November 17, 2014

Toboggan Hat

You might remember that I made a stunningly manly viking hat for my husband. I think he looks very dashing in it...
Photo by Angie Vo
However, he asked that I perhaps make him another without the horns that he might wear more often when it is cold. I guess that is understandable. So rather than just make the same pattern again I decided to try Lion Brand's Toboggan hat. It is a free pattern if you have an account, as you might already know.

I went out and bought a skein of their Wool-Ease Thick and Quick in Black and a shiny new 10.00
mm hook, as I did not own one. A about three hours later I had a new hat for him!

This is a truly great beginner project as it introduces you very nicely to chains, working in the round, increasing, and the single crochet stitch. Plus the large hook makes it very easy to see your work, which is something that I found very helpful when I first started to crochet.

The alternation of the direction of the rows makes for an interesting thick row look.

I did slightly modify the pattern, so I will share how...
Instead of earflaps as written on the pattern, I made it a little bit longer in the head. I kept going repeating the sc around rows until the hat was about 8.5 inches long from the crown to the bottom, rather than 8. Then in the next row where you only do 24 sc around and then turn, I just kept repeating that row of 24 along the back side, for 4 rows total. That way my hat would cover both the ears and the nape of the neck, as with the other pattern I had made.

I also left off the pom at the top as he thought it a bit silly. This hat is warm, thick and a classic.
Grab a skein next time it is on sale and be sure to make one!

Time to complete: 3 hours
Difficulty: Beginner