Rainbow Drip Cake Beanie Free Crochet Pattern

About This Crochet Pattern

Okay, be honest with me: have you ever seen a hat so cute you almost didn’t want to wear it? Because that is exactly what happens with this rainbow drip cake beanie. It looks like a slice of rainbow layer cake landed right on your head — white frosting drips cascading down every colorful stripe, tiny sprinkles scattered across the top, and a big fluffy pom-pom to finish it all off.

Here is how it all comes together. The construction moves from the brim upward, starting with a stretchy ribbed band worked flat in rows, then seamed into a tube. From there you pick up stitches and work the body in joined rounds in single crochet for that classic, tidy fabric that keeps its shape.

The rainbow stripes run in order from bottom to top: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. After each stripe section is done, you add the frosting drip details using surface slip stitches with little chain loops that hang down like real icing. The crown decreases gradually into a nice rounded dome, and then the giant white pom-pom goes on top. Instant happiness.

This is the kind of pattern that looks complicated when people see it but is secretly so doable. If you have made a couple of hats before and you can change colors cleanly, you are absolutely ready for this one.

Finished Dimensions

Size: Adult Medium/Large

Measurement	Dimension
Circumference (unstretched)	approximately 19 inches / 48 cm
Circumference (stretched to fit)	approximately 21 to 22 inches / 53 to 56 cm
Height (brim folded up)	approximately 9 inches / 23 cm
Height (brim unfolded)	approximately 11 inches / 28 cm

The ribbed brim adds approximately 2 inches / 5 cm when folded up. Size customization tips are included at the end of the pattern.

Skill level: Intermediate. You should be comfortable working in the round, changing colors cleanly, and following a decrease sequence. The surface slip stitch technique and French knot embroidery add extra steps, but neither is difficult on its own. If you have made a couple of hats before and practiced color changes, you will manage this beautifully with a little patience.

Time estimate: Approximately 6 to 9 hours total, including the pom-pom and French knot sprinkles. Those finishing touches add roughly 1 to 1.5 hours.

Materials Needed

Yarn

Grab worsted weight yarn in the following colors and amounts:

Main Color (MC) White: approximately 180 yards / 165 meters
Color A Red: approximately 25 yards / 23 meters
Color B Orange: approximately 20 yards / 18 meters
Color C Yellow: approximately 20 yards / 18 meters
Color D Green: approximately 20 yards / 18 meters
Color E Blue: approximately 20 yards / 18 meters
Color F Purple: approximately 20 yards / 18 meters
Sprinkle Colors: small amounts (under 5 yards / 4.5 meters each) of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple for the French knot embroidery

Substitution tip: Choose any smooth worsted weight yarn that achieves the stated gauge. Avoid fuzzy or heavily textured yarns since the drip and sprinkle details will get lost in the fuzz. Keep the weight consistent across all colors so your stripes sit at even heights.

Recommended Yarn Options

A worsted weight, 100% acrylic yarn offers excellent stitch definition for clean stripes. It is widely available, machine washable, and very budget friendly.
A smooth DK weight yarn worked at worsted tension has a smooth finish that makes color transitions especially crisp. Look for a full color range that covers all six rainbow shades plus white.
A worsted weight, 100% Peruvian Highland wool yarn gives beautiful stitch definition and excellent elasticity for the ribbed brim. Note that this yarn requires hand washing.

Hook and Notions

Hook: US Size J / 6.0 mm crochet hook
Stitch markers (at least 4)
Yarn needle
Scissors
Pom-pom maker or two cardboard circles (approximately 3.5 inches / 9 cm diameter)
Embroidery needle for French knots

Gauge

16 single crochet x 18 rows = 4 inches / 10 cm, worked in rows (single crochet flat swatch, blocked)

Do not skip this for a hat. If your swatch is too small, go up a hook size. If it is too large, go down. Working in the round often produces a slightly looser gauge than flat work, so swatch in the round if possible.

