How to Add Ear Flaps to a Crochet Beanie
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Looking to add ear flaps to a crocheted beanie? You are in luck, friend! In this tutorial we will discuss how to add ear flaps with any yarn to any crocheted beanie of any size! We’ll learn where to place ear flaps on a crochet hat using our handy ear flaps size chart below.
How to Add Ear Flaps to a Crochet Beanie
Of course no two heads are the same, but because we know the average size of the average human head at various ages and stages of growth, we can calculate how wide and how long the ear flaps on a beanie should be for any given size. Ear flaps start out wide and get more narrow as they go down. In order to do this you’ll need to know how to do the Double Crochet and how to do a Double Crochet Decrease (dc2tog).
For my nephew’s hat I am using Twill yarn from WeCrochet in the Dungaree colorway, and the red below is Wool of the Andes in Hollyberry. How adorable is he?!
When adding ear flaps to a beanie, you’ll first want to crochet said beanie. For instructional purposes we need a basic beanie that will work with any tension, so we’re going to use my beginner-friendly Master Beanie pattern. Keep in mind that all measurements are estimates and that your personal tension may affect the overall size of your finished product. Your tape measure is your best friend!
Go ahead and crochet up a Master Beanie, then come back to this post to add the flaps. If you need help reading a crochet pattern, make sure you head over here and check out this detailed post.
1. Lay beanie out flat and plot out the placement. It may be helpful to use stitch markers to mark the width of each ear flap and the distance between them before actually starting to crochet. The most important thing here is to keep each ear flap the same number of stitches. In this case I am making a teen (small adult) size ear flap beanie for myself, so I know that I want each ear flap to be approximately 3.5″ wide.
Next count the stitches in between each ear flap (both front and back) to make sure that there are equal stitches all around. Make adjustments as needed, and when you’ve finished plotting out the placement you’re ready to start crocheting.
2. Start your first ear flap! Chain to start a new row of crochet – remember, in this example I’m using double crochet so I’ll chain two to start a new row (more on that here). In the first row I have 12 double crochet stitches for 3.5″.
3. If making for a child, skip to step 4. If making a teen or an adult size, you’ll want to add one more row using the same number of stitches. This makes the flaps just a bit longer.
4. For the next row we are going to begin the tapering of the ear flap. To do this you’ll place one decrease (dc2tog) at the beginning of the row and one decrease at the end of the row. Here we are going from 12 double crochet stitches down to 10.
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5. In the next row we continue tapering, again placing one decrease (dc2tog) at the beginning of the row and one decrease at the end of the row. This will take our stitch count in the example from 10 stitches down to 8 stitches.
6. For our last row we will decrease on each end one more time, taking our final stitch count in the example down to 6 stitches. We now have a total of 5 rows for teen or adult and 4 rows for all smaller sizes.
Fasten off and attach in the designated spot to start the second ear flap. Do the exact same thing you just did on the other side, except this time do NOT fasten off. Instead we’ll crochet around the entire bottom edge giving the beanie and the ear flaps a cleaner, more polished look.
Simply place one single crochet in each stitch or row end around the entire hat. Ta-da! Doesn’t that look cleaner than before?
Add braids if you like. I typically cut 6 identical long strands of yarn, then feed them halfway through the end of the flap. This gives you 12 strands of yarn that you can then braid as long as you like. Tie a knot and trim the ends.
Was adding ear flaps to your beanie easier than you thought? I hope so, and I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! When you’re finished I’d love to see a photo of yours. Tag me by using @HeartHookHome on Instagram and Twitter, or share in the Heart Hook Home Crochet Community on Facebook.
More crochet tutorials:
How to Size Crochet Beanies + Master Beanie Pattern
How to Crochet the Thicket (Suzette) Stitch
How to Block Crochet: Wet or Steam Blocking Tutorial
