Difficulty: Beginner ✦✧✧✧✧
I have found that there are two types of weather days in Denmark: bright and sunny and gorgeous or spittering sprinkling rain all day. In either case, I found myself wanting a wide brimmed hat and came up with this. It is slightly tapered in the front to better contour your head and shade your eyes.
I embellished the hat with a simple green ribbon and a dogwood flower and leaves. You could easily substitute any flower you like!
The hat was made with 2 strands of cotton fingering weight yarn and a 3.5 (E) mm hook. The hat comfortably fits a 22 inch (56 cm). I have noted which rows should be altered to change sizes.
Gauge: 8 sc in 8 rows makes a 2 inch square.
Hat:
Row 1: Ch 5, 3 sc in 2nd ch from hook (the Skinny End of the hat), sc 2, 5 sc in the last ch (the Fat End of the hat, continue on other side of foundation ch, sc 2. (12 sts around)
Note: This hat is stitched in a continuous spiral around. It helps to place a stitch marker in the last stitch of the round to ensure that your counts are correct.
You may choose to stitch it in distinct rounds if you wish (at the end of each row, slip stitch in the first stitch to join, then ch 1 to begin the next round) but I chose not to so that there will not be a seam.
Row 2: 2 sc in the next 3 sts, sc 2, 2 sc in the next 5 sts, sc 2. (20 sts)
Row 3: [Sc, 2 sc in the next st] repeat 3 times, sc 2, [sc, 2 sc in the next st] repeat 5 times, sc 2. (28 sts)
Row 4: [2 sc in the next st, sc 2] repeat 3 times, sc 2, [2 sc in the next st, sc 2] repeat 5 times, sc 2. (36 sts)
Row 5: Sc 36.
Row 6: [Sc 3, 2 sc in the next st] repeat 3 times, sc 2, [sc 3, 2 sc in the next st] repeat 5 times, sc 2. (44 sts)
Row 7: [2 sc in the next st, sc 4] repeat 3 times, sc 2, [2 sc in the next st, sc 4] repeat 5 times, sc 2. (52 sts)
Row 8: [Sc 5, 2 sc in the next st] repeat 3 times, sc 2, [sc 5, 2 sc in the next st] repeat 5 times, sc 2. (60 sts)
Row 9: [2 sc in the next st, sc 6] repeat 3 times, sc 2, [2 sc in the next st, sc 6] repeat 5 times, sc 2. (68 sts)
Row 10: Sc 68.
Row 11: [Sc 7, 2 sc in the next st] repeat 3 times, sc 2, [sc 7, 2 sc in the next st] repeat 5 times, sc 2. (76 sts)
Row 12: Sc 76.
Row 13: [2 sc in the next st, sc 8] repeat 3 times, sc 2, [2 sc in the next st, sc 8] repeat 5 times, sc 2. (84 sts)
Row 14: Sc 84.
Row 15: [Sc 13, 2 sc in the next st] repeat 6 times. (90 sts)
Note: To make the hat smaller, omit Row 15.
To make the hat larger, add a row: [Sc 14, 2 sc] repeat 6 times. (96 sts)
From here on out, follow the pattern as written for all sizes. Place a stitch marker at the beginning of each row and crochet to the marker. The number of stitches for larger or smaller sizes will increase or decrease respectively and will not end with a perfect repeat (with one fewer repeat for the smaller size).
Row 16-25: Sc 90.
(smaller hat: sc 84. larger hat: sc 96). Row 25: [Sc 14, 2 sc in the next st] repeat 6 times. (96 sts)
Row 26-27: Sc 96.
Row 28: [Sc 11, 2 sc] repeat 8 times. (104 sts)
Row 29-30: Sc 104. Mark Row 29
(smaller hat: 96 sts. larger hat: 110 sts)
If you are making a larger or smaller hat, make note of the number of stitches in Row 30. This is the number of stitches needed for the starting chain of the band below.
Note: This is where the brim of the hat begins. The hdc half of the next round should line up with the Skinny End of the hat from Row 1.
Row 31: [Hdc 9, 2 hdc in the next st] repeat 5 times, sc 2, [sc 9, 2 sc in the next st] repeat 5 times, sc 2. (114 sts)
Row 32: Hdc 55, sc 59. (114 sts)
Row 33: [2 hdc in the next st, hdc 10] repeat 5 times, sc 2, [2 sc in the next st, sc 10] repeat 5 times, sc 2. (124 sts)
Row 34: Hdc 60, sc 64. (124 sts)
Row 35: [Hdc 11, 2 hdc in the next st] repeat 5 times, sc 2, [sc 11, 2 sc in the next st] repeat 5 times, sc 2. (134 sts)
Row 36: Hdc 65, sc 69. (134 sts)
Row 37: [2 hdc in the next st, hdc 12] repeat 5 times, sc 2, [2 sc in the next st, sc 12] repeat 5 times, sc 2. (144 sts)
Row 38: Hdc 70, sc 74. (144 sts)
Row 39: [Hdc 13, 2 hdc in the next st] repeat 5 times, sc 2, [sc 13, 2 sc in the next st] repeat 5 times, sc 2. (154 sts)
Row 40: Hdc 75, sc 79. (154 sts)
Row 41: Sc 154, sl st 2.
Tie off. Weave ends in.
Band: Row 1: Leave a long tail for sewing. Ch 104, sl st to form a ring. Row 2: Sc 104. Row 3: Sc 104, sl st 2. Tie off. Leave long ends to sew the band onto the hat at Row 29 (marked). I found that the band doesn't look right unless it is sewn in at least 6 evenly spaced locations around the hat.
Hat before blocking.
Block the brim of the hat by carefully wetting it in a sink. Brace the hat over a bowl, stretch out the brim and pin to a foam board or mattress until dry.
Hat after blocking and addition of the flower embellishment.
A little side note: In this pattern I alternate increasing at the beginning of a repeat and increasing at the end of a repeat sequence. This staggers the repeats and prevents the obvious line of symmetry that is made if increases are always on top of each other.