Abbreviations

Let me define every abbreviation you will encounter in this pattern:

ch = chain
sc = single crochet: insert hook, yarn over, pull up a loop (2 loops on hook), yarn over, pull through both loops
sl st = slip stitch: insert hook, yarn over, pull through stitch and loop on hook in one motion
sc2tog = single crochet two together (a decrease): insert hook in next stitch, pull up a loop, insert hook in following stitch, pull up a loop (3 loops on hook), yarn over, draw through all 3 loops
BLO = back loop only: work into just the back loop of the stitch, leaving the front loop unworked
st(s) = stitch(es)
rnd = round
RS = right side
WS = wrong side
pm = place marker
rep = repeat
MR = magic ring (adjustable loop)
yo = yarn over
sss = surface slip stitch (explained below)
FKnot = French knot (explained below)

Special Stitches and Techniques

Ribbed Single Crochet (for the brim)

Work sc in BLO only throughout the entire brim section. This creates a stretchy, vertically ridged fabric that looks and behaves like knit ribbing. The texture comes from leaving the front loops unworked, which pushes them forward to form visible ridges.

Surface Slip Stitch (sss)

This technique adds a raised line of stitches on top of your finished fabric. Do not turn the work. Hold your yarn behind the fabric on the wrong side. Insert your hook from the front through a stitch, catch the yarn from behind, and pull a loop through to the front. Insert your hook through the next stitch, catch the yarn, and pull through both the fabric and the loop on your hook. Continue this way across. The result looks like a neat raised line sitting on the surface.

Drip Loop

While working a surface slip stitch row, at each drip position: chain 5, slip stitch back into the same stitch the chain emerged from. This creates a small dangling loop that resembles a frosting drip. After completing the loop, continue the surface slip stitch line to the next drip position.

French Knot (FKnot)

Thread your embroidery needle with approximately 8 inches / 20 cm of yarn. Bring the needle up through the fabric from the wrong side at your desired sprinkle location. Wrap the yarn around the needle two times. Insert the needle back into the fabric very close to (but not the exact same hole as) the entry point while holding the wraps against the fabric with your thumb. Pull the needle through to the wrong side, allowing the wraps to form a small raised knot on the surface. Secure on the wrong side and repeat.

Pom-Pom

Using a pom-pom maker or two cardboard circles approximately 3.5 inches / 9 cm in diameter, wrap MC (white) yarn around the form approximately 150 to 200 times for a full, dense pom-pom. Cut around the circumference, tie securely with a long strand at the center, and trim into a neat sphere approximately 3 inches / 7.5 cm in diameter. Leave two long tails for attaching to the hat crown.

Pattern Notes Before You Begin

The brim is worked flat in rows, then seamed to form a tube.
After seaming, you pick up stitches along the long edge of the brim tube to begin working the hat body in rounds.
The hat body uses joined rounds: join with sl st at the end of each round, ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), then begin the next round. Use a stitch marker to track the beginning of each round.
Carry unused colors loosely up the inside when possible. If a color will not be used for more than 2 rounds, cut and rejoin to avoid long floats.
Change colors on the last pull-through of the last stitch of the previous round so the new color appears cleanly at the start of the next round.
The frosting drip rows are worked after the main body rounds are complete for each section. You can add each drip immediately after its stripe or wait and add all six drips at once.
The sprinkle French knots are added last, after all crochet and drip embellishment is finished.
Right side faces outward throughout the body rounds.

Step-by-Step Crochet Tutorial

Section 1: Ribbed Brim

Using MC (white) and your J / 6.0 mm hook, ch 19.

Row 1 (RS): Sc in second ch from hook and in each ch across. Turn. (18 sc)

Row 2: Ch 1, sc in BLO of each st across. Turn. (18 sc)

Repeat Row 2 until the brim measures approximately 21 inches / 53 cm from beginning (unstretched). This will be approximately 84 rows total. Count your rows as you go and stop when the piece measures correctly.

