The goal: to make a hat with scarf flaps. The hat had to have a custom fit, the scarf flaps had to have keyholes, and my neighbour had to be able to put it on herself by holding the scarf flaps and tossing it over her head. It also had to fit over either a braid or ponytail.
Normally when I make a hat, I can just try it on my own head as I go along to make sure things are shaping up the way they should. Since this was not an option for the hat I was making, I took a whole bunch of measurements. I took far more than I probably needed, but better to have more information then not enough.
The notes written in a different direction are those I took when I first started working it up.
I also did a rough sketch of a variation of my basic hat with scarf flaps located over the ears.
I started experimenting with a mock up version using two strands of Bernat Satin on a 6.00 mm hook.
I also did a couple more sketches of possible variations. As I worked the mock up to the measurements I had, the design started looking a lot more like a tam than the sort of hats I usually do, so I figured that was something I could run with.
After I worked up the first mock up, I tried to test it myself by holding my elbows close to my sides and trying to toss it over my head. The hat just flopped into itself and, no matter how I wiggled the scarf flaps, would not position properly on my head. I took it to Gillian to test it out, in case it would work better for her, but it clearly was not going to work. It was a total flop. Literally. Unfortunately, I neglected to take photos of this first mock up, but it wasn't too far from the diagrams I sketched out.
One thing became very clear when Gillian tried the hat on. It wasn't a really hat we were after, but a hood. Time to take a few new measurements and go back to the drawing board!
I already had most of my measurements to work with, but the position of the scarf flaps in relation to the hood changed things a bit, including where to put the keyholes.
I did the mock up with a 6.00 mm hook and two strands of yarn again. I needed to use a stitch that would make for a denser fabric that would hold itself up to a certain extent, yet still be flexible and comfortable to wear. I decided to work in front and back post double crochet stitches. In comparing the Bernat Satin to the Paton's Silk Bamboo the final hat would be made out of, I knew I would need to reduce the hook size, and perhaps work with 3 strands on the hook instead of 2. Here is how the mock up turned out.
I had originally intended for this to be the outside of the hat, though I figured it would also be reversible. When this side was out, however, I noticed it lay very flat, which I could see as being a potential problem when putting it on. Flipped the other way, however....
... and the post stitches helped keep the hat slightly open. I felt it looked attractive either way, so switching made little difference.
At this point, I didn't even try to put in the keyholes. I just wanted to make sure Gillian could put it on. This time, it worked. Through the size and measurements on the mock up were off, she was able to put it on.
With my new measurements verified, I fleshed out my design sketch with more detail and got started on the final version in the Patons Silk Bamboo. I knew I wanted to go down a hook size, but wasn't sure if I'd increase the number of strands on the hook, too. I ended up sticking to two strands on a 5.50 mm hook.
I started off with a foundation chain slightly shorter than the length I needed, as an edging would be added later, then worked a few increase rows to get it to the measurement I needed. After that, it was just basic front or back post double crochet stitches, starting and ending each row with a half double crochet stitch.
I worked the hood portion, then the scarf flaps (more details later), until I was almost ready to do the keyholes. At that point, I wanted to double check my measurements and see how it would fit on Gillian.
Here's the side view. The edge of the hood is rolling back on itself quite a bit, which gets fixed with the edging, and at this point, she could not put it on by herself. There just wasn't enough substance to the scarf flaps yet. I double checked the length at the back to verify how wide the scarf portion would need to be in total, which also told me how many more rows I'd need to do before working the keyholes.
Here I've verified and marked where the keyholes were going to go. The width of the scarf portion would also determine how large the keyhole openings would need to be. I just had to make sure the centres of the keyholes were at my marks.
I was slightly concerned that it would not hold itself open properly when she tried to put it on. The Silk Bamboo has a completely different drape then the Bernat Satin I used for the mock up. I did expect that, but it was also turning out much heavier than I expected. I was thinking that the hat would collapse under its own weight while being flung over and ending up bunched up behind her head instead. I started to brainstorm some way to add something to the hat later on that would force the hat to stay open, while still being flexible enough to be comfortable, and to bend when the scarf was pulled tight. I wouldn't know if that would be needed until it was done, though.
