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Thursday, November 13, 2014

Happy Birthday, Sis!

Since I already had some purple yarn out for that owl hat, I figured it would work up into a great hat for my sister.  I planned on it being a Christmas present, but since I finished it in time (and since I have no self control), I decided to give it to her as a birthday present.  I absolutely LOVE it! 
Now, the pattern for this hat looks a bit wordy and confusing, but I promise you it is super easy.  So, don't scroll down to the free pattern yet.  Let me explain something first.  This is the kind of pattern where you can see what you are supposed to do while you are doing it (you may find you don't really need the pattern anymore once you get going).  For the most part, everything is done in the same place from previous rounds: FPDC's go around FPDC's, V-Puff's go into V-Puffs, ESC's in ESC's.  So after the increases, it is really a simple pattern -  3 ESC's, 2 FPDC's, 3 ESC's, V-Puff...  



But what the heck is an ESC?  I know!  This is the first time I have ever needed to use an extended single crochet stitch.  It is basically a stitch that starts like a single crochet, but finishes kinda like a double.  
EXTENDED SINGLE CROCHET:
1.) Insert your hook into the specific stitch, pull up a loop, and yarn over (just like single crochet)
2.) But now only pull that yarn over through 1 loop on your hook, not both (2 loops left on hook).
3.) Then you yarn over again and pull through both loops on your hook.  

I had to use the ESC because the half-double and double crochet didn't work for me.  The half-double makes everything go on a diagonal when worked in the round, which I didn't want for this hat.  And the double crochet was too tall and made the FPDC ribs curl.  Now, the double crochet stitch might work for others, as we all use our hook a bit differently, but for me it was too tall.  So if you would rather try that then go ahead, but the ESC is really easy to do.

FRONT-POST DOUBLE CROCHET:
1.) Yarn over and on the right side of the designated stitch, insert hook from the front of your work through to the back.  Go around the stitch you are working by bringing the hook back out to the front and on the left side of the stitch.  The "post" of the stitch will be on your hook.
2.) Pull up a loop by yarning over and pulling your hook out of the stitch.
3.) Yarn over and pull through only 2 loops on hook
4.) Yarn over and pull through 2 remaining loops on your hook.


There are conflicting instructions on how to do a Puff stitch, so, just to make sure there is no confusion, this is how I do the Puff stitch for this hat.  
PUFF STITCH
1.) Yarn over, insert hook into designated stitch, pull up a loop (3 loops on hook), 
2.) Yarn over again, re-insert hook into same stitch, pull up a loop (5 loops on hook), 
3.) Yarn over again, re-insert hook into same stitch again, pull up a loop, (7 loops on hook), 
4.) Yarn over and pull through all 7 loops on your hook. 
5.) Chain 1 to close the stitch.


To make the V-PUFF starting in round 6 (see picture at the end of pattern): 
1.) Insert hook in chain space between the 2 puffs from 2 rounds previous
2.) Make a puff stitch
3.) Chain 1 more time
4.) Make another puff stitch in same place


One final thought; this hat was made to be a bit slouchy, not too much.  If you want it slouchier, just make it longer by repeating the pattern rounds a couple more times.  If you don't want it to slouch at all, but rather have a tighter fitting hat, I would suggest stopping at round 21 (maybe 23) and then moving on to the ribbing.  

Here we go with the free pattern.  There are pictures at the end to help with any confusion.

MEGHAN'S HAT (Adult size only)

Materials:
1 skein Caron Simply Soft, color Plum Perfect
size H 5mm crochet hook 
size E 3.5mm crochet hook
stitch marker (optional)
yarn needle

Abbreviations:
CH - chain
SC - single crochet
ESC - extended single crochet
FPDC - front post double crochet


Using H hook, Make a ring
Round 1: SC 8 into ring, join in first sc made.  DON'T pull the ring all the way closed yet.

Round 2: CH 3, *Puff stitch into ring, CH 1 again* 6 times.  Join into top of first Puff made.  Now pull the ring closed.  6 Puff stitches made.  If you want to count the stitches, you should have 17. 

