Saturday, July 29, 2017

Simple Summer Hat

I looked at a small skein of grey cotton and it told me it wanted to be a hat, so that's what it is now.
I knew what I wanted to do, so I just grabbed a hook and started crocheting.

Simple Summer Hat
(US terminology)
I used this cotton with a G hook, but any yarn and appropriate hook will work as gauge doesn't matter.

Ribbed Band
--Chain 12
--Single crochet in second chain from hook and in each of the remaining chains. Chain 1, turn.
--Working through the back loops only, single crochet in each stitch across. Chain 1, turn.
--Repeat the last row until the strip of ribbing fits around the head the hat will sit on when slightly stretched.
--When the band of ribbing is as long as it needs to be, fold it over so that the beginning chain is behind the last row and slip stitch these ends together.

Hat
--Chain 1 and single crochet evenly around, working in the ends of the rows of ribbing.
--When you get back around to the first single crochet of the round, make a half double in it, chain 3, skip the next two stitches, and make a half double crochet in the next stitch. Continue to work around like this until you get back to the beginning of the round.
--Do not join rounds--just keep on making half double crochets in each half double from the previous rounds and chain 3 over each chain 3.
--You could keep going evenly around until the hat was as tall as you want it, leave a long tail, and weave it through the top row of stitches, cinching the top shut. I did a more gradual decrease.

Crown Decreases
--continue to make hdc in each hdc, but make 2 chains in between for a couple of rounds. Then do a couple of rounds with one chain in between. Then hdc in each hdc with no chains in between. Then hdc2tog around and around until there are a few stitches left. Cut yarn, leaving a long tail. Pull through the last stitch. Weave in ends. Enjoy your new hat.

You can easily make this a more or less open hat by replacing the half double crochet stitches with single crochet, for a less open mesh or use double crochets or even triples for a big mesh.

I had an idea while working on this hat, and another as I was typing this, so will have to pick some yarn and try them out!

Hope you're having an enjoyable day in your part of the world!



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