Hat Redo

One of the dangers of finding crochet patterns online for free is that even though there is a standard for writing said patterns, everyone seems to find there own way to do things. They will leave out steps that seem obvious. Or start every single row with the same steps rather than just saying, hey, start every row with this step. If the crocheter is left handed, then the pattern will be inside out if you do it right handed without knowing. Personally, that one always gets me because even though I am left handed in all other things, I am right handed for crocheting purposes.

One of the things I most dislike are patterns that do not have a stitch count at the end of each row. In the case of this hat I was working on, I got all the way through the entire pattern, all the way to the end, before I realized that something was really really wrong. The hat, which should have fit an adult, would have had trouble fitting on a 6 year old. And yes, I tested the gauge* before I started. The problem it seemed, after showing the hat and pattern to a few others was that in row 3 I only created 6 spaces rather than 9. That was due to the pattern saying "repeat 6 times" and me assuming that that three stitches I had already done, was included in that count.

This one is wrong. Kinda hard to tell though.

It is frustrating to have to rip something that took you hours, apart. And since the error was in row 3 (of 21) there was no other way to fix it, but start over. It has sat in a bag for almost a year now, mocking me. I only got around to redoing it because I had promised it as a Christmas present to my mom last year. Sorry Mom.

The new correct top side.

Underside and brim.

The pattern is called Blueberry Beret and is actually a super fast pattern to make. Took me me about 5 hours. One of the reasons it is so fast is that you never have to stop the yarn except to switch to a new skein halfway through. It is also an easy one to remember the row instructions. And since it has lots of chain spaces it is not a lot of work to get around the hat. The longest part was making the brim.

I used a variegated yarn in blue brown khaki and cream so that it would match a lot of my moms winter coats. I then added a shiny snowflake looking pin to the brim, instead of the suggested button, to give it a little bling.

*For the new to crochet: A gauge is a small square that you create before starting the pattern. You use the yarn and hook suggested to create the stitches in the pattern that will be used. Once the square is complete it should measure out to a given dimension. This ensures that the item you are making will be the right size. It allows you to quickly see what changes to your hook need to be made, if due to your yarn being bulkier or your stitches being tight, it is not the right size.