Finally Finished Something - A Warm Crocheted Hat

I've been trying to keep up with my crafting. It is something I love to do and if I don't get to do it I become a little edgy. But life seems to get in the way although that's not how I like to look at it because it is part of my life. It's just that it gets out of balance with everything else I have to do. If I had my choice I wouldn't work or at least not full-time. And its not that I don't like to work or where I work but I have so many projects I would love to do. In fact I have so many that even if I didn't work or have other interests I STILL would not get them all done.

I did get something finished since I last posted. I needed a hat! It is cold here in the suburbs of Chicago. I had bought some Patons Ci Ci yarn (color is Starry Night) that I wanted to try to work with as well. So during the play off games this past Sunday I finally got started and finished it about an hour after the Colts won. (I would have finished sooner but the last game was just too exciting). I used a basic hat pattern that I found in Hip to Crochet by Judith L. Swartz. Although the pattern called for a slightly different yarn I knew it was the shape I wanted. I did have to make it a little larger than the instructions. It does not look like the hat in the book. After the first few rows of increasing I put it on my head and decided I needed another row of increases. Then I continued to do the rows to lengthen it until it was the length I wanted it with a cuff. With this yarn it is hard to see the cuff in the photo and I had to model it to get a good photo. Thanks to my husband who took a picture without cutting me in half.

Some notes on this yarn: A chenille-like yarn with very soft slubs. I used a G hook but it may have worked easier with a larger hook. I kept getting hung up in my stitches and when I would try to unravel the yarn would get stuck in itself. I wouldn't suggest it for a beginner crocheter. It probably would have been easier to work with by knitting but I'm still a new knitter and I wanted the hat a little sooner than later. I used 3 skeins exactly. This is a very soft and very, very warm hat.

Hopefully this weekend I will get more done. Wish me luck.