It’s not just a phase, Mum, it’s a new modern classic! Since 2021, bonnet, hood and balaclava knitting and crochet patterns have been getting hotter and hotter. They’re the perfect way to look cool while you keep warm this winter. Whether your vibe is apoca-chic or glamourama, there is a bonnet, hood or balaclava pattern that’s right for you. If you’re itching to make something that is both fashion-forward and fiercely functional, we’ve got a roundup right here.

Free Gracie Hood Crochet Pattern

Dark-haired woman smiles while looking upwards, She is wearing a gray, white and green bonnet made of granny squares.

Gracie Hood

You may have heard that we love us a good granny square here at The Yarn Queen. This great Gracie Hood crochet pattern by Wool and the Gang is designed to be made with Feeling Good Yarn. It is an intermediate pattern that will allow you to practice granny stitch, single crochet and half-double crochet. Not only is the pattern free, but it’s also available in French and German as well as English. So if you want to buff up your foreign language crocheting, it’s a great way to start.

Paid Bonnet, Hood and Balaclava Crochet Patterns

Dark-haired woman looks to the side with a serious expression. She is wearing a hood with scalloping or scales around the face and neck.

Marte, a Crocodile Stitch Hood

Bonita Patterns has designed Marte, a Crocodile Stitch Hood, which could be crocheted as full Art Nouveau or abstract lizard costume, depending on the yarn you use! The crocodile scales around the face and the neck bring a beautiful almost tiled texture, the pattern includes a photo tutorial, and Bonita Patterns says it’s fun to make and will “impress without stress.” We think this will impress in the snuggly softness of Broadway Purely Wool DK!

Dark-haired woman wearing a green crocheted bonnet that obscures her face.

Embossed Leaves Hooded Hat

If you liked Marte, they also offer another textured hood called the Embossed Leaves Hooded Hat. If the Crocodile Stitch Hood is something an elf might wear, Embossed Leaves gives full Hobbit. It uses embossed crochet to create an eye-catching leaf pattern, and has tassels at the corners for a bit of added fun. It’s worked in one piece and has a written pattern and a photo tutorial to help you along. Zealana Kauri Worsted would give you great, snuggly warmth.

Zealana | Korora Hood Kit

Zealana | Korora Hood Kit

Free Bonnet, Hood and Balaclava Knitting Patterns

Mannequin head wears a bonnet in shades of blue, purple and yellow. The bonnet has a waffle pattern and tassels at the corners by the shoulders.

Iris Bloom Bonnet

Gretchen of Balls to the Walls Knits designed the Iris Bloom Bonnet specifically for one of our favourite yarns, Malabrigo Rios. And whether you like knitting with straight needles or in the round, there is a version of this pattern for you! Like the Embossed Leaves Hooded Hat, it has tassels at the corners, and it has a textured criss-cross pattern that will really show off your stitchwork.

Paid Bonnet, Hood and Balaclava Knitting Patterns

Glamorous dark-haired woman wears a red fuzzy coat and a pink bonnet with a giant bow. She is standing on a snowy field at sunset.

Big Bow Bonnet

Designer Park Williams’ name for the Big Bow Bonnet pattern tells you everything you need to know. You can dress it up as ‘50s glam or make it the cutest Lolita bonnet imaginable. It uses a spiral increase design, and includes video tutorials for a disappearing loop cast on, a slip stitch crochet edge, and a folded over brim. The pattern has sizes from baby to adult large, so you can make them for everyone in your family! It calls for a fingering and lace weight yarn, and we think Hedgehog Fibres Skinny Singles and Alpaca Bouclé would make this look smashing!

Woman wears a black-and-white fitted bonnet. She is wearing a navy blue top with big sleeves.

Harriet Bonnet

The Harriet Bonnet knitting pattern by Milena Juhola has a sleek, chic, runway look to it. It is a beginner-friendly pattern with stripes, although it can also be knitted as a solid colour. The bonnet is designed in one size and is meant to be fitted. This would look lovely in Urth Harvest Worsted.

An adorable toddler wears an orange bonnet. The child is standing in a field with a hill in the background.