Round 3: CH 1, ESC in same stitch, 2 ESC's in Chain space, *ESC in top of next Puff stitch, 2 ESC's in next Chain space* repeat around.  Join in first ESC.  18 stitches.

Round 4: CH 3, Puff stitch into Chain space from round 2, CH 1, Puff stitch into same space, CH 1, *Puff stitch into next Chain space, CH 1, Puff stitch into same space, CH 1* repeat around.  Join into top of first Puff made.  12 Puff stitches made.  35 stitches.

Round 5: Ch 1, ESC in same stitch, 2 ESC's in Chain space, *ESC in top of next Puff stitch, 2 ESC's in next Chain space* repeat around.  Join in first ESC.  36 stitches.

Round 6: Slip stitch into next stitch, CH 1, 2 ESC's in same stitch as chain, 2 ESC in next stitch, skip next stitch, (Puff stitch into Chain space from round 4, CH 1, Puff stitch into same space - this creates the V-Puff), skip the next stitch, *2 ESC's in each of next 2 stitches, skip next stitch, V-Puff in next Chain space from round 4, skip next stitch* repeat around.  Join in first ESC.  6 V-Puffs made.  54 stitches.  (see picture below)

Round 7: CH 1, 2 ESC into same stitch as chain, FPDC around each of next 2 stitches, 2 ESC's in next, skip next, ESC in top of Puff, 2 ESC's in Chain space, ESC in top of next Puff, *2 ESC's in next stitch, FPDC around each of next 2 stitches, 2 ESC's in next stitch, skip next, ESC in top of Puff, 2 ESC's in Chain space, ESC in top of next Puff* repeat around.  Join into first ESC.  60 stitches.  (see picture below)

Round 8: CH 1, 2 ESC's in same stitch as chain, ESC in next stitch, FPDC around each of next 2 FPDC's, ESC in next stitch, 2 ESC's in next stitch, skip next stitch, make V-Puff in chain space from round 6, skip next stitch, *2 ESC's in next stitch, ESC in next, FPDC around each of next 2 FPDC's, ESC in next stitch, 2 ESC's in next stitch, skip next, V-Puff in chain space, skip next stitch* repeat around.  Join into first ESC.  78 stitches.

Round 9: CH 1, ESC in same stitch as chain, ESC in each of next 2 stitches, FPDC around each of next 2 FPDC's, ESC in each of next 3 stitches, skip next, ESC in top of Puff, 2 ESC's in chain space, ESC in top of next Puff, *ESC in each of next 3 stitches, FPDC around each of next 2 FPDC's, ESC in each of next 3, skip next, ESC in top of Puff, 2 ESC's in chain space, ESC in top of next Puff* repeat around. Join into first ESC.  72 stitches.

Round 10: CH 1, ESC in same stitch as chain, ESC in each of next 2 stitches, FPDC around each of next 2 FPDC's, ESC in each of next 3 stitches, skip next, V-Puff in chain space from 2 rounds previous, skip next stitch, *ESC in each of next 3 stitches, FPDC around each of next 2 FPDC's, ESC in each of next 3 stitches, skip next, V-Puff into chain space, skip next* repeat around.  Join into first ESC.  78 stitches.

Rounds 11-25: Repeat rounds 9 and 10, ending with row 9.

Round 26: Change to E hook.  Slip stitch into next stitch, CH 1, ESC in same stitch as chain, ESC in next stitch, FPDC around each of next 2 FPDC's, ESC in each of next 2 stitches, FPDC around each of next 2 stitches, ESC in each of next 2 stitches, FPDC around each of next 2 stitches.  This creates the ribbing.   Repeat *2 ESC's, 2 FPDC's* all the way around .  Join in first ESC.  72 stitches.

Rounds 27-32: CH 1, ESC in same stitch as chain, ESC in next stitch, FPDC around next 2 FPDC's, *ESC in each of next 2 ESC's, FPDC around each of next 2 FPDC's* repeat around. Join in first ESC.  72 stitches.

Done!  Fasten off and weave in those ends.  

