Crochet Hats Galore !

Into the new year and boy is time flying fast, I am crocheting my spare time away, with crochet hats, crochet berets, and crochet beanies, and writing patterns is all but slow.

1. SPRING Beret FREE Crochet Pattern

In the photo above is a simple crochet beret, which I designed for SPRING.  

This crochet beret pattern is the perfect spring accessory, and the simple V-stitch adds an intriguing rib-style pattern.

The top of the beret is shaped by increasing rows, creating a gathered appearance.

Flower pattern NOT INCLUDED.

PATTERN DETAILS:
SKILL LEVEL:  Easy - you need to know how to:  crochet in the round; single crochet, half double crochet and double crochet.

YARN:  Patons 100% Cotton DK

HOOK: 4mm 

TERMINOLOGY:  USA American crochet terms.

This pattern can be crochet using other similar yarns, just match the gauge.

Simple and quick to make, and so lovely to wear.

This FREE crochet pattern can be found HERE on RAVELRY

Sometimes, (well maybe most of the time) I just can't help myself, I cannot sit and just do nothing, even when watching a movie (unless it's action/adventure) I have to be crocheting or knitting.

2. PINK REMEMBRANCE Hat Crochet Pattern

This is my remembrance hat pattern dedicated to all those touched by cancer.

A textured pattern finished off with a breast cancer remembrance ribbon.

SKILL LEVEL:  Easy Intermediate 
YARN: King Cole "Bamboo Cotton" 
HOOK: 4mm 
SIZE: Ladies M
MEASUREMENTS: Head circumference 21-22.5in
TERMINOLOGY: USA American crochet terms

This pattern can be crochet using other similar yarns, just match the gauge.

Purchase this crochet pattern and help raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Care. 

This pattern can be found HERE in my ETSY store

I know I am suppose to be also writing patterns, but sitting at the laptop keying in words, is not as exciting as the actually creating and designing of crochet hats and beanies.  I just love it!  

3. FEDORA Hat Crochet Pattern

My attempt at a Fedora Hat, without too much fuss shaping.  

Updated note 5 Jun 2016:  I wore it a few times, and then gave up on it.  Not an easy pattern to adapt to other yarns, and I totally lost interest in it.  Pattern on the scrap pile, one of many.


So, my New Year's resolution, is to commit to making myself write down and key in my crochet patterns each day, take photos and catalogue all my crochet patterns, catch up with writing out the instructions for crochet garments I have made in the past, and generally getting more organised.

4.  SWEET DUDE Man Hat Pattern

BEST EVER CROCHET HAT FOR YOUR MAN - perfect winter warmer beanie. Chunky style with a super easy texture stitch. 

Simply PERFECT FOR BALD HEADS with an optional soft and comfy lining. Make two (2) hat styles with this one pattern.

SKILL LEVEL: Easy Intermediate

YARN: Patons Wool Blend Aran OR any other similar yarn.

HOOK: 5mm

SIZE: Adult Male LARGE

MEASUREMENTS: Circumference 23in (58.4cm)

TERMINOLOGY: USA American crochet terms

This pattern can be crochet using other similar yarns, just match the gauge.

This pattern can be found HERE in my ETSY store

Enjoy!
Ciao, ciao!

Copyright © 2008

Barbara Summers Hand Knit and Crochet.

All rights reserved.

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MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

Pre-Christmas Crochet Madness

Once again it is pre-Christmas time and every year it seems to get busier and busier.  I am running out of time to get things done, and all those great ideas for new crochet and knit projects running around in my head keep getting pushed to the back burner, because I am trying to keep on top of the last minute crochet and knit orders for Christmas.  

So many beanies to make for Christmas gift giving, as well as the normal realization that I also need a new hat to keep my head warm, especially since we are having quite a bit of snow and freezing temperatures this winter. 

Here are some of the hats I have made so far, starting with the Christmas theme for this year, my darling and I have decided we will be wearing red hats for the festive season.  

1.  CHRISTMAS Knit Hat for Men  

For my darling this lovely warm, basketweave KNIT hat, which I knit on straight needles, then joined the seam and finished the crown with crochet, and I also crocheted a cotton lining, so it won't itch his bald head.

This man hat (beanie) was knit from one ball of yarn purchased from the Charity Shop, no label, so I had no idea what brand it was, what the ratio of wool/acrylic, or what needle size to use.  Anyway I decided to knit the hat instead of crocheting, to make sure there was enough yarn and then finished off the crown with crochet.

2.  CHRISTMAS Crochet Hat for Women

For myself, I crocheted the Christmas hat from one ball of thick yarn, which I also purchased from the Charity shop.  I started off by making a headband, then decided to turn it into this cute little thing.

