Gillian's Hat

Okay, it's finally done!  Some time ago, I got a custom order from one of my neighbours.  It took me way too long to get to it.  For those interested in my process in coming up with a custom design, this post is for you.

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 

Customer order with a difference

One of my neighbours has asked me to do a custom order hat with scarf flaps for her.   Because of her rather unique needs, I've asked her permission to blog about it, which she has graciously granted.  I will be blogging the process in a series of posts as I try to figure out a design that will work for her.

There are a couple of ways I've made hats with scarf flaps; vertically in rows, with the scarf portion worked up at the same time as the body, or horizontally in rounds with the scarf portion added either horizontally or vertically.  Working the scarf portion vertically allows me to easily add keyhole slits to close up the scarf without having to tie it.

My neighbour (I'll call her G) wants a keyhole scarf.  Here are a few of the things I need to work around.

First off, she has an unusually shaped head. Or, as she puts it, a big head. *L*  So the circumference will need to be somewhat larger.  However, having spent the first 6 months of her life lying on her back, the back of her head it also flat.  Her proportions are quite different, and her neck is mostly hidden. I had some concerns about her oxygen tubes, but it doesn't look like they will be an issue at all.

G's other challenge is that she cannot reach up to put a hat on her head.  With the scarf she uses now, she has to hold the ends and sort of toss the loop over the head.  This is the same motion she'll have to use to put on the hat she's asked me to make.  This means the hat has to have at least some stiffness to it to stay open and not flop closed while she tried to toss it onto the top of her head, then use the scarf flaps to put it into position.  She then wants to be able to close up the scarf with the keyhole and tuck the ends into her jacket.  With her arm mobility, the keyhole can only be on one side.

Today I was finally able to head over and get some measurements to work with.  I've got the circumference of her head, the distance from her temple to the top of her head, her temple to where the top of the keyhole will need to be, from temple to temple across her forehead, the distance from the nape of her neck to her eyebrows, and finally I figured out the maximum width the scarf flaps can be, and the minimum length for her to be able to tuck it into her jacket.

The yarn for her hat will be a double thickness of Paton's Silk Bamboo in Sea, a colour that matches her winter coats quite well.  I think, however, I will use some Bernat Satin to work up swatches and test out different ideas.  I had been thinking of working the hat vertically, but now that I've got her measurements and taken a good look at the shape of her head, I don't think that will work as well.  Ooh... unless...   I could work it vertically without short rows for shaping and leave the top with a drawstring closure.  This way, she can put her ponytail through the opening, if she wants.  Hmmm... there's a thought.  Oops, never mind.  She wouldn't be able to put her pony tail through herself, and the whole point is for her to have a hat that she doesn't need to have someone else put on for her. 

The closure for the scarf portion is another issue.  The scarf G showed me is a knit scarf that has a narrow, ribbed, portion near the ends, then it widens again before coming to an attractive, leaf-like point.  At the narrow, ribbed portion on one side, there's a second layer that's open, so she can tuck the other end through