Starting with round 6 and rest of even rounds until ribbing, to make the V-Puff:

Skip the ESC that was worked into the top of puff.

Insert hook into chain space and work the V-Puff over top the the 2 ESC's in that space.  

Skip the ESC from the top of second puff.  
Continue with ESC as written in pattern.



The puff stitch is really a modified half double crochet with an extra chain to close it, which creates 2 stitches.  The chain to close it is at the top of the puff, with the technical hdc stitch being pushed to the right and kinda hanging out unattached to anything.  Making the V-puff in this pattern will result in 5 stitches (each puff creating 2 and the extra chain 1 in the middle):


1 is technically the 1st puff stitch
2 is the chain to close
3 is the chain 1
4 is the 2nd puff stitch
5 is the chain to close

Always skip #1, so the stitch count will not be consistent, even after the increase rounds.







Starting with round 7 and rest of odd rounds until ribbing, to work ESC's in to the V-Puff:

Skip stitch #1
ESC in #2
2 ESC's in space created by #3,4 
ESC in #5

Continue with ESC as written in pattern





So, I hope you made it through without too much trauma.  That was incredibly confusing for me to write up, but I really tried to make it as clear as possible.  If I have failed, let me know and I will figure out a better way of explaining everything, because it is an AWESOME hat, and it is actually pretty fun to make.

32 comments:

  1. For the first round of ribbing, should I be skipping ESCs from the previous round? I'm there yet, but I want to make sure b/c I'll be using 3 ESCs and then for the ribbing just 2. Which ESCs do we skip?

    I'm not sure if that makes sense. This is a beautiful hat; it's EXACTLY what I was looking for. Thank you for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. *I'm NOT there yet

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    2. The increases in round 6 result in 4 ESC's between the V-puffs. In round 7, your are putting 2 ESC's in the first one, FPDC around the next 2, and then 2 more ESC's in the 4th one. This creates 2 ESC's on either side of the newly created ribbing. (You wont have 3 on each side until round 8 which is the final increase round.)
      Your are then going to skip the stitch that I talk about in the last photo at the bottom of the post - the puff stitch from round 6 created 5 stitches, the first one is the one you skip. It doesn't really look like a typical stitch, more like a chain because there is kindof a space below it instead of it being connected to a stitch.
      I hope that helps. Let me know if it doesn't and I will try to explain it another way.

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  2. Thanks! I actually meant round 26, for the ribbing. :) I'm wondering how I go from 3fscs down to 2. I also want to let you know that this is turning out FANTASTICALLY.

    I actually jut got to that round and figured it out! There are more fpdcs.

    Very good pattern. Took me a little bit to figure out, as I've never had to use the fpdc before, but once I got going, it worked up quickly. Thanks again for sharing. Do you sell any of your patterns? I feel like you deserve some compensation for the work you put into this pattern.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, duh. Sorry. Even though you got it, in case someone else reads your comment, you don't skip stitches from that point forward. You just do a FPDC around what was a ESC. And then the next rounds will all line up.

      I'm glad it is working for you. I am really proud of it. It did take some fiddling to get it the way I wanted it, but no, I don't sell my patterns at this point. Maybe one day, but it was stressful enough writing this out for free!

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  3. Just made this hat. I am in LOVE with it! Thank you sooooo much for sharing :)

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  4. After the second round (the first puff stitches) how am I supposed to have 17 stitches? Didn't I cover up the first 8 sc with the puff stitches?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's confusing to me, too.

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    2. Well, let me clarify. I got 17 stitches when I made 8 puff stitches, 8 chain stitches, and counted the top of the chain 3.

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    3. You do cover up the stitches from the previous round and those should not be included in your stitch count. When you do the puff stitch as written, it results in 2 stitches - the actual stitch and the chain to close it. In round 2 you are also doing an additional chain 1 after each puff. So, round 2 created 6 puffs (makes 2 stitches each) with an extra chain in between each (makes 1 stitch each), and with the join in the top of the first stitch creates 17 stitches: 6x3=18, minus 1 for the join = 17. Hope that helps.