Here I am wearing my red Christmas Hat, it was the perfect day for photos down by the seafront with all the snow and sun.

Well OK maybe it's not a perfect photo of the hat, but my husband took the photo, without his glasses and he was obviously more interested in the whole view, scenery and all, not just the red hat on my head.  LOL

3.  CAMOUFLAGE Crochet Beanies for Men

These two (2) Crochet Beanies (Hats) were ordered by my neighbour, one for himself and one for his mate.  Camouflage was the requested colour, because they were going to be worn whilst they were fishing.  Yarn used was Sirdar "Escape" Wool Rich DK.

I loved the way the yarn created an amazing camouflage beanie, that I decided to make a third beanie for a family member who also loves camouflage. 

However this time I crocheted a cotton lining for the hat, yarn used for cotton lining Patons 100% Cotton DK.  

If you would like to make a cotton lined beanie for your man check out my crochet pattern for the SWEET DUDE Man Hat here. 

4. BASKETWEAVE Crochet Hat for Women and Men

I have also crocheted this lovely basketweave hat in navy blue, I think it will be for me, although it may just end up as a Christmas gift!  You never know.

So I have been crocheting non-stop and because I really enjoyed making the crochet basketweave hat, I decided to also crochet one for my darling, in a lovely charcoal with a white fleck. Yarn used Patons Aran Wool Blend.  Naturally it will be lined with Patons 100% Cotton DK, not just for extra warmth but to prevent itchy bald head.

Hopely you have enjoyed my crochet hats sharing, and when all the crocheting and Christmas partying is over I hope to get the patterns down into the computer and up on my website, probably in the New Year.

But for now it's Christmas drinks tonight with the neighbours and I think we are having a six year old bit of Sloe gin. Woo hoo!

Ciao, Ciao remember to check out my online shops for loads more crochet patterns

 Ravelry,       Etsy     and      Craftsy 

Hope you enjoy your time here
and remember to browse my FREE PATTERNS as well!

CIAO, CIAO...... Enjoy!

BABY HATS, BABY MITTENS and more

Baby, Baby, Baby

UPDATE: Crochet baby hats, baby mittens, baby booties, baby scarves and baby sun hats, all these wonderful little crochet creations were once available as a "Made to Order" purchase from me.  

I no longer crochet items for sale, however you can now buy the crochet patterns from my online stores:

CRAFTSY          ETSY          RAVELRY

PATTERNS AVAILABLE:

1. PIXIE BABE Hat

"Simply perfect" little pixie elf hat. Pattern includes instructions for embellishments: heart, flower and star/starfish. 

PIXIE BABE Hat Crochet Pattern available from my online stores:

CRAFTSY          ETSY          RAVELRY

2. TODDLER Scarf

Very simple scarf pattern, with contrast edge and simple fan stitch trim on the ends. Perfect scarf for toddlers, short, neat and safe. A scarf which stays in place. 

TODDLER Scarf Crochet Pattern available from my online stores:

CRAFTSY          ETSY          RAVELRY

3. RAINBOW TREASURES 

RAINBOW TREASURES Crochet EBook (PDF) has a collection of colourful patterns for mum and daughter. Baby, toddler, child, teen and adult. 

Includes: BLOSSOM Sun Hat; ROZINA Flower; TROPO Hat; RAINBOW Baby Mittens; RAINBOW Keyhole Scarf; HENRIETTA Fingerless Mittens.

RAINBOW TREASURES Crochet EBook available from my online stores:

CRAFTSY          ETSY          RAVELRY

4. SUNSHINE Sun hat

Simple crochet sun hat pattern - perfect sun protection. Adjustable drawstring gives you a perfect fit every time.

SUNSHINE Sun Hat Crochet Pattern available from my online stores:

CRAFTSY          ETSY          RAVELRY

5. SIMPLICITY Newborn Hat and Mittens

An easy newborn baby hat and mittens pattern. Very simple to adjust size for smaller or larger head circumference. With or without colour change.

This crochet hat and mittens pattern will give you the basics to creating your own baby hats, starting with basic single crochet. 

SIMPLICITY Newborn Hat and Mittens Crochet Pattern available from my online stores:

CRAFTSY          ETSY          RAVELRY

AND there are lots MORE crochet patterns in my online stores:

CRAFTSY          ETSY          RAVELRY

Enjoy!
Ciao, ciao!

Copyright © 2008

Barbara Summers Hand Knit and Crochet.

All rights reserved.

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Vacation over... back to work...

At long last... we have returned from a whirl-wind trip by train to Florence... it was fantastic...

Ponte Vecchio, Firenze and me....

and having spent two weeks recouping I am now keen to get back into my handcrafts... but somehow there are so many other things happening as well...

Here are a few projects I finished before travelling... just had no time to post previously...

