Bunny Ears Bonnet Free Pattern: Crochet Alpine Stitch Pet Hat with Rainbow Border

Bunny Ears Bonnet: A Dreamy Crochet Pet Hat for Complete Beginners

If you have never held a crochet hook before, this Bunny Ears Bonnet is the perfect first project to fall in love with. It is a small, triangular pet hat worked in a soft, raised texture called alpine stitch, finished with two upright pastel bunny ears and a cheerful rainbow-striped border. The finished bonnet is about 11 inches (28 cm) wide across the base and 7 inches (18 cm) tall at the center back, so it fits small dogs with a head circumference of 10–12 inches (25–30 cm). It looks like something from a storybook: creamy, cozy, and topped with one pink and one lilac ear. Because it is small and worked flat (back and forth in rows, not in a circle), you can finish it in a weekend while learning the core stitches every crocheter needs.

Materials Needed

• Yarn (main color): Aran-weight wool blend (about 20% wool, 80% acrylic), 100 g / 170 yd (155 m) per skein. You need 1 skein of pastel cream. This is a medium-thick yarn, thicker than worsted but not chunky.
• Yarn (Contrast A — ears): Small amounts of pastel pink and pastel lilac in the same aran weight (a few yards each).
• Yarn (Contrast B — border stripes): Small amounts of rainbow brights in red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet, same aran weight.
• Crochet hook: 5.0 mm (US H-8) for the bonnet body.
• Crochet hook: 4.5 mm (US G-7) for the border, chin ties, and ears.
• Stitch markers: At least 4, to mark the first stitch of each row and the corners.
• Tapestry needle: A blunt, large-eyed needle for seaming and weaving in ends.
• Scissors: Sharp craft scissors for cutting yarn.
• Finished size: 11 in (28 cm) wide across the base, 7 in (18 cm) tall at center back. Fits head circumference 10–12 in (25–30 cm).

Abbreviations and Beginner Glossary

Read this list once before you begin. Every term used later in the pattern is explained here in plain English.

• ch — chain. Make a slip knot on your hook, then wrap the yarn over the hook and pull it through the loop on your hook. That is one chain. Chains form your starting row.
• st / sts — stitch / stitches. One completed loop-and-post on your work.
• sc — single crochet. Insert hook into the stitch, yarn over, pull up a loop (2 loops on hook), yarn over, pull through both loops. One loop remains.
• dc — double crochet. Yarn over, insert hook into stitch, yarn over, pull up a loop (3 loops on hook), yarn over, pull through 2 loops, yarn over, pull through last 2 loops.
• fpdc — front post double crochet. Work a double crochet, but instead of inserting the hook into the top of a stitch, insert it horizontally around the post (the vertical body) of the stitch two rows below, from front to back and out the front again. This pushes the stitch forward and creates the raised ridge.
• dc2tog — double crochet two together (a decrease). Yarn over, insert hook into first stitch, pull up a loop, yarn over, pull through 2 loops (2 loops remain). Yarn over, insert hook into next stitch, pull up a loop, yarn over, pull through 2 loops, yarn over, pull through all 3 loops. Two stitches become one.
• sc2tog — single crochet two together (a decrease). Insert hook into first stitch, pull up a loop, insert hook into next stitch, pull up a loop (3 loops on hook), yarn over, pull through all 3 loops. Two stitches become one.
• sl st — slip stitch. Insert hook into stitch, yarn over, pull through both the stitch and the loop on your hook at once. Used to join rounds.
• RS / WS — right side / wrong side. The RS is the pretty outside face of your work; the WS is the back.
• sk — skip. Do not work into that stitch; move past it.
• tog — together (used in decreases).
• yo — yarn over. Wrap the yarn over your hook from back to front.
• fasten off — cut the yarn leaving a tail, then pull the tail all the way through the last loop to lock it.

Gauge

Alpine stitch in pattern: 16 sts x 10 rows = 4 in (10 cm) using the 5.0 mm (H-8) hook.

Border (sc): 18 sts x 20 rows = 4 in (10 cm) using the 4.5 mm (G-7) hook.

Why gauge matters: Gauge is how many stitches and rows fit into 4 inches. If your stitches are bigger than the pattern's, your bonnet will be too large and slide off your pet; if smaller, it will be too tight. How to swatch: With the 5.0 mm hook and cream yarn, chain 22. Work Row 1 (dc across) and Row 2 (sc across), then repeat Rows 3–4 of the alpine pattern until your swatch is about 5 inches tall. Lay it flat without stretching and count 16 stitches and 10 rows across a 4-inch section. If you have more stitches than 16, switch to a larger hook; if fewer, switch to a smaller hook. Always swatch before starting.

Beginner Tips Before You Start

• Use stitch markers on every row. Place one in the very first stitch of each row so you never lose your place, and one at each corner of the neck edge before the border.
• Do not pull your yarn too tight. Tension should feel relaxed. Tight stitches make the alpine ridges stiff and the bonnet too small.
• Count your stitches at the end of every row. The counts are given in parentheses after each row — check them before moving on.
• Remember the chain rules. The ch 2 at the start of a dc row does not count as a stitch, and the ch 1 at the start of an sc row does not count. Work your first real stitch into the very first stitch.
• Keep your fpdc loose. When working around the post two rows below, ease the hook in gently so the ridge sits on top of the fabric instead of squashing it.
• Work in good light and take breaks. Alpine stitch needs you to see two rows below — bright light makes it much easier.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Stitch Notes: How Alpine Stitch Works

Alpine stitch is worked flat, back and forth, alternating a smooth row with a textured row. The textured row pushes a double crochet forward around the post of the stitch two rows below, creating raised vertical ridges.