Time to finish the hat.
Here is the view from the inside, before the edging was done. When the hood portion got to the size I wanted and I started on the scarf portion, I switched from working post double stitches to half double crochet stitches. This made the scarf portion thinner and more flexible than the hood portion.
To work the scarf flaps, after finishing the last row of post stitches, I did a foundation chain of 50 stitches, then worked hdc into the foundation chain and around the bottom of the hood. For the opposite flap, I worked 50 foundation half double stitches.
Here is what it looked like on the outside, with that curling edge waiting to be finished. The first and last stitch of each post row is a half double stitch instead of a post stitch to make working the edge easier. I planned to work one edge stitch into the side of each hdc which, due to the height of the hdc stitches, I knew would cause it to cup slightly. I wanted it to be pulled in a bit to increase facial protection.
A view of the keyhole openings. These were done by working foundation half double stitches. As the scarf portion worked out to be a total of 8 rows of hdc stitches, plus the edging, I made the keyhole openings 10 stitches wide.
Time to work the edging.
Here's how the edged scarf portion fit through the keyhole. Slightly snug, with no gaps. For the edge, I worked single crochet around the edges of the scarf flaps, the base of the hood portion, and part of the hood opening.
The corners were turned with a [1sc, 1ch, 1sc].
To extend the top of the hood slightly, the front of the hood was edged with a few stitches of sc at the bottom, then a few hdc, then joined dc stitches across the top, then matching numbers of hdc and sc back to the scarf portion.
I tried to find a link to explain what a joined dc stitch would be, but can't find one, so I'll do my best to explain it here. It starts with a dc worked as normal.
Yarn over hook (yoh)
insert hook into designated stitch (in this case, around the post of an hdc stitch in the hood)
yoh and draw loop through (3 loops on hook)
yoh and draw through 2 loops (2 loops on hook)
you and draw through 2 loops (1 loop on hook)
To work joined dc
insert hook under one strand of yarn in the post of first dc stitch worked
yoh and draw loop through (2 loops on hook)
insert hook into next designated stitch (around the post of next hdc stitch in the hood)
yoh and draw loop through (3 loops on hook)
yoh and draw through 2 loops (2 loops on hook)
yoh and draw through 2 loops (1 loop on hook)
This will leave a distinctive horizontal bar joining the two stitches. To work the next joined dc, insert hook under this horizontal bar.
yoh and draw loop through (2 loops on hook)
insert hook into next designated stitch
yoh and draw loop through (3 loops on hook)
yoh and draw through 2 loops (2 loops on hook)
yoh and draw through 2 loops (1 loop on hook)
In essence, what is being worked here is a really, really short Tunisian simple stitch, if that helps make any more sense.
After finishing the hat, I tested it out again on myself. Remember my concern about the hat not staying open while being tossed into position? How I was concerned that, between the weight and the drape of the yarn, it would just collapse on itself?
The exact opposite is what happened! When I tossed it up, the hood portion just opened right up and it landed perfectly in place! I did it again, several times, just to make sure it wasn't a fluke, and it was perfect every time!
Time for Gillian to try it out!
Check it out! It worked perfectly for her as well! She had her hair in a ponytail that day, and it fit easily over it. The denser post stitches help hold the shape while the softer hdc stitches in the scarf portion make for more flexibility at base of her head and neck.
She was also able to put the scarf end through the keyhole and pull it tight without any problems. A keyhole in each flap makes it reversible for her, too. The edging tucks in around her face for extra protection against the wind, just as I hoped it would. I am so tickled with how well it worked out! Her choice of yarn was perfect for this. Though the Bernat Satin I used for the mock up would also have worked, it would not have worked as well as the Silk Bamboo did.
Most importantly, Gillian is happy with her new hat, too. :-D
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