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DIY Horse Bonnet Tutorial – by EquiEars first edition 2023

 DIY Horse Bonnet Tutorial
By EquiEars
Hello and thank you for purchasing my tutorial on how to create your own custom horse bonnet! This horse
bonnet pattern is my own and was developed through extensive trial and error – meaning running back and forth
to the barn each night with different variations until I perfected the shape! I have been using this pattern for over
5 years and have used it to create over 500 EquiEars horse bonnets.

This tutorial is meant for beginner/intermediate crafters, however, if you are a beginner, you may need to
practice your crochet stitches before attempting to create the full horse bonnet.

Supplies you will need:

- 4mm Crochet hook

- Size 4/medium/worsted weight cotton yarn: for the base colour & trim colours (optional)
*Mercerized cotton yarn is recommended
- Nylon/cotton blend or spandex material for ears
*Choose the same colour material as the base colour of the bonnet
- Chalk or white marker
- Scissors
- Measuring Tape
- Loose leaf paper
- Sewing Machine or needle & thread
- Sewing Pins
- Small Elastic (optional)
- Embellishment (crystals, cord, rhinestone etc)

Types of crochet stiches used:

If you are new to crochet, you will need to practice each type of stitch a few times before starting a bonnet. I
recommend browsing tutorials for the types of stitches listed below and practicing on smaller squares to master
your skills!

- Single crochet stitch *can/us (double crochet in UK terms)

- Slip crochet stitch *can/us
- Chain stitch
- Scallop crochet stitch (optional)
Bonnet Base Pattern Tutorial:
For the base of the horse bonnet, use both the chain stitch and the single crochet stitch.

Step 1:

To begin, tie a slip knot in your yarn and chain 9 stitches with your crochet
hook.

Changing direction and now using a single crochet stitch, complete 8

stitches, chaining one stitch* at the end of the row before changing direction
again.
Repeat this 4 more times, for a total of 5 rows of single stitches, and the 1
row of chain stitches. This is the back of the left ear.

*Chain one stitch at the end of each row to not decrease the number of
stitches in the next row.

Step 2:

For the next row, complete the 8 single stitches, and then chain an additional
10 stitches with your crochet hook before finishing that row.

This will become the crown piece of the bonnet.

Change direction and start the next row, now with a single crochet stitch,
and complete the next 15 rows, each with 18 stitches.

Step 3:

Now to create the back of the right ear, crochet only 8 single stitches on this
next row, remembering to always chain one stitch before changing direction
and continuing with the next row of 8 single stitches.

Continue this for the next 4 rows.

At the end of this step, when folded in half, the bonnet should be
symmetrical.
Step 4:

In this next row, continue to single crochet the 8 stitches, but at the end of
the row, continue on to chain an additional 10 stitches, before joining our
chain with the crown piece of the bonnet.

This will create the right ear hole.

Once joined with one side of the crown piece of the bonnet, continue to
single crochet along the (front) of the crown piece, picking up stitches until
we reach the other end of the crown piece.

Now, to create the left ear hole, chain another 10 stitches before joining our
chain to the left ear piece. Single crochet stitch until you reach the end of
the back of the ear piece.

Step 5:
For the next 9 rows, single crochet stitch the “cap” of the horse bonnet. The length of these rows will determine
how far down the brow the bonnet will sit on your horses face.

The most crucial part of this step is to ADD one stitch at the end of each row. To add a stitch, simply pick up
one extra stitch from the row above and include it in the new row before doing a chain stitch and changing
direction as usual. Please see the video: ‘Increase Stitches’ for a visual of this step!
Step 5 (con’t):
It is important to frequently check for symmetry of the bonnet in this stage, to make sure you are adding stitches
to each side equally. At the end of the completed 9 rows, you should have approximately 63 stitches in your last
row. After checking that your bonnet is symmetrical on both sides, cut the yarn and tie off to complete the top
“cap” of the bonnet.

To tie off your bonnet, finish your last single stitch and chain stitch as normal, cut the yarn with a decent length
of tail left, and feed this tail through the chain stitch.

Step 6:

Now it’s time to start the bottom half of the bonnet!

Create another slip knot, and from the end of your last row, count 10 stitches. Insert your crochet hook into the
10th stitch to begin single crochet stitching this new row.

This row will finish when there are 10 stitches remaining at the end, keeping it symmetrical!

This first row of the bottom part of your bonnet should have approximately 43 single crochet stitches.
Step 7:
For the next rows, you will want to decrease the stitches by one on each side (2 stitches per row, total), to gently
taper the bonnet into a square or tie-down style.

To decrease stitches equally on each side, you will leave one stitch out at the end of the row you are crocheting,
AND you will not do a chain stitch before changing direction. Please see the video: ‘Decreasing Stitches’ for a
visual of this step!

The stitch count for a SQUARE BONNET The stitch count for a TIE DOWN BONNET
1st Row (completed in step 6): 43 stitches 1st Row (completed in step 60: 43 stitches
2nd Row: 41 stitches 2nd Row: 41 stitches
3rd Row 39 stitches …
4th Row: 37 stitches 18th row: 9 stitches
… 19th, 20th, 21st Row: 7 stitches
18th Row: 9 stitches 22nd Row: 5 stitches
19th Row: 7 stitches 23rd, 24th Row: 3 stitches
20th Row: 7 stitches 25th Row: 1 stitch
Measurement: ~9 inches Measurement: ~ 11.5 inches

On the rows where you no longer want to decrease our stitch count, simply stitch to the full length of the row,
and remember to add back in the chain stitch before changing direction.