Do not fasten off. Fold the brim so the short ends meet. Sl st through corresponding stitches of both ends to seam the brim into a tube. Fasten off. Weave in ends.

Checkpoint: Your seamed brim tube should measure approximately 21 inches / 53 cm in circumference and approximately 4 inches / 10 cm wide.

Section 2: Picking Up Stitches for the Hat Body

With RS facing, join MC (white) to the brim tube along one long edge. You will pick up and sc evenly around the entire long edge to establish your working round.

Work 80 sc evenly around the top edge of the brim tube. Join with sl st to first sc. (80 sc)

Pickup note: Your brim has approximately 84 rows. Pick up approximately 1 sc for every row, skipping every 4th or 5th row as needed to arrive at exactly 80 stitches. Distribute skipped rows evenly for a consistent look.

Place a stitch marker in the first stitch and move it up with each new round.

Section 3: Hat Body Stripes

Work each round by crocheting into each stitch of the previous round. At the end of each round, join with sl st to first sc, ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), and begin the next round.

Rounds 1 to 2: With MC (white), sc in each st around. Join. (80 sc each round)

Round 3: Change to Color A (red) on last pull-through of joining sl st of Round 2. With Color A, sc in each st around. Join. (80 sc)

Round 4: With Color A, sc in each st around. Join. (80 sc)

Round 5: With Color A, sc in each st around. Join. (80 sc)

Round 6: Change to Color B (orange). Sc in each st around. Join. (80 sc)

Round 7: With Color B, sc in each st around. Join. (80 sc)

Round 8: With Color B, sc in each st around. Join. (80 sc)

Round 9: Change to Color C (yellow). Sc in each st around. Join. (80 sc)

Round 10: With Color C, sc in each st around. Join. (80 sc)

Round 11: With Color C, sc in each st around. Join. (80 sc)

Round 12: Change to Color D (green). Sc in each st around. Join. (80 sc)

Round 13: With Color D, sc in each st around. Join. (80 sc)

Round 14: With Color D, sc in each st around. Join. (80 sc)

Round 15: Change to Color E (blue). Sc in each st around. Join. (80 sc)

Round 16: With Color E, sc in each st around. Join. (80 sc)

Round 17: With Color E, sc in each st around. Join. (80 sc)

Round 18: Change to Color F (purple). Sc in each st around. Join. (80 sc)

Round 19: With Color F, sc in each st around. Join. (80 sc)

Round 20: With Color F, sc in each st around. Join. (80 sc)

Round 21: Change to MC (white). Sc in each st around. Join. (80 sc)

Round 22: With MC, sc in each st around. Join. (80 sc)

Round 23: With MC, sc in each st around. Join. (80 sc)

Checkpoint: After Round 23, the hat body (not including brim) should measure approximately 5 inches / 12.7 cm tall. Your rainbow stripes should be clearly visible and even.

Section 4: Frosting Drip Embellishment

Using MC (white), add surface slip stitch drip rows along the top edge of each color stripe.

For each drip row, join MC with a sl st to the top edge of the completed stripe (the round just before the color changes). Work a sss across the full round, creating Drip Loops at regular intervals:

Work 4 sss, then work 1 Drip Loop (ch 5, sl st into same st), then work 4 sss, then work 1 Drip Loop, continuing around. With 80 stitches per round, this places 16 drip loops evenly spaced around each drip row. Fasten off and weave in ends after each drip row.

Apply drip rows at these boundaries:

Drip Row 1: Top edge of the red stripe (between Round 5 and Round 6)
Drip Row 2: Top edge of the orange stripe (between Round 8 and Round 9)
Drip Row 3: Top edge of the yellow stripe (between Round 11 and Round 12)
Drip Row 4: Top edge of the green stripe (between Round 14 and Round 15)
Drip Row 5: Top edge of the blue stripe (between Round 17 and Round 18)
Drip Row 6: Top edge of the purple stripe (between Round 20 and Round 21)

Checkpoint: All six drip rows should be applied. The white drip loops should hang downward over the top edge of each stripe. Check that chain loops are consistent in length.

