Project 1: Crocheted Kitty Hat

Click to enlarge

Materials:

• 1 1/2 skeins Sirdar Big Softie yarn in Flossie 340
• 1/4 skeins Sensations Sumptuous yarn in 49322

The inaugural post on this blog is actually a leftover Christmas gift for my boyfriend. Yes, it is pink and has kitty ears. I used the Jayne Cobb Hat by Kim Werker as a basic pattern, then went from there.

As a fairly new crocheter (I learned this fall semester), this hat marks a few firsts. First hat, first item I crocheted by request, and the first time I've crocheted with such bulky yarn. I'd heard about the quick-hooking joys of using super bulky weight but never actually experienced it, and whoa, this project flew. From start to finish this hat only took a few hours, including weaving the ends in and knotting the ties.

Close up of the stitchery, for those of you who know/care about that sort of thing. Dime for scale. The original pattern had the body of the hat in half double crochet and the earflaps in single, but I worked all the white portions in single because that yarn was much fatter than the pink.

Ears! I just improvised them as I went along. Very easy to do in crochet. I think that crochet is better than knitting for sculptural work since you usually only hold one stitch at a time on your hook. Then again, I'm biased because I can't knit to save my life (not for lack of trying, mind you).

This project was a definite success: I liked it, the recipient liked it, and my mom says she really likes it too. :) What do you think? If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask in the comments.