Barbara Summers design - Fan Cloche with Flower Brooch

Made with Rowan Wool Cotton - yes my favourite yarn just now... and delightful to work with...
you can find the PATTERN for this stunning vintage flapper style hat named VALENTINA here

then this... my red mohair spiralling beret.... 

with contrast spiral... the contrast is in the different yarn I used instead of mohair ...

SPIRALS Beret PATTERN is NOT available for now.... 

however you can check out this 

FREE PATTERN for a spirals HAT/BEANIE 

which will give you some idea how to make it.

Barbara Summers design - Mohair Spiral Beret

and this basket weave beanie for my man....

still waiting to be finished... made with 100% aran wool...  you can find the PATTERN for SWEET DUDE here includes two (2) crochet hat styles for men, with optional lining for bald heads.

Barbara Summers design - Basket Weave Beanie

so will need to line it with cotton... my man can't handle wool next to the skin...

and bald heads are even more sensitive....  you can find the PATTERN for SWEET DUDE here includes two (2) crochet hat styles for men, with optional lining for bald heads.

Basket Weave Beanie - close-up

made a 100% Aran Wool Spiralling Beanie as well.... liked the outcome of the red mohair... so much....

Barbara Summers design - 100% Aran Wool Spiral Beanie

again the contrast spiral was crochet with a different yarn...


SPIRALS Beret PATTERN is NOT available for now....
however you can check out this

FREE PATTERN for a spirals HAT/BEANIE 

which will give you some idea HOW to make it.

now on with the pattern writing.... 

work, work, work....

Wedges Texture Crochet !

LATEST CROCHET PATTERN

Here is one of my latest crochet projects, the WEDGES Hat, it has kept me busy working out the design.

I wanted to create something totally different with a representation of where I live, something representing the sails on the boats down on the sea. I think I have found the perfect crochet stitch for it, don't you think?

YARN DETAILS

I found this 100% pure wool yarn in the local charity shop, in my favourite colour dark olive green. I then proceeded with crocheting this hat and then decided to include another wool yarn in blue, which I incorporated into the wedge pattern.

TRIAL CROCHET HAT

This is the first trial of the wedges texture crochet, and the more I look at it the more I think this would look really good in a neutral colour, cream or grey, or some other soft pastel colours. 

Actually, I am so convinced about the neutral colour, I think making the hat all one colour and allowing the textured stitch to display it's natural beauty would be perfectly stunning. I will definitely be giving it a try.

Then again you could also take this textured crochet stitch and use three (3) or maybe four (4) colours.  All worth contemplating and having a bit of fun with.

I just love the breeziness of this hat, perfect for those autumn days where you can wear a hat which allows your head to breathe a bit.

Future Crochet Patterns

Keep your eyes on future blogs when I introduce this pattern for sale in my online stores.

Enjoy!
Ciao, ciao!

Copyright © 2008

Barbara Summers Hand Knit and Crochet.

All rights reserved.

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Crochet Magic Mobius in Red Mohair

Crochet Mobius in Red Mohair - Quick day project  

I used a 6mm hook with this yarn to give it a more condensed stitch and more weight.  You could easily make it using a 7mm hook. The red mohair yarn is a 8ply or DK but crochets up thicker than the Jaeger Mohair DK I used in the pink mobius scarf. (see previous blog post)

That is why it is a good practice to always crochet a swatch with the hook and yarn you have chosen for a project. When experimenting with yarns and hooks I would always advise you make two or three swatches using different hook sizes and maybe a slightly different stitch, just to see how the yarn feels and how it hangs and how much stretch it is likely to have. 

I wanted this mobius to be a bit longer in length than the pink mobius, so made the first row 52ins long and the final width was 12.5ins wide without the decorative edge. (approximately 14.5ins wide with edge).

I think this is going to be my Christmas scarf.  I love wearing something red or green for the Christmas period.  Will definitely make a pair of mittens to match.

Mobius around neck twice

I am not sure how much yarn I used because it came off a large spool which I found at the local charity shop.  I could weigh it but I don't have any kitchen scales, so if I go by what I used for the pink mobius which used up 3 balls x 50g - then you could say it would take 3-4 balls x 50g of this yarn.  But that's just an estimate.

Yes I am into recycling in a big way lately, the local charity shops in my little town of Tankerton, in Kent, UK seem to carry an interesting variety of yarns.  

However one must peruse these shops at least 2-3 times a week to snap up the bargain yarns before they are carried off by the competition!  

So to keep it short and sweet..

Top - smooth; bottom - fluffy

If you check out this photo, you can see how the mohair mobius scarf ends up - you can definitely see the two different sides of the mobius scarf.  The mobius scarf reveals the two sides or directions of the mobius - there is a fluffier half  and a smoother half of the crochet scarf, like having a top and a bottom, because they represent the two directions you are crocheting when crocheting a mobius from the middle row.  The fluffiest side is always on the opposite to the side facing you whilst crocheting.

