There is a specific kind of magic that happens when you reach into your stash and pull out a skein of yarn that has been waiting patiently for its moment. For this project, it was the deep, rich hue of Dark Orchid or the warm, inviting glow of Pumpkin that caught my eye. I knew immediately that these colors would serve as the perfect canvas for a lineup of crisp, white ghosts. The decision to use a solid background color allows the white bodies and tiny black eyes to pop with playful contrast, creating a design that feels intentional and festive. This isn’t just a hat; it is a collection of little floating spirits ready to bring a touch of spooky charm to any Halloween outfit.
Yarn and Color Notes
Choosing the right yarn for this project ensures that the ghost design remains crisp and the hat stays warm. Red Heart Super Saver is an excellent choice for this pattern because its worsted weight provides structure without being too bulky, and its durability makes it perfect for wear during the cooler autumn months. The color palette is key to the aesthetic: a dark or bright background color (such as Dark Orchid, Pumpkin, or Charcoal) allows the white ghosts to stand out vividly. While the source suggests these specific shades, you can adapt the background color to match any personal preference or existing wardrobe. The white yarn provides the ghost bodies, while a small amount of black yarn is reserved exclusively for the eyes, ensuring the characters have that classic, recognizable look. The texture of the waistcoat stitch used in the colorwork rounds adds a subtle, knit-like smoothness that enhances the visual clarity of the ghost shapes.
Project Overview
The Ghosts in a Row Crochet Hat is a wearable accessory designed for crocheters who enjoy colorwork and repeating patterns. Worked from the top down, this hat features a main body constructed with double crochet stitches, transitioning into a unique waistcoat stitch section for the ghost colorwork. The design relies on a simple 7-stitch repeat, making the sizing formula intuitive: each size up adds one additional 7-stitch repeat, which corresponds to one additional ghost in the row. This pattern is suitable for a range of ages, from babies to adults, and includes instructions for a ribbed border that is crocheted directly onto the hat edge for a seamless finish.
Materials
- Red Heart Super Saver worsted weight yarn in the following colors:
- Dark Orchid (or your chosen background color)
- Pumpkin (or your chosen background color)
- Charcoal (or your chosen background color)
- White (for the ghosts)
- Small amount of Black (for the eyes)
- Size H (5.0 mm) crochet hook, or hook needed to obtain desired size
- Tapestry needle
- Scissors
Gauge and Finished Size
Specific gauge measurements are not provided in the source pattern. The finished size is determined by the stitch counts listed below for each age group. Ensure your tension is appropriate for the Size H hook to maintain the integrity of the waistcoat stitch and colorwork.
Abbreviations
- CH = Chain
- DC = Double Crochet
- SC = Single Crochet
- WC SC = Waistcoat Single Crochet
- ST(S) = Stitch(es)
Pattern Notes
This hat is worked from the top down. The main portion of the hat is crocheted in double crochet (DC) as specified in the pattern below. The waistcoat stitch is used only for the 6 rounds of ghost colorwork. The ghost design has a 7-stitch repeat. Each size adds one additional 7-stitch repeat — which means one additional ghost!
Waistcoat (Knit-Look) Stitch
If you can make a single crochet, you can make the waistcoat stitch! The secret is all in where you insert your hook. Instead of crocheting into the tops of the stitches, insert your hook into the center post of the stitch — right in the middle of the “V” you see on the front. Complete the stitch just like a regular single crochet. This creates a smooth, knit-look stitch that works especially well for the ghost graph because the stitches stack neatly on top of one another, making the little ghost shapes easy to see.
Tip: Keep your tension a little loose when working the waistcoat stitch. If your stitches are too tight, it can be difficult to insert your hook into the center of the V.
Hat Sizes and Stitch Counts
- Baby: 42 stitches — 6 ghosts
- Toddler/Preschool: 49 stitches — 7 ghosts
- Child: 56 stitches — 8 ghosts
- Teen: 63 stitches — 9 ghosts
- Adult: 70 stitches — 10 ghosts
How to Read the Ghost Graph
Because this hat is crocheted from the top down, you will work the ghost graph from the top of the graph to the bottom. Begin with Row 6 of the graph and work downward: Row 6 → Row 5 → Row 4 → Row 3 → Row 2 → Row 1. This creates the rounded top of the ghost first and finishes with the three little points along the bottom.