Beloved

Tin Can Knits has designed yet another cracker of a pattern with the Beloved bonnet. The pattern is sized from newborn to adult, so it is another great pattern for the whole family. Or if you are making something special for a newborn, you could make these bonnets in each size for them to wear as they grow up! This bonnet is designed for Hedgehog Fibres Sock (held double) or Hedgehog Fibres Merino DK.

Dark haired woman wears a soft pink bonnet with a small bow at the neck as well as a blue plaid coat. Behind her is a row of brightly coloured townhouses.

Evie Hood

The Evie Hood knitting pattern creates a sweet little textured hood with a delicate bow. It is worked flat from the bottom up and then seamed. Woozy by Celine has designed a pattern that’s not too slouchy, and not too form-fitting, but just right. The pattern includes a video tutorial. It calls for two yarns held together, and we think this would show off the best qualities of Malabrigo Mechita and Mohair.

Fitted bonnet made out of extremely prominent, large stitches in white, orange, blue, green, pink and several other colours. It sits on a hat stand.

Pomona Bonnet

The Pomona Bonnet knitting pattern by Jenny Noto has a mosaic knit design, which means there is no complicated colourwork required to get the design. The structure and the edging give off Little House on the Prairie vibes. With sizing from baby to adult, and the adult sizing also coming in versions for bulky, light bulky, worsted, and DK yarn weights, it’s extremely flexible. It starts out flat and then is joined to be finished in the round. Your purchase includes both a written pattern and a photo tutorial, and if you are feeling hesitant, reviewers rated the pattern as very clear and not too difficult. This was designed with another one of our favourites, Malabrigo Rasta, in mind.

Dark haired woman wears a knitted hood with a chevron pattern and a beige trenchcoat.

Lykke Hood

Sari Nordlund’s Lykke hood knitting pattern quietly whispers Nordic minimalism, but with an eye-catching chevron stripe. It can be worn as a balaclava or as a cowl. You can also add a drawstring to keep it snug around your face. Reviewers rate the pattern as somewhat challenging but clearly written. It’s designed to be made with a leftover skein or two of yarn — specifically merino and mohair. If you don’t have any of that just kickin’ around your stash, we would recommend Anzula Cloud plus Malabrigo Mohair.

Dark haired woman standing in the snow wears a blue lacework hood tied at the neck and a white cabled sweater.

Grandmacore Hood

Yet another hood whose name is truth in advertising, the Grandmacore Hood pattern by Veronika Lindberg is a lacework hood that is worked seamlessly. It can be worn around your neck as a neckwarmer too. The hood includes an i-cord so you can pull it snugly around your face. It is one size, but because of the lacework it will fit just about any head. Reviewers rate this pattern as exceptionally clear and easy to follow, so if you’re ready to try lacework this may be the one! It uses lace weight mohair and DK yarn, and we’d recommend Urth Bonmoher and Harvest DK.

Man with a blond goatee wears a waffle-textured brown balaclava that shows only his face. He is also wearing a waffle patterned yellow sweater.

Wooly Waffle Balaclava

Who doesn’t love a good Stephen West design? He’s made a great one here with the Wooly Waffle Balaclava knitting pattern. It features 1×1 ribbing on the neck and a waffle stitch pattern over the head, as well as a folded hem around the face. The pattern uses magic loop, and West offers a video tutorial to teach the technique. The balaclava is unisex and one size, and would be perfectly warm and cozy in Urth Harvest DK.

A person wears a sage green hood pulled tight around their face, with a cowl obscuring their mouth and nose. Only their eyes and eybrows can be seen. They are standing in the snow.

Hoodola: A Basic Hooded Cowl

Laura Nelkin lives in Upstate New York in the USA, a place that gets very cold indeed. And if you want something to keep your head and face warm in the winter, Hoodola is the hooded cowl for you! It is a deceptively simple hood with an I-cord to cinch it tight around your face. It also has a cowl that you can pull up over your mouth and nose to keep them from getting cold. It is roomy, so all you curly-haired people don’t have to worry about hood head. And the pattern offers sizing from toddler to adult large, so you can tailor the size you need. This would look rugged and feel incredibly warm in Juniper Moon Farm’s Patagonia yarn.

We haven’t tested all these patterns, because we have a yarn store to run! If you have any issues with these please let us know.

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