All Warm & Fuzzy

Hi, my name is Samantha and I am addicted to making cute things for my kid. And my friends' kids. Really, anyone under the age of 12. This is another freebie pattern that I picked up somewhere in my travels, and absolutely count not resist trying. It's super-duper easy, and crochets up in a flash. The only problem I found was that you switch colours every single round, so that's a lot of yarn hanging around on the couch with you that is at eye-level for curious children and cats. Several times I had to fend off sticky fingers and poking paws whilst finishing this up!

So, the details of the pattern. It's a freebie from Bernat, the Cute Kids' Earflap Hat (registration required to view the pattern). This one was done in Bernat Softee Chunky in Hot Pink and Hot Lime. I did it pretty much word-for-word, with the exception of changing up the colours, and doing a two-colour tassel instead of one. The one I made is a size 2/4, and it's not too terribly large on my 10-month-old, but definitely stretchy enough to fit an older child.

One thing I did do was change my single crochet stitch to make it more ribbed/stretchy than a regular plain single crochet stitch. For those of you now wondering "WTF is this crazy lady talking about?!", let me explain. Normally when you crochet, you pass the hook under both strands of the previous single crochet stitch (under the V). To make a ribbed surface, you only pass it under the back strand (into the V). Clear as mud? Great. I found that doing it this way made it a little stretchier, which is great for growing heads. Plus, ribbing just looks cool.

And now, the pictures. First, the finished hat:


Second, the hat being modeled by my darling daughter, Eliza:


The perfect hat to keep little noggins warm!