Crochet polar bear hat pattern
Want to crochet a cute winter hat for the whole family? This crochet polar bear hat pattern is a cozy, beginner-friendly project with sweet bear details and sizes from baby to adult. It’s fun to make, easy to wear, and perfect for cold-weather gifts, dress-up, or everyday winter style.
Quick answer
This crochet polar bear hat pattern is a beginner-friendly hat worked from the top down in the round using worsted weight yarn (#4) and an I-9 (5.5 mm) crochet hook for the hat. It includes baby, toddler, child, and adult sizes and is finished with separate polar bear pieces like the cheeks, nose, eyes, and ears.
Best for: Beginners
Style: Top-down animal hat with sewn-on polar bear details
Includes: 4 sizes, written instructions, gauge, and finishing notes
Why you’ll love this pattern
- Cute and cozy — the polar bear design is sweet, simple, and perfect for winter
- Beginner-friendly — the hat uses basic stitches worked in easy rounds
- Sizes for the whole family — baby, toddler, child, and adult sizes are included
- Fun to finish — the face pieces are added at the end for an adorable final look
- Great for gifts — a cute choice for winter wear, photos, and handmade presents
Crochet polar bear hat pattern details
Here’s a quick overview of the materials, sizing, gauge, and pattern notes before you begin.
Skill level
Beginner — This crochet polar bear hat pattern uses basic stitches worked in simple repeats in the round.
Materials needed
- Crochet hook size I-9 (5.5 mm) — for the hat
- Crochet hook size H-8 (5 mm) — for the cheeks, nose, eyes, and ears
- Worsted weight yarn (#4) — in black, white, and pink
- Yarn needle — for weaving in ends neatly
- Scissors — to cut your yarn
- Stitch markers (optional) — helpful for keeping track of rounds and stitch counts
Finished size
This polar bear hat pattern includes four sizes.
- Baby — 14–15 inches (36–38 cm) head circumference, 6 inches tall (15 cm)
- Toddler — 18–19 inches (46–48 cm) head circumference, 7 inches (18 cm) tall
- Child — 19–20 inches (48–51 cm) head circumference, 7.75 inches (20 cm) tall
- Adult — 20–23 inches (51–58 cm) head circumference, 8 inches tall (20 cm)
Need help with sizing? Check out my crochet hat sizing guide to measure head circumference, use negative ease, and adjust crown diameter and hat height for the best fit.
Gauge
15 stitches and 9 rows = 4 inches (10 cm)
If your swatch has too many stitches, try a larger hook.
If your swatch has too few stitches, try a smaller hook.
Crochet abbreviations
- dc = double crochet
- hdc = half double crochet
- hdc2tog = half double crochet decrease
- sc = single crochet
- ch/chs = chain/chains
- st/sts = stitch/stitches
- sl st = slip stitch
Pattern notes
- Use an I-9 (5.5 mm) crochet hook for the hat
- Use an H-8 (5 mm) crochet hook for the cheeks, nose, eyes, and ears
- Rounds 1-5 of the hat are the same for all sizes
- The pattern is worked in the round from the top of the hat down
- Repeat the instructions between the asterisks (*) for the rest of the round
- Unless otherwise stated, the face pieces are the same for all sizes
- The pattern is written in US crochet terms
Quick links
Rounds 1-5
Baby size
Toddler size
Child size
Adult size
Ears
Eyes
Cheeks
Nose
Smile
Finishing
Crochet polar bear hat pattern instructions
Rounds 1-5 are the same for all sizes.
Rounds 1-5
Round 1: Magic circle, ch 2, 11 dc, join with sl st to the top of the first dc (11 stitches)
Round 2: Ch 2, 2 dc in each st, join (22 stitches)
Round 3: Ch 2, *2 dc, dc in next st*, join (33 stitches)
Round 4: Ch 2, *2 dc, dc in next 2 sts*, join (44 stitches)
Round 5: Ch 2, *2 dc, dc in next 10 sts*, join (48 stitches)
Baby size
Rounds 6-14: Ch 2, dc in each st, join (48 stitches)
Fasten off and weave in your ends.
Toddler size
Round 6: Ch 2, *2 dc, dc in next 11 sts*, join (52 stitches)
Round 7: Ch 2, *2 dc, dc in next 12 sts*, join (56 stitches)
Rounds 8-17: Ch 2, dc in each st, join (56 stitches)
Fasten off and weave in your ends.
Child size
Round 6: Ch 2, *2 dc, dc in next 11 sts*, join (52 stitches)
Round 7: Ch 2, *2 dc, dc in next 12 sts*, join (56 stitches)
Round 8: Ch 2, *2 dc, dc in next 13 sts*, join (60 stitches)
Rounds 9-18: Ch 2, dc in each st, join (60 stitches)
Fasten off and weave in your ends.
Adult size
Round 6: Ch 2, *2 dc, dc in next 11 sts*, join (52 stitches)
Round 7: Ch 2, *2 dc, dc in next 12 sts*, join (56 stitches)
Round 8: Ch 2, *2 dc, dc in next 13 sts*, join (60 stitches)
Round 9: Ch 2, *2 dc, dc in next 14 sts*, join (64 stitches)
Rounds 10-19: Ch 2, dc in each st, join (64 stitches)
Fasten off and weave in your ends.
Polar bear ears
Make 2 using white yarn.
Row 1: Ch 8, hdc in 3rd ch from the hook and in each rem ch, turn (6 stitches)
Rows 2-4: Ch 2, hdc in each st, turn (6 stitches)
Row 5: Ch 2, hdc2tog, hdc2tog, hdc2tog (3 stitches)
Single crochet around the entire shape and fasten off. Sew the ears to the hat.
Polar bear eyes
Make 2 using black yarn.
Round 1: Magic ring, ch 2, 9 hdc, join with sl st to the top of the first hdc (9 stitches)
Use scrap pieces of white yarn to add the eye sparkle.
Sew the eyes to the hat.
Polar bear cheeks
Make 2 using pink yarn.
Round 1: Magic circle, ch 2, 9 dc, join with sl st to the top of the first dc (9 stitches)
Sew the cheeks to the hat.
Polar bear nose
Use black yarn.
Round 1: Magic circle, ch 1, 6 sc, join with sl st to the top of the first sc (6 stitches)
Round 2: Ch 1, 2 sc in each st, join (12 stitches)
Round 3: Ch 2, 2 hdc in first 2 sts, sc in the next 4 sts, 2 hdc in next 2 sts, sc in rem 4 sts, join (16 stitches)
Sew the nose to the hat.
Adding the smile
Use black yarn to sew a smile onto the hat.
Finishing
Fasten off and then weave in the ends.
Printable PDF pattern
If you prefer an easy, print-friendly version of this crochet polar bear hat pattern, a printable PDF is available in my Etsy shop. The PDF includes the full pattern instructions in a clean, ad-free format, making it perfect for printing or saving on your device.
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Happy crocheting! 🧶
— Melissa