• Row 1 (RS): dc in each st across.
• Row 2 (WS): sc in each st across.
• Row 3 (RS): *1 dc in next st, 1 fpdc around the post of the dc two rows below (skipping the sc directly behind it)* repeat to last st, 1 dc in last st.
• Row 4 (WS): sc in each st across.
• Repeat Rows 3–4 for the pattern, always working the fpdc around the dc two rows below.

Body: The Bonnet (worked top-down from the neck edge, flat)

With the 5.0 mm (H-8) hook and pastel cream, ch 45.

• Row 1 (RS): dc in 3rd ch from hook and in each ch across. (43 dc)
• Row 2 (WS): ch 1, sc in each st across. (43 sc)
• Row 3 (RS): ch 2, *1 dc in next st, 1 fpdc around post of dc two rows below* repeat to last st, 1 dc in last st. (43 sts)
• Row 4 (WS): ch 1, sc in each st across. (43 sc)
• Rows 5–20: Repeat Rows 3–4 eight times more (16 rows total after the foundation). (43 sts) Piece measures approx. 6.5 in (16.5 cm) from the foundation.

Shaping the Triangle (decrease rows)

• Row 21 (RS): ch 2, dc2tog over first 2 sts, work alpine pattern to last 2 sts, dc2tog. (41 sts)
• Row 22 (WS): ch 1, sc2tog over first 2 sts, sc to last 2 sts, sc2tog. (39 sts)
• Rows 23–34: Repeat Rows 21–22 six times more. (15 sts remain after Row 34)
• Row 35 (RS): ch 2, dc2tog, dc in next st, dc2tog, dc in next st, dc2tog, dc in next st, dc2tog, dc in next st, dc2tog. (9 sts)
• Row 36 (WS): ch 1, sc2tog across to last st, sc in last st. (5 sts)

Fasten off, leaving a 12 in (30 cm) tail. Thread the tail through the remaining 5 sts with your tapestry needle, pull tight, and secure.

Seam

Fold the bonnet in half with RS together along the center-back line, from the neck edge to the point. Using matching cream yarn and your tapestry needle, whipstitch (small, even stitches over both edges) the two short side edges together. Turn RS out.

Rainbow-Brights Striped Border

With the 4.5 mm (G-7) hook, join red at the neck edge (base of the bonnet).

• Round 1 (red): ch 1, sc evenly around the entire outer edge of the bonnet (neck edge, both sloped sides, and point), working 1 sc per st along the neck edge and approx. 2 sc per 3 rows along the sloped sides; join with sl st to first sc.
• Round 2 (orange): ch 1, sc in each sc around; join.
• Round 3 (yellow): ch 1, sc in each sc around; join.
• Round 4 (green): ch 1, sc in each sc around; join.
• Round 5 (blue): ch 1, sc in each sc around; join.
• Round 6 (violet): ch 1, sc in each sc around; join. Fasten off and weave in ends.

Chin-Tie Chain

With the 4.5 mm (G-7) hook and pastel cream, join yarn at one corner of the neck edge. Ch 40 (approx. 8 in / 20 cm), then sl st back along the chain to the corner and fasten off. Repeat on the opposite corner. Knot the two chain ends together to secure under the chin.

Bunny Ears (make 2 — one pastel pink, one pastel lilac)

With the 4.5 mm (G-7) hook and ear color, ch 9.

• Row 1: sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. (8 sc)
• Row 2: ch 1, sc in each st across. (8 sc)
• Row 3: ch 1, sc2tog, sc in next 4 sts, sc2tog. (6 sc)
• Row 4: ch 1, sc in each st across. (6 sc)
• Row 5: ch 1, sc2tog, sc in next 2 sts, sc2tog. (4 sc)
• Row 6: ch 1, sc2tog twice. (2 sc)
• Row 7: ch 1, sc2tog. (1 sc) Fasten off, leaving a 10 in (25 cm) tail.

Assembly and Finishing

• Attach the ears: Pin each ear upright on the top of the bonnet, approx. 1.5 in (4 cm) apart and 1 in (2.5 cm) back from the front point, with the pointed tips facing up. Using the tail and your tapestry needle, stitch securely around the base of each ear, going through both the ear and the bonnet fabric several times.
• Weave in ends: Thread each loose tail onto the tapestry needle and run it back and forth through the inside of the fabric for about 1 inch, then trim close to the surface. Never knot ends on the outside.
• Block: Lightly mist the bonnet with cool water, lay it flat on a towel, and gently shape the triangle. Pin the ears so they stand upright, then let it dry completely away from direct heat. Blocking opens the alpine ridges and sets the shape.
• Care: Hand wash cold, reshape, and dry flat away from direct heat.

Pro Tips and Variations

• Change the colors: Swap the rainbow border for a single contrast color, or make both ears the same shade for a classic bunny look. Change colors at the start of a round by joining the new yarn with a sl st.
• Adjust the size: For a slightly larger pet, add 6 chains to the foundation (49 sts) and work 2 extra repeat rows before shaping; for a smaller pet, start with 39 chains and work 2 fewer repeat rows. Always check gauge first.
• Substitute yarn: Any aran-weight yarn works — cotton gives a crisper stitch, acrylic is easy to wash. Match the gauge with a hook swatch before you begin.
• Add a flower or pom-pom: A small crocheted flower between the ears or a tiny pom-pom on each ear tip makes this bonnet extra special for photos.