Ciao Ciao!

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Crochet Mobius Scarf

HOW TO CROCHET A MOBIUS STRIP

“Briefly, the shape of the Möbius Strip dates back to ancient times.  The Möbius strip or band is a surface with only one side and only one boundary component. A model can easily be created by taking a paper strip and giving it a half-twist, and then joining the ends of the strip together to form a loop.” (extract from Wikipedia website http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moebius_strip )

To interpret this description of a mobius strip into crochet, you just crochet a strip and then give it a half-twist and join the ends to form a loop, which leaves you with a visible join in the strip.

However, the alternative to this, is to crochet a mobius band by crocheting in continuous rounds, with the twist already in place, and without a joining seam.

You may call it an infinity scarf or a twisted cowl, but whatever you call it, it is a wonderful accessory and quite versatile. It can be made long or short, wide or narrow, using any yarn and hook, using any pattern stitch, changing colours and finishing with a decorative edge.  The choice is always yours, there is so much scope for you to really get as creative as you like.

I made my first crochet mobius scarf some years ago when I was selling my crochet items at the Spitalfields Markets in London.  So when it came to making the current pink mobius scarf I had quite a time locating my pattern notes. Thankfully I had kept them, which is why I thought it would be great to share them with you here.

PINK MOHAIR MOBIUS SCARF

I decided to make this scarf just long enough to sit comfortably around my shoulders. I had my husband take a measurement of me, at chest level, with my arms by my sides, giving me the circumference of the scarf, so it would drape over my shoulders.

SCARF DETAILS

YARN:  Jaeger Mohair DK

HOOK: 6mm (J-10)

MEASUREMENTS: 127cm (50in) circumference; 30.5cm (12in) wide

You can make any size you like, make it shorter to sit comfortably around your neck, or make it really long.  There are no strict sizes. So have some fun and let the creative juices flow.

Q.  WHO was the PERSON to DEVELOP this CROCHET MOBIUS METHOD?

A.  Design concept by Mirjam Bruck Cohen, Israel (For more information on Mirjam Bruck Cohen see her website http://fibersiv.net/ ) 

In my crochet notes I had written down the name of the person who designed this amazing crochet method for the mobius scarf.  I was really interested in finding out more about her, so I contacted Mirjam and with an exchange of emails, came the explanation of how Mirjam came to develop this innovative pattern. 

Therefore with Mirjam’s permission, I am posting her original idea which she posted on FFcrochet (during the time she belonged to the group):

HOW TO CROCHET MOBIUS 

Good Morning Croladies!!!

The crochet Moebious I made was calculated by me , without any help and before a nice Belgian lady Ria taught me the knitted `no seam` version.

In fact I have been exposed to those Paper moebiouses, but only when I read Elizabeth Zimmermann`s "Knitting Around", School House Press , 1997 [4th press] , did I see any suggestion to use it as a Shawl .

I liked the idea in general, but was not so keen on the `false' seam.

After looking at a paper version and thinking about the concept, I was sure that one should be able to make it in one piece, from the center out.

I discussed it with my friend the mathematician, and played with possible `turning` points.

I realized that when one starts with a basic chain it is not so easy to turn it, so decided to start with a Basic Double Crochet row (Dc cast on] [USA term = treble UK term]

DC [USA] cast on:

Make 3 st , make 1 Dc in the first st, make next dc in the lowest loop of the bottom part of the last dc go on like that until you have the wanted length.

Now comes the trick, lay flat on a table so that all the dc row is straight, take the 1st dc and turn , make a SC [USA] on the bottom part, of the first Dc , put a marker, now make a Half Dc, in the bottom of the second dc , make Dc on the bottom of third Dc and work Dc from now on all the bottom side of the 1st row, when you come to the marker you might decide to make some lacy pattern.

Both sides will show thus upper of the row will show one side of the crochet and underside will show other side of the crochet , but it is and looks and feels like one piece .... Mirjam




I am grateful for Mirjam to share her knowledge with us all and ever so humble for her having given me permission to share her pattern here. 

Once you get familiar with the concept you will find it so easy to introduce your own pattern stitch and create amazing accessories. Come along and have some fun!

Enjoy!
Ciao, ciao!

Copyright © 2008

Barbara Summers Hand Knit and Crochet.

All rights reserved.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:

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CROCHET links for mobius:  Magical Mobius Scarf   and Crochet Mobius - How to Start

KNITTING links for mobius: Garn Studio Drops Design “Mobius Shawl in Alpaca”
Cat Bordhi “Intro to Mobius Knitting” video