Monday, April 4, 2016

Rainforest/Petal Crocodile Stitch Hat Pattern


I literally can't go out in public wearing this hat without someone coming up to me and complimenting me on it. I wear it all the time since making it in December. It's light and doesn't scrunch hair (no hat hair) while still keeping my head warm in deep Minnesota winters. When I first made it I expected it to be a nice spring hat but it's surprisingly warm for as light as it is on my head.

Here's the basic rundown of how I made the hat. Feel free to use pattern for hats you plan to sell but be sure to acknowledge that you got the pattern from Cosmic Pony.

Crochet Hook size 00 (or size E can work)
Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable yarn

Part of the charm of the hat is the yarn weight and color, so stick with this yarn to match pictured results. If you have a favorite yarn you want to use, keep in mind that a heavier yarn will impact appearance as well as gauge.

Gauge: 5 dcs/inch

Start with a Foundation row in multiples of 6. The Foundation stitch is when the chaining and sc rows are worked together at the same time. The benefit of this is a nice, stretchy, finished edge. If you don't know how to make a Foundation row, chain desired number of stitches, slip to join, and sc across for a row.

Create Foundation row of 96 st or 102 st. I initially used 102 for almost all the hats I made but switched to  96 st to tighten it up a bit because over time the hat will stretch out a bit. The difference is minimal and I mention the two numbers because I have a small head so someone with an average head or larger head would prefer the 102 starting number. The best way to find out your initial stitch count is to do 96 and wrap around your head to see if it fits.

After Foundation row, work 1 dc in each st around. 96 (or 102) dc total. Slip to join.

The crocodile stitch has two rounds, the V-stitch round which creates the foundation for the petal stitches and then the petal stitch rounds.

V-stitch Round:
Ch4, dc in same stitch. skip 2 st, *(dc, ch1, dc) in same stitch. skip 2, repeat from * to end. slip into ch4 space to join. (You can slip into 3rd ch but I just slip into the space.)

Petal Round:
Ch3, 3 dc down side of first post of V-stitch, ch1, 4 dc up side of second post of V-stitch. Skip a V-stitch and work 4 dcs down first post of V-stitch, ch1, 4 dcs up second post of V-stitch. Continue working 4 dcs down first post, ch1, and 4 dcs up second post of every other V-stitch. At the end of the round slip into 3rd ch that counted as 1st dc on post of the first V-stitch and also into the V-stitch's ch1 space behind, to join.

V-stitch Round:
Ch4, dc into same stitch. This counts as the first V-stitch for this round. Work a V-stitch (1dc, ch1, 1dc) into center of next petal. (Center is the ch1 space in the V-stitch that creates the base for the petal.) Then V-stitch (1dc, ch1, 1dc) into the space between petals, being sure to insert crochet hook into the ch1 space of the V-stitch that was skipped on the row before. So, when you insert crochet hook into ch1 space be sure to go under the the yarn where the first and last dcs of two petals meet, to catch it. When you reach the end of the round, slip into ch4 space. You will have the same # of V-stitches in every round of V-stitches and same # of petals in every round of petals. The petals will be offset.

Continue working V-stitch rounds and petal rounds until you have completed 9 rows of Petals. Slip to join.

Ch2. Work 96 dcs. Work 2 dc in same stitch, 1 dc into side of 1st dc going down the post, being sure to catch stitch behind petal also, 2 dc in center hole of petal, 1 dc into side of last dc going up the post, 2 dc between petals,. Continue working dcs across last row of petals, slip into 1st dc to join. (ignore ch2 when joining.)

ch2, 5dc, decr, 5dc, decr around. slip to top of 1st dc to join.(ignore ch2 when joining.)

ch2, 3dc, decr, 3dc, decr around. slip to top of 1st dc to join.(ignore ch2 when joining.)

ch2, 2dc, decr, 2dc, decr around. slip to top of 1st dc to join.(ignore ch2 when joining.)

ch2, 2dc, decr, 2dc, decr around. slip to top of 1st dc to join.(ignore ch2 when joining.)

ch2, decr in every st around. slip to top of 1st dc to join.(ignore ch2 when joining.)

ch2, triple decr in every st around. cut yarn, leaving tail, weave yarn through tops of remaining sts and pull tight to close top.

Decreases:
decr: yarn over for dc but only work first step, not second step to complete stitch, which leaves 3 loops on crochet hook. yo, work first step of next dc, yo, pull through all five loops. 2 st have become 1 st.

triple decr:
same as decr but do it over 3 st instead of just 2 st. yarn over for dc but only work first step, not second step to complete stitch, which leaves 3 loops on crochet hook. yo, work first step of next dc, yo, work first step of next dc, pull through all seven loops. 3 st have become 1 st.


I steam blocked these. Blocking really helps finish the hats. Not only does it give the yarn a nice sheen, it pulls everything into place. The petals become crisp and lay flat, as they should. It really makes a difference.





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