Kanadian Kool Aid

Kind Cori from Edmonton sent me some blue and green Kool Aid yesterday. I was sitting at the table when it arrived, planning my housework.
Perhaps I exaggerate: I was drinking a cup of tea, looking around at the state of the place and thinking, "Look at the state of this place!" In other words, I was in the Critical Housework Planning Phase. But I couldn't just ignore such a thoughtful gift, now, could I? No, I couldn't, so I did a little dyeing instead.

The red is a bit of a mistake. I had about 100g wool and I didn't want to spread the colours too thin because I wanted to keep the green and blue as vivid as possible. As a result, I added red and ended up with a kind of lollipop-coloured yarn, the kind of lollipops your parents forbade you to eat because the artificial colours put you on a sugar high. Brilliant!

TUTORIAL: Twenties Hat

Why? Because I want to know if I can. That's the driving force behind much of my crochet designing. I wanted a very elegant, classic Twenties cloche hat and I couldn't find a pattern for one - so I made one up. Here you go:

Materials
You need a
3.50mm hook (a ‘E’ hook)
approx. 90g sock yarn (or fingering weight cotton)
Note: this pattern uses American terms, the British terms are in [brackets].


The crown:
Start by chaining 3 and join with a slip stitch to form a little circle.
OR: start with a magic loop (thanks to Carla for pointing it out!)
If you have never crocheted a hat before, have a look at the pattern for the SiSoYa hat HERE. This includes some photos to help you along.


Round 1: Chain one, then do a SC [DC] in the same stitch below (this counts as your first SC [DC] here and throughout), then do 9 SC (DC) into the circle. Join the last stitch to the first stitch of the row with a slip stitch. (10 stitches in total)
Round 2: Chain one, then do 2 SC [DC] in the same stitch. 2 SC [DC] in next nine stitches. Join the last stitch to the first stitch of the row with a slip stitch. (20 stitches in total)
Round 3: Chain one, then do 1 SC [DC] in the same stitch, 1 SC [DC] in next nineteen stitches. Join the last stitch to the first stitch of the row with a slip stitch. (20 stitches in total)
Round 4: Chain one, then do 1 SC [DC] in the same stitch, 2 SC [DC] in next stitch, *1 SC [DC] in next stitch, 2 SC [DC] in stitch after. Repeat from * around, ending with 2 SC [DC]. Join the last stitch to the first stitch of the row with a slip stitch. (30 stitches in total)
Round 5: Chain one, then do 1 SC [DC] in the same stitch, 1 SC [DC] in next twenty-nine stitches. Join the last stitch to the first stitch of the row with a slip stitch. (30 stitches in total)
Round 6: Chain one, then do 1 SC [DC] in the same stitch, 1 SC [DC] in next stitch, 2 SC [DC] in next stitch, *1 SC [DC] in next two stitches, 2 SC [DC] in next stitch. Repeat from * around, ending with 2 SC [DC]. Join the last stitch to the first stitch of the row with a slip stitch. (40 stitches in total)
Round 7: Chain one, then do 1 SC [DC] in the same stitch, 1 SC [DC] in next thirty-nine stitches. Join the last stitch to the first stitch of the row with a slip stitch. (40 stitches in total)
Round 8: Chain one, then do 1 SC [DC] in the same stitch, 1 SC [DC] in next stitch, 2 SC [DC] in next stitch, *1 SC [DC] in next three stitches, 2 SC [DC] in next stitch. Repeat from * around, ending with 2 SC [DC]. Join the last stitch to the first stitch of the row with a slip stitch. (50 stitches in total)

From this point on, you increase in every second round (the even-numbered rounds.) You increase by adding one more SC [DC] between every double SC [DC] in every round. In other words, in round 8, you do one SC [DC] in three stitches between each double SC [DC]; in round 10, you’ll do one SC [DC] in four stitches between your doubles. Every second round (the uneven-numbered rounds) will simply be a SC [DC] in each stitch.

You continue to increase like this until you have a slightly-curling circle (it will probably be like a woolly saucer) that has a diametre of a bit more than 18 cm / 7 inches. (Mine was 7.25 inches when I stopped.) If you have a big head or a lot of hair, make the crown a bit bigger. It's supposed to fit snugly but you don't want it to cut off the blood circulation to your brain.


The body of the hat:
Now keep crocheting in the round - no more increases, just one SC [DC] in every stitch, till the hat is approximately 18 cm / 7 inches from the crown of the hat to the brim (bottom edge). When you pop the hat on your head, the brim (bottom edge) ought to sit at eyebrow level.

The brim:
In order to achieve the gently-sloping brim of a Twenties-style hat, you have to increase very gradually. These values are approximate and are meant as a guideline:


BrimRd1: Chain one, then do 1 SC [DC] in the same stitch, 1 SC [DC] in next 29 stitches, 2 SC [DC] in next stitch *1 SC [DC] in next thirty stitches, 2 SC [DC] in next stitch. Repeat from * around. You mightn't finish neatly with 2 SC [DC] as you did when you were crocheting the crown - don't worry. If I reach the end of the round after, say, 26 SC [DC] then I do 2 SC [DC] in the last stitch. If I reach the end of the round after 10 SC [DC] then I don't. It's all about spacing your 2 SC [DC] as evenly as you can. . Join the last stitch to the first stitch of the row with a slip stitch.
BrimRd2-6: Chain one, then do 1 SC [DC] in the same stitch, 1 SC [DC] in each stitch all round. . Join the last stitch to the first stitch of the row with a slip stitch. (= five rows of single SC [DC] )

BrimRd7: Chain one, then do 1 SC [DC] in the same stitch, 1 SC [DC] in next 39 stitches, 2 SC [DC] in next stitch *1 SC [DC] in next forty stitches, 2 SC [DC] in next stitch. Repeat from * around. Again, you mightn't finish neatly with a 2 SC [DC] but you can use your discretion and add a 2 SC [DC] in the last stitch if you wish. . Join the last stitch to the first stitch of the row with a slip stitch.
BrimRd8-12: Chain one, then do 1 SC [DC] in the same stitch, 1 SC [DC] in each stitch all round. (= five rows of single SC [DC] ) Join the last stitch to the first stitch of the row with a slip stitch.