At the end once we’ve reached the desired length, cut the yarn and tie off the bonnet in the same way – using a
chain stitch and pulling the end of the yarn through to create a secure knot.
Bonnet Trim Tutorial:
Now that the bonnet base is complete, use slip crochet stitches to complete the trim portion of the horse bonnet.
To get the nice, forward facing stitches, insert your hook into
the back loop of the stitch.

Step 8:
Starting at the back of the crown piece of the bonnet, take your
crochet hook with a slip knot and begin slip stitching along all
the outer edge of the bonnet.

Use the same colour yarn as the base of the bonnet here. This
single row of stitches along the entire edge of the bonnet will
finish the raw edges of the base.

You’ll want to pick up enough stitches along the outer edge that your bonnet continues to lay flat and not lose
its shape.

If you are not picking up enough stitches, your bonnet will start to pucker and bubble. If you are picking up too
many stitches, your line of slip stitches will not be straight.

The same goes for your yarn tension. Practice makes perfect!

Example: not enough stitches Example: too many stitches Example: Ideal amount and tension
Step 8 (cont):
When you get to either the square or tie-down end of the bonnet, you will need to incorporate a chain stitch at
each “point” to make sure you are keeping the sharp shape and not rounding out the corners.

Once you have worked your way around the entire outer edge of the bonnet, cut the yarn and tie off. Before you
complete this step, make sure that your bonnet is still lying flat and that it is symmetrical and not crooked!

If you notice small imperfections in this stage, they will only become more obvious as you add trim colour.
Step 9:

If you would like your bonnet to have a different colour from the
base of the bonnet, this is where you will change the yarn!

Tie a slip knot with your desired yarn, leaving a long tail (we will
feed this through to hide it at the end) and begin to slip stitch into
the back loop only at the widest part of the “cap” of the bonnet.

Continue slip stitching along the outer edge of the bonnet until you get to either the square or tie-down shape of
the bonnet. Here you will do the same chain stitch at the “points” as done in step 8 to make sure you keep the
corners sharp.

Stop this row of trim once you reach the widest part of the cap on the other side of the bonnet, chain one stitch
and change directions. Continue for another 4 rows (5 rows total).

If you would like to add more than one trim colour on the bonnet, you’ll simply cut and tie off at the end of
your row with the previous yarn and then start again with a new yarn colour. Make sure that your stitches are
facing forward for the front of the bonnet when you start with a new colour.

On the 6th and last row of the trim, we will use the same slip
stitch as we did in the previous rows, but we will not chain
extra stitches at the “points” of either the square or tie down.

This will round out the edges to finish the trim of the bonnet.

Make sure to leave long tails on your trim colour yarn so it

will be easier to feed them through your bonnet stitches to
hide the ends.
Step 10:
Hiding the ends. For a polished look, weave the ends of your yarn tails through a few stitches of the bonnet
before trimming them. This also helps ensure none of your knots come undone.

Hide the ends most importantly on the trim of your bonnet, but also everywhere else we have cut and tied off!

Ear Tutorial:

Step 11:
Now you will use a cotton/nylon blend or spandex material to create the
ears of the bonnet.

The last page of this tutorial has an ear template to size for you to print
and trace onto your ear material.

Use the chalk or white marker to mark the template on the ear fabric
before you cut this out with scissors.

Once cut, fold the ear in half and use sewing pins to hold it in place. Use
a sewing machine to sew the length of the ear, leaving the bottom base
of the ear open.

If you do not have access to a sewing machine, you can hand stitch the
ears using a needle and thread and a blanket stitch.
Step 11 (cont):
Once your ears have been sewn, turn them right-side-out and attach them to the base of the bonnet using sewing
pins. Make sure that they are facing the correct way to match with the front of your bonnet base!

The seam of the ears should sit nicely in the corner of ear holes and turned slightly towards the back of each ear
piece (part which we crocheted first in step 1).

To attach the ears to the bonnet, you can either use a sewing machine again, or use a sewing needle and thread
to hand stitch along the edges. If you would like to hand stitch, I recommend using a blanket stitch.

Step 12:
Your bonnet now has a finished trim and ears attached! All that is left is to add any desired embellishment such
as crystals, twisted cord, or rhinestone. This is where your creativity can take control and you can create a
unique design for your bonnet. For precision, I recommend attaching any embellishment by hand, using a
needle and thread.

If your bonnet is a tie down style, attach a small elastic at the very bottom of the bonnet by using your crochet
hook to pull it through and loop back in on itself.

For another nice touch, you can add a scalloped

edge along the back piece of your bonnet.

Start your scalloped stitches just behind the

backs of the ears, continue across the back of the
crown piece, before finishing at the end of the
other ear!

This piece should be no more than 8 inches, or

about 5-6 scallops.
 Congratulations!

You have come to the end of the tutorial and have created your own horse bonnet!

Thank you, for trying out this tutorial and allowing me to share my horse bonnet pattern with you.

If you have any questions or need help with completing your pattern, you can always reach me via Etsy
messenger, Instagram message, or email.

EquiEarsCA

@Equi_Ears

equiears@gmail.com

If you would ever like to purchase a completed EquiEars horse bonnet in the future, please use code DIY10 for
a discount on your order!
6.5 inches PRINTABLE EAR TEMPLATE

REGULAR SIZE EAR

TEMPLATE

4.5 inches