The graph shown is for the Baby size with 42 stitches and 6 ghosts. Each ghost is a 7-stitch repeat. For the larger sizes, simply continue repeating the same 7-stitch ghost pattern around:
- Baby: Repeat 6 times
- Toddler/Preschool: Repeat 7 times
- Child: Repeat 8 times
- Teen: Repeat 9 times
- Adult: Repeat 10 times
You can follow the graph or use the written instructions below. Color A is the Hat/background color, Color B is White, and Color C is Black.
Pattern Instructions
Baby — 42 stitches
Round 1: Magic Ring, chain 1 and make 14 DC in ring, join, chain 2. (14 DC)
Round 2: 2 DC in each stitch around, join, chain 2. (28 DC)
Round 3: 2 DC in first stitch, DC in next 3 stitches; repeat around, join, chain 2. (35 DC)
Round 4: 2 DC in first stitch, DC in next 4 stitches; repeat around, join, chain 2. (42 DC)
Round 5: DC in each stitch around, join, chain 1. (42 DC)
Round 6-11: Work 6 rounds of the Ghost Graph using waistcoat stitch.
Round 12: DC in each stitch around, join (42 DC)
Work ribbing.
Toddler/Preschool — 49 stitches
Round 1: Magic Ring, chain 1 and make 14 DC in ring, join, chain 2. (14 DC)
Round 2: 2 DC in each stitch around, join, chain 2. (28 DC)
Round 3: 2 DC in first stitch, DC in next 3 stitches; repeat around, join, chain 2. (35 DC)
Round 4: 2 DC in first stitch, DC in next 4 stitches; repeat around, join, chain 2. (42 DC)
Round 5: 2 DC in first stitch, DC in next 5 stitches; repeat around, join, chain 2. (49 DC)
Round 6: DC in each stitch around, join, chain 1. (49 DC)
Round 7-12: Work 6 rounds of the Ghost Graph using waistcoat stitch.
Round 13: DC in each stitch around, join (49 DC)
Work ribbing.
Child — 56 stitches
Round 1: Magic Ring, chain 1 and make 14 DC in ring, join, chain 2. (14 DC)
Round 2: 2 DC in each stitch around, join, chain 2. (28 DC)
Round 3: 2 DC in first stitch, DC in next 3 stitches; repeat around, join, chain 2. (35 DC)
Round 4: 2 DC in first stitch, DC in next 4 stitches; repeat around, join, chain 2. (42 DC)
Round 5: 2 DC in first stitch, DC in next 5 stitches; repeat around, join, chain 2. (49 DC)
Round 6: 2 DC in first stitch, DC in next 6 stitches; repeat around, join, chain 2. (56 DC)
Round 7-8: DC in each stitch around, join, chain 1. (56 DC)
Round 9-14: Work 6 rounds of the Ghost Graph using waistcoat stitch.
Round 15: DC in each stitch around, join (56 DC)
Work ribbing.
Teen — 63 stitches
Round 1: Magic Ring, chain 1 and make 14 DC in ring, join, chain 2. (14 DC)
Round 2: 2 DC in each stitch around, join, chain 2. (28 DC)
Round 3: 2 DC in first stitch, DC in next 3 stitches; repeat around, join, chain 2. (35 DC)
Round 4: 2 DC in first stitch, DC in next 4 stitches; repeat around, join, chain 2. (42 DC)
Round 5: 2 DC in first stitch, DC in next 5 stitches; repeat around, join, chain 2. (49 DC)
Round 6: 2 DC in first stitch, DC in next 6 stitches; repeat around, join, chain 2. (56 DC)
Round 7: 2 DC in first stitch, DC in next 7 stitches; repeat around, join, chain 2. (63 DC)
Round 8-9: DC in each stitch around, join, chain 1. (63 DC)
Round 10 -15: Work 6 rounds of the Ghost Graph using waistcoat stitch.