BrimRd13: Chain one, then do 1 SC [DC] in the same stitch, 1 SC [DC] in next 34 stitches, 2 SC [DC] in next stitch *1 SC [DC] in next thirty-five stitches, 2 SC [DC] in next stitch. Repeat from * around.
BrimRd14-16: Chain one, then do 1 SC [DC] in the same stitch, 1 SC [DC] in each stitch all round. (= three rows of single SC [DC] )

BrimRd17: Chain one, then do 1 SC [DC] in the same stitch, 1 SC [DC] in next 34 stitches, 2 SC [DC] in next stitch *1 SC [DC] in next thirty-five stitches, 2 SC [DC] in next stitch. Repeat from * around. . Join the last stitch to the first stitch of the row with a slip stitch.
BrimRd18-20: Chain one, then do 1 SC [DC] in the same stitch, 1 SC [DC] in each stitch all round. (= three rows of single SC [DC] ) . Join the last stitch to the first stitch of the row with a slip stitch.

Your brim should now have a gentle slope like this, low enough to come down over your eyes so you can flutter your peepers beguilingly at passers-by. Try it on again and again as you crochet, so you stop at the length that suits you. Mine is very low but you might prefer yours a little shorter.

Shaping:
In order to help this hat keep its shape, it's not a bad idea to stiffen it a little. I wet mine with warm water (not hot - we don't want it to felt) using a spray bottle. I then placed it on top of my Styrofoam model's head and pulled it into shape. It didn't require much shaping, mind you, as the SC [DC] and thin yarn mean that the hat already maintains its shape reasonably well. I sprayed it with some spray starch (available in the laundry section of your local supermarket) and blow-dried it using a warm setting on the hair-drier. The hat isn't stiff (I used very little starch) but it keeps its basic shape when I put it on and take it off - which is what I wanted. More information about stiffening crochet here.

If you don't have a Styrofoam head (and I admit that this is not the kind of item knocking around most households), you could look for a simple alternative. Before I had mine, I used an upside-down breakfast bowl on a candlestick or my husband's volleyball. Essentially anything with a rounded shape to allow the hat to dry on would do the trick.

Decorating:
This is the bit I like best and it's amazing how the hat changes character depending on the ribbons and embellishments you pin on it:

You may not reproduce this pattern in print or claim it as your work. You may not sell the pattern. Do not copy and paste pattern to another website, please use a link. You can make these hats for your personal use, for gifts and to sell privately (e.g. at craft fairs or markets.) I would kindly request that you give me credit for the pattern on your product tag with a link to my website - 'cause that's the decent thing to do and we crafters are decent people. And, obviously, if you make millions from making these hats, you have to give me a significant share.
 

Sock Yarn Hats

Thank you very much for all of your kind enquiries about poorly me and poorly Mr Gingerbread. We're enjoying our state of poorliness as much as we can, drinking lots of tea and taking naps. We're getting better - aside from my taped-together toes and attention-mongering limp - and I fear we might even be getting fond of this wonderful not-quite-well-but-not-exactly-sick state and all its fringe benefits ("Sorry, we can't leave the house to spend the afternoon looking at your holiday photos: we're poorly.")

Because neither of us has to work and not much else is happening between Christmas and New Year, I can watch films and documentaries to my heart's content - and crochet till my fingers fall off. Oh, I am so in love with sock yarn. I have nothing to do but crochet, so I'm churning out a hat per day. Oh, joys (modelled, as always, by My Lovely Assistant Gladys):

 

 


















Gladys looks kind of jaunty in the bottom right-hand photo, she's sporting this hat with a kind of lopsided insouciance. You wear it, girl! (or cool words to that effect.)

Cathedral Windows

Why, Gingerbread Lady! You're an artist! That has to be one of the most spectacular afghans I've ever seen!
Thank you, thank you. Just knocked that one out over the course of a couple of evenings.

Sigh. I wish.

No, no, it's not mine. This is the Cathedral Rose Window Afghan (pattern available here from Annie's Attic), a pattern that (rightly) won a ton of accolades and prizes. An image search on Google will show you many colour variations of the pattern, each one prettier than the next. Inspired by this, I thought I'd try something with a hint of stained-glassiness (just invented that word. Nice, isn't it?) and decided to try a few African Flowers.


(just a heads-up - I was going to make a tutorial for this lovely pattern, but it has already been done here. Great, isn't it?)

The wonderful thing about these little flowers is that they're made using the leftovers of my leftover sock yarn. A 50g skein of sock yarn goes a long way: you get several 13g baby Advent socks and the remaining little nub of yarn creates a beautiful little flower. This has become my new on-the-go project, now that my little socks are finished (sob) but I have as yet no idea how I'll put them together.

Watch this space. We'll figure something out together!