Little Hats for Little Kids

Just wanted to share with you all the hats I made last week for my soon-to-be niece and nephew.

Baby Sherlock Hat
Yarn: Scraps of Red Heart and I Love this Yarn
Hook: 5.5mm
Size: 12 month
Notes: I rarely follow a pattern as its written, but I did with this one and it worked out great! I think I ended up adding a single row to the bottom so that the stripes would turn out the way I wanted, but overall a great patten and a perfect fit.

Simple Granny Hat with Flower
This was something I improvised on-the-fly and I couldn't even tell you now what I did with it. Cute though, dontcha think?

On a side note, I recently got enagaged! Yay! Which means I seriously need to get cracking on the Mantilla Bridal Veil I've been threatening to make for ages. 17 yards of lace...here I come!

Das Beardhat - Revised

So, I headed into the construction of another beardhat, and I took the opportunity to learn from my adventures with the first BeardHat and I made the "sideburns" a little bit wider. I also made the shaping a little smoother. It should be noted that somehow, the first pattern turned out a little larger, so that may be something you want to consider if you or the person you're making it for has a larger face (whatever that is). The mustache is exactly the same.

Begin with the hat of your choice, setting aside some scraps of the hat color yarn to tack the beard onto the hat.

Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver
Hook: I use a 5mm (Most commenters have had more luck with 6.0 or 6.5)
Gauge: I don't measure this stuff....I tend to stitch loosely, so you Definitely want to consider a 6.5 or 6.0 hook if you know you're a tight stitcher **cough**Donna**cough**

The Beard 2.0:

1.       Fsc 28 sts, ch1, turn (you could also just ch 29, skip the 1^st ch on the hook and sc 28)

2.       Sc in each st across, ch1 + turn

3.       Sc in next 10 sts, repeat (2sc in next st, 1 sc in following st) over the next 8 sts, then sc in each of the remaining 10 sts, ch1, turn

4.       Sc in each st across, turn

5.       Sl st in first 8 sts, sc in next 17 sts, sl st in remaining sts, turn

6.       Sl st in first 8 sts, sc in next 5 sts, hdc in the next 7 sts, sc in next 5 sts,  sl st in remaining sts, turn

7.       Sl st in first 11 sts, sc in next 3 sts, hdc in next 5 sts, sc in next 3 sts,  sl st in remaining sts, ch1, turn

8.       2sc in first st, sc in each of the next 7 sts, sl st loosely in next 3 sts, sc in next 10 sts, sl st loosely in next 3 sts, sc in next 7 sts, 2 sc in last st. Ch 1, turn

9.       Sc in first 7 sts, sl st loosely in next 4 sts, sc2tog, sc in next 8 sts, sc2tog, sl st loosely in the next 4 sts, sc in last 7 sts, ch 1, turn

10.   Sc in first 6 sts, sl st loosely in next 4 sts, sc2tog, sc in next 8 sts, sc2tog, sl st loosely in the next 4 sts, sc in last 6 sts, ch 1, turn

11.   Sc in next first 4 sts,hdc innext 4, sc in next st, sl st in next 12 sts, sc in next 1, hdc in next 4 sts, sc in last 4 sts

12.   Bind off

The Mustache: (Pictures Added 12/24/12 to help clarify - click photo to enlarge)

1. Ch11, sc in 1^st ch from hook, and sc in each st across (10 sts total)

 2.  Without chaining, sc into the side of the sc you just made, (keep going in the same direction as if working in-the-round, you may have to fudge it) and then into the back of the first 2 base ch sts. (again, you're working in the round for a moment to make a spiral effect) Sl st into the back of the next ch st.  turn.

3. Sl st into the top of the sl st you just made. Sc into the next 2 sts. 2 sc into the next st.  sc in each of the next 4 sts. Sl st in each of the next 2 sts. Sc in next 4 sts. Sc in the end of the last sc. Sc into the back of the first 2 ch sts. Sl st into the back of the next ch st.  turn.

4. Sl st into the top of the sl st you just made. Sc into the next 2 sts. 2 sc into the next st. Continue on with a sc in each of the next 4 sts. Sl st in each of the next 2 sts. Sc in each of the next 4 sts. Sl st into next st. fasten off.

UPDATE:
Hey Guys! I saw this Mustache Pattern today and thought it might be a nice alternative 'stache for the beardhat. Especially if you're having trouble with my pattern. Not sure if I would stuff it too full, but it'd be worth trying!

Use a few inches of scrap beard yarn to tack the edges of the mustache on to the beard, then use the scraps of hat yarn to tack the beard onto the inside of the hat.Pattern Note:  If making it as a gift, consider tacking it with the yarn but tie the yarn in a bow instead of a knot. That way it’s easy to adjust if needed. You could also safety pin the beard onto the hat until the person has a chance to try it on, then tack it in place for them.



GENIUS!
Laura Morris over on Ravelry had the genius idea of attaching the beard using velcro instead of a permanent attachment. "The velcro gives the beard the ability to grow with the little ones I made them for! Plus you don’t have to be worried about different facial shapes. It’s win!" And Laura, it is EPIC WIN! I can't believe I didn't think of it! So, fellow crafters, enjoy her insights and enjoy your beardhats.

Photo Compliments of Laura Morris

Hats and Midterms

This week has been an eventful one, and thus I have done considerably less in the realm of projects. I had midterms all week, and then I had my wisdom teeth out yesterday, right after my last midterm. However, I still had time to get some things done.

As the weather gets cooler, I get more requests for hats and gloves and scarves. I hate making gloves, so I will probably put those off until people harass me into it. In the mean time, I made a hat for Sam on Sunday evening. It is a single crochet hat worked in a spiral. Pretty simple, but definitely warm and cozy.


While I was recovering in bed yesterday, I got a chance to finish the hat for Ali's early christmas present. I let her pick any pattern she wanted out of my "Stitch & Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker" book, and she selected the "Springtime in Winter" hat pattern. The yarn I had to work with was thinner than what I normally work with, so I used a smaller hook and added some extra stitches where necessary. Turned out pretty cute I think!

I'm back to working on the Humane Society blankets this afternoon, going to try and get a few more finished before boards roll around.