely and weave in the remaining white tail.

Turn the seam toward the inside if necessary. The ribbing should run vertically when the brim is worn.

Long Crown and Two-Stage Taper

Join red yarn at the top edge of the brim beside the white seam.

Round 1: Ch 1. Work 1 hdc into the end of each brim row around. Join with a sl st to the first hdc. 72 (80) hdc.

Place a marker at the join. Keep moving it up as you work.

Rounds 2 through 10: Ch 1. Hdc in each st around. Join. 72 (80) hdc.

Checkpoint: The red portion should measure approximately 3 5/8 inches from the top edge of the white brim through Round 10. This is the fitted head section, so don't begin the dramatic taper early just because the hat already looks tall.

The Sculpted Upper Taper

The next twelve rounds reduce both sizes to 48 stitches. The Small/Medium decreases more gradually because it begins with fewer stitches. The Large uses a few consecutive decrease rounds so both sizes reach the same 48-stitch long-tail section without making the Large several inches longer.

Use the decrease sequences below exactly as written. On each decrease round, the first and last hdc2tog sit beside the round join. Those two decreases begin the shaping spine that becomes more pronounced farther down the tail.

For every round in this upper-taper section, ch 1 before working the first stitch and join with a sl st to the first hdc at the end of the round. The beginning ch 1 does not count as a stitch. Keep moving the stitch marker to the new join after every round.

Adult Small/Medium only:

Round 11: Ch 1. Hdc2tog, hdc in next 21 sts, hdc2tog, hdc in next 21 sts, hdc2tog, hdc in next 22 sts, hdc2tog. Join. 68 sts.

Round 12: Hdc evenly around. 68 sts.

Round 13: Hdc2tog, hdc in next 20 sts, hdc2tog, hdc in next 20 sts, hdc2tog, hdc in next 20 sts, hdc2tog. Join. 64 sts.

Round 14: Hdc evenly around. 64 sts.

Round 15: Hdc2tog, hdc in next 18 sts, hdc2tog, hdc in next 19 sts, hdc2tog, hdc in next 19 sts, hdc2tog. Join. 60 sts.

Round 16: Hdc evenly around. 60 sts.

Round 17: Hdc2tog, hdc in next 17 sts, hdc2tog, hdc in next 17 sts, hdc2tog, hdc in next 18 sts, hdc2tog. Join. 56 sts.

Round 18: Hdc evenly around. 56 sts.

Round 19: Hdc2tog, hdc in next 16 sts, hdc2tog, hdc in next 16 sts, hdc2tog, hdc in next 16 sts, hdc2tog. Join. 52 sts.

Round 20: Hdc evenly around. 52 sts.

Round 21: Hdc2tog, hdc in next 14 sts, hdc2tog, hdc in next 15 sts, hdc2tog, hdc in next 15 sts, hdc2tog. Join. 48 sts.

Round 22: Hdc evenly around. 48 sts.

Adult Large only:

Round 11: Ch 1. Hdc2tog, hdc in next 24 sts, hdc2tog, hdc in next 24 sts, hdc2tog, hdc in next 24 sts, hdc2tog. Join. 76 sts.

Round 12: Hdc2tog, hdc in next 22 sts, hdc2tog, hdc in next 23 sts, hdc2tog, hdc in next 23 sts, hdc2tog. Join. 72 sts.

Round 13: Hdc evenly around. 72 sts.

Round 14: Hdc2tog, hdc in next 21 sts, hdc2tog, hdc in next 21 sts, hdc2tog, hdc in next 22 sts, hdc2tog. Join. 68 sts.

Round 15: Hdc2tog, hdc in next 20 sts, hdc2tog, hdc in next 20 sts, hdc2tog, hdc in next 20 sts, hdc2tog. Join. 64 sts.

Round 16: Hdc evenly around. 64 sts.

Round 17: Hdc2tog, hdc in next 18 sts, hdc2tog, hdc in next 19 sts, hdc2tog, hdc in next 19 sts, hdc2tog. Join. 60 sts.

Round 18: Hdc2tog, hdc in next 17 sts, hdc2tog, hdc in next 17 sts, hdc2tog, hdc in next 18 sts, hdc2tog. Join. 56 sts.

Round 19: Hdc evenly around. 56 sts.

Round 20: Hdc2tog, hdc in next 16 sts, hdc2tog, hdc in next 16 sts, hdc2tog, hdc in next 16 sts, hdc2tog. Join. 52 sts.

Round 21: Hdc2tog, hdc in next 14 sts, hdc2tog, hdc in next 15 sts, hdc2tog, hdc in next 15 sts, hdc2tog. Join. 48 sts.

Round 22: Hdc evenly around. 48 sts.

Checkpoint for both sizes: You should now have exactly 48 stitches. The red crown should measure close to 8 inches from the top of the white brim. It should still look fairly broad here. The long slender portion comes next.