Section 5: Crown Shaping

Continue with MC (white) in joined rounds.

Round 24: (Sc in next 8 sts, sc2tog) repeat 8 times. Join. (72 sc)

Round 25: Sc in each st around. Join. (72 sc)

Round 26: (Sc in next 7 sts, sc2tog) repeat 8 times. Join. (64 sc)

Round 27: Sc in each st around. Join. (64 sc)

Round 28: (Sc in next 6 sts, sc2tog) repeat 8 times. Join. (56 sc)

Round 29: Sc in each st around. Join. (56 sc)

Round 30: (Sc in next 5 sts, sc2tog) repeat 8 times. Join. (48 sc)

Round 31: Sc in each st around. Join. (48 sc)

Round 32: (Sc in next 4 sts, sc2tog) repeat 8 times. Join. (40 sc)

Round 33: (Sc in next 3 sts, sc2tog) repeat 8 times. Join. (32 sc)

Round 34: (Sc in next 2 sts, sc2tog) repeat 8 times. Join. (24 sc)

Round 35: (Sc in next st, sc2tog) repeat 8 times. Join. (16 sc)

Round 36: (Sc2tog) repeat 8 times. Join. (8 sc)

Fasten off, leaving a tail of approximately 10 inches / 25 cm.

Thread tail onto yarn needle. Working from the outside, pass the needle through the front loop of each of the 8 remaining stitches in sequence. Pull firmly to cinch the crown closed. Pass the needle through the center opening to the wrong side. Weave in securely.

Checkpoint: The crown should be fully closed with no gap visible at the top.

Section 6: Sprinkle Embroidery

Using your embroidery needle and short lengths of each sprinkle color yarn, scatter French knots across the white crown section (Rounds 21 to 23) and across the upper portion of the white frosting area. Aim for 30 to 50 knots total, distributed in all six rainbow colors in a random pattern. Vary placement so no single color clusters together too heavily.

Weave in all yarn tails from French knots on the wrong side.

Section 7: Pom-Pom Attachment

Following the pom-pom instructions from the Special Stitches section, make one large white pom-pom approximately 3 inches / 7.5 cm in diameter.

Thread the two long center tails onto a yarn needle. Insert needle into the center of the closed crown from the outside. Pull both tails through to the wrong side. Tie the tails securely together in a double knot on the inside of the hat. Trim tails to approximately 1 inch / 2.5 cm. The pom-pom should sit firmly and not flop to one side.

Finishing and Blocking

Wet block the brim lightly by dampening with cool water and gently shaping. The ribbed brim benefits from gentle stretching to encourage elasticity. Allow to dry flat.

The hat body does not need aggressive blocking. Gentle steam blocking can even out any uneven stitch rows between color changes if desired. Hold a steam iron approximately 2 inches / 5 cm above the fabric and allow steam to penetrate without pressing down.

Weave in all remaining yarn ends securely on the wrong side, splitting yarn tails in two directions for extra security.

Size Customization Tips

For a smaller hat (child large / adult small, approximately 19 to 20 inch head): Reduce the brim to approximately 56 rows and pick up 72 stitches instead of 80. Adjust the crown shaping so decreases work over 9 stitches at a time initially.

For a larger hat or slouchy fit: Work the brim to 90 rows and pick up 88 stitches. Add one additional plain round between each decrease round in the crown shaping.

To adjust stripe height: Each stripe in this pattern is 3 rounds tall. Adding 1 to 2 more rounds per stripe increases overall height proportionally. The drip loop formula stays the same as long as your stitch count is divisible by 5.

Care Instructions

Machine wash cold on a gentle cycle, inside out to protect the surface embellishments and pom-pom. Lay flat to dry. Do not wring, twist, or put in a clothes dryer.

If using wool yarn, hand wash only in cool water with wool wash. Press water out gently and lay flat to dry.