Anyone who follows Robyn Chachula knows that she recently released a DVD tutorial set called "Design Your Own Crocheted Hat." I've been coming up with some of my own simple patterns for years, so I decided to buy these instructions and learn how to do more complicated things. I was tired of guessing at the math and having to rip everything out all the time.
Her instructions are clear and easy, and I've started reading off charts more. If nothing else, they really help in designing your own projects because you can create a visual map of where you think you're going to go instead of throwing something against a wall to see what sticks. It was very helpful!
I also learned that it doesn't have to be perfect - a lot of it is just adding stitches where it's going to look best. All these years, I thought it was an exact science; it's not. That revelation helped me loosen up and face my fear of starting my own advanced hat designs.
After watching the video, I sat down and tried to make a hat out of a random pattern in any crochet stitch book I own. Yes, my floating head now has white hair. It was an impromptu purchase that I thought would help keep people's attention on the color of my hats instead of how long and flowing the model's hair is.
I chose some stash yarn I had that I'll probably never use, so the quality's not as nice as I'd like it to be for a hat. I'm also not a fan of the colors. And I hate the way the bottom came out - it looks more like a brim when I wanted it to be more fitted. I might use a smaller hook and make it crocheted ribbing instead.
Pretty much, those are the reasons why I wanted to make a couple more - I wanted nicer pictures to show you! I guess those will come when I post the pattern for you one of these days! But overall, I'm happy with the design and am confident that I can now turn almost any stitch into something you can wear on your head :)