The Long Side-Draping Tail

From here on, both sizes are worked exactly the same.

The two decreases on each shaping round sit right beside the joined-round seam. Do not spread them around the hat. Concentrating the shaping here is what gives this version its subtle side bias and keeps the tail from looking like an ordinary symmetrical cone.

Decrease Round: Ch 1. Hdc2tog over the first 2 sts. Hdc in each st around until 2 sts remain. Hdc2tog over the final 2 sts. Join. 2 sts decreased.

Even Round: Ch 1. Hdc in each st around. Join.

Repeat the Decrease Round followed by the Even Round 20 times total.

Your stitch counts after each completed decrease round will be:

46, 44, 42, 40, 38, 36, 34, 32, 30, 28, 26, 24, 22, 20, 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8 stitches.

Count them. A missed decrease in a tail this long can move the final tip several rounds away from where it belongs.

Mid-tail checkpoint: After the tenth Decrease Round and its following Even Round, you should have 28 stitches. The red section should measure approximately 15 1/4 inches from the top of the white brim.

At 28 stitches you should already see the difference between the fitted head portion and the long tail. The hat should narrow cleanly without suddenly pinching into a point.

After the twentieth Decrease Round and its following Even Round, you will have 8 stitches.

Next 5 rounds: Ch 1. Hdc in each of the 8 sts around. Join. 8 hdc.

These last five rounds are not filler. They make the narrow terminal tail visible before the pom-pom, which is part of the finished design.

Check the red crown length before fastening off. At the stated gauge, it should measure approximately 24 1/4 inches from the top edge of the white brim to the tip.

If you're within about 1/2 inch and your stitch gauge and fit are good, leave it alone. Don't keep adding rounds simply because a long hat seems as though it ought to be even longer. The proportions matter more than chasing an arbitrary number.

Cut the red yarn, leaving a tail about 18 inches long. Thread the tail through a yarn needle, pass it through the front loop of each of the 8 remaining stitches, then pull firmly to close the opening. Pass the needle through the closed tip once more to secure it, but do not cut the yarn. Keep the remaining tail for attaching the pom-pom.

Pom-Pom and Finishing

Make a white pom-pom approximately 3 to 3 1/2 inches in diameter.

I would resist the temptation to make this one enormous. The tail already gives the hat plenty of personality, and a very heavy pom-pom can tug on the narrow tip and change the drape.

Trim the pom-pom evenly, but don't trim it so severely that it loses the soft, fluffy look shown in the finished hat.

Using the red tail left after closing the tip, pass the yarn securely through the center tie of the pom-pom several times. Bring the needle back through the closed red tip, then repeat once or twice until the pom-pom sits firmly against the end of the tail.

Bring the yarn to the inside of the tip, knot it securely and weave the remaining end through several nearby stitches before trimming it.

Go back over the white brim seam and red joining seam before calling the hat finished. Weave in every loose end on the inside.

If the brim wants to flare after handling, lightly shape it with your hands. I would not aggressively stretch or block the long crown. You want to keep the fitted lower section and the narrow tail rather than flattening everything into one uniform tube.

Getting the Side Drape Shown in the Finished Hat

The decrease spine tells you where the long tail wants to bend. When you put the hat on, rotate that seam slightly behind your left or right ear instead of placing it exactly at center back.

Let the pom-pom fall on its own. You shouldn't have to fold the crown sharply to make it look long.

If the entire crown stands straight up, check the yarn before blaming the shaping. A very stiff yarn can fight the drape no matter how accurately you follow the decreases.

If the tail stretches dramatically under the weight of the pom-pom, the fabric may be too loose. Compare your round gauge with the stated 11 rounds per 4 inches.

Changing the Tail Length Without Losing the Shape

You can make a slightly longer or shorter version, but make the adjustment in the long-tail section rather than in the fitted head portion.

For a little more length, add an extra even round after some of the decrease rounds while the tail has between 40 and 20 stitches. Spread those extra rounds out instead of stacking them together.

For a slightly shorter tail, omit a few even rounds in that same middle portion.

Keep the final five rounds at 8 stitches. That narrow ending is part of the silhouette we worked toward, and removing it turns the tip back into the broader shape seen on many ordinary Santa hats.

I also wouldn't add extra rounds to the fitted 72- or 80-stitch head section unless you specifically need more crown depth for the person who'll wear it. Length added there changes the fit, not just the stocking-cap tail.

One Last Fit Check

Put the finished hat on and check the way the brim sits and the long tail falls to one side.

The white ribbed brim should feel snug without digging into your forehead. The red section directly above it should fit close to the head. The crown should then begin its visible taper before flowing into the narrower tail.

Most of the visual drama belongs below that fitted section. That's what keeps this from looking like an ordinary Santa hat that simply happens to be tall.

If you like making Christmas pieces that are more decorative than wearable, the crochet Santa lovey pattern takes the same familiar red-and-white Christmas palette in a completely different direction.