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    4. I'm struggling with this, too. I get 11 stitches. A puff only creates 1 stitch. There's 1 puff + 1 chain. If your puffs creates 2 stitches you haven't explained how you do puffs properly.. this is frustrating because I absolutely love the hat design. Gonna give it to my sister for Christmas (if I can figure out what I'm doing wrong)

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    5. Wait! I figured it out! We all probably thought the "ch 1" in round 2 was the only chain to do, not thinking there has to be a second chain because of the one you use to close the puffs. Okay so really the recipe goes "puff st + chain to close, ch1".

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    6. It's still confusing to me - in round 1 we have 8 st, so when i'm making puffs in round 2 there are 2 st left from first round... what should i do with this 2 remaining stitches from 1 round?

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  5. Any chance of getting the finished measurements of this hat in inches?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm sorry, I didn't take measurements of it. My head is a little shy of 22" inches around and it fit me, if that helps.

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  6. I don't understand how I'm supposed to have 35 stitches after Round 4. I only count 25 if you're counting the chain. What did I do wrong?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think you might be skipping a chain after each puff stitch. To make the puff, do your yarn-overs and pull through all loops on the hook, then chain 1 to close it. And in round 4, you then have to do another chain 1 after that for each puff - so you will be counting 2 chains stitches after each puff. Hope that helps.

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  7. Just madw this hat for my step daughter megan. She loves it

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  8. I don't suppose you'd be willing to make a You Tube tutorial--at least showing the first several rows to get started, would you?!?😍

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm sorry, I wish I could, but I just don't have time like I used to. I know I'm a bit late on replying and you've probably gotten it worked out by now. But if not, is there something specific causing you trouble? Maybe I can walk you through it.

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  9. I'm really struggling with row 6. I'm making this for my mom and her birthday is Saturday.. I'm following the directions but I must be doing something wrong because for some reason I've got 62 stitches.. Please HELP!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This was very confusing to me as well. The issue is that I believe the pattern skips more esc's than mentioned. She is counting only the ones that you can see before and after the v puff stitch. I had to take my row out and do it over too once I realized I was supposed to be skipping every other ch sp from rd 4. Hope this helps!

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    2. Oh okay, I will try that. Thank you! :)

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  10. I do have a question, wouldn't a hdc be the same height as a esc? Just curious as to why you chose the rare one of the 2 options.

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  11. I am loving this pattern. The way it ''tis written is a bit confusing, but once you figure it out, it works up quick. Once I start a row, I am finished. There is something about the pattern of stitches that it feels like you are working thickly. Thank you!!

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    Replies
    1. Yikes, I typed quick an I see mistakes. *it is written. *quickly, not thickly, lol. 🤓🤓

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  12. Hello! I keep getting 52 at the end of row 6 and do not get row 7 at all. Any suggestions?!

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  13. Hello! I keep getting 52 at the end of row 6 and do not get row 7 at all. Any suggestions?!

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  14. What's the difference between the puff stitches in round 4 that are made in the same space and the V puffs in round 6? They're written with the exact same instructions (puff stitch, ch 1, puff stitch in same space, ch 1) but it's called a V puff in round 6 and just two puff stitches in round 4.

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  15. It has been a few years but I do not understand your directions on the second round. Why would you leave the circle open and join round 1 at the same time and how do you continue crocheting in the ring. Do you do that between the stitches? It doesn't make sense.

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  16. I love this hat pattern...I've made several and have been sharing them with friends and family. So Thank you!! :) I do have a question, I was asked to make one for a child...any suggestions on the best way to "downsize" to a child? I'm not the most experienced...I thought about going down to a smaller hook on both parts (Using a G on the main body and D on the ribbing...) Just thought I would ask if you've tried such a thing? I'm using Touch of Alpaca yarn, medium weight 4 and don't want to have to switch yarns...

    Thanks again!

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  17. Hi! I love this pattern and have made many! I have been asked to make matching mittens and now have a pattern. I'm wondering if you would be willing to allow me to publish the pattern giving you credit for the inspiration for the hat. Please let me know! thanks!

    ReplyDelete