Round 16: DC in each stitch around, join, chain 1. (63 DC)
Work ribbing.
Adult — 70 stitches
Round 1: Magic Ring, chain 1 and make 14 DC in ring, join, chain 2. (14 DC)
Round 2: 2 DC in each stitch around, join, chain 2. (28 DC)
Round 3: 2 DC in first stitch, DC in next 3 stitches; repeat around, join, chain 2. (35 DC)
Round 4: 2 DC in first stitch, DC in next 4 stitches; repeat around, join, chain 2. (42 DC)
Round 5: 2 DC in first stitch, DC in next 5 stitches; repeat around, join, chain 2. (49 DC)
Round 6: 2 DC in first stitch, DC in next 6 stitches; repeat around, join, chain 2. (56 DC)
Round 7: 2 DC in first stitch, DC in next 7 stitches; repeat around, join, chain 2. (63 DC)
Round 8: 2 DC in first stitch, DC in next 8 stitches; repeat around, join, chain 2. (70 DC)
Round 9-11: DC in each stitch around, join, chain 1. (70 DC)
Round 12-17: Work 6 rounds of the Ghost Graph using waistcoat stitch.
Round 18: DC in each stitch around, join, chain 1. (70 DC)
Work ribbing.
Assembly
Finish the Hat with a Ribbed Border: Please be sure and watch the tutorial from Daisy Farm Crafts on how to make a single crochet ribbed border. I love this technique because you don’t need to sew the ribbing on separately, it is crochet right onto the edge of the hat! It’s basically a chain 7 (or however long/short your want your ribbed border), SC in each chain until you get back to the hat edge, slip stitch in two stitches along the hat edge and then SC in the back loops of the ribbing and repeat. She has a VERY easy tutorial to follow and you can use this border on many different projects. When you’ve finished the ribbed border along the edge of the hat you can slip stitch the seam together. Fasten off and weave in all ends.
Tips
Tip: Keep your tension a little loose when working the waistcoat stitch. If your stitches are too tight, it can be difficult to insert your hook into the center of the V.
A Note About Carrying Your Yarn: When working the ghost graph, I chose not to carry the unused yarn through the stitches. Because the ghosts are white and the background colors are much darker or brighter, I found that carrying the background yarn inside the white stitches allowed some of that color to show through. Instead, I carried (or “floated”) the unused yarn loosely along the back of the work, picking it back up when it was needed for the next color change. Be careful not to pull your floats too tightly! You want them to lie loosely across the inside of the hat so they don’t cause the fabric to pucker or affect the stretch of the hat. The inside won’t look quite as tidy as the outside and that’s okay! The floats stay hidden inside the finished hat while keeping the white ghosts looking crisp and bright on the outside.
FAQs
How do I adjust the number of ghosts in the hat?
The ghost design uses a 7-stitch repeat. To add more ghosts, simply add another 7-stitch repeat to your round. Each size in this pattern adds one 7-stitch repeat, which corresponds to one additional ghost.
Can I use a different yarn weight?
This pattern is designed for worsted weight yarn (Red Heart Super Saver). Using a different weight will change the gauge and the finished size of the hat. If you switch yarn weights, you will need to adjust your hook size and potentially the stitch counts to achieve the correct fit.
Why is the waistcoat stitch used for the ghosts?
The waistcoat stitch creates a smooth, knit-look fabric where the stitches stack neatly on top of one another. This structure makes the colorwork shapes, like the ghosts, easier to see and more defined compared to standard single crochet.
How should I handle the yarn floats on the inside?
Carry the unused yarn loosely along the back of the work (“float”) rather than crocheting over it. Ensure the floats are not pulled tight, as this can cause puckering or reduce the stretch of the hat. The floats will be hidden inside the finished hat.
How do I read the ghost graph if I am working from the top down?
Work the graph from the top to the bottom. Begin with Row 6 of the graph and work downward through Row 1. This order creates the rounded top of the ghost first and finishes with the points at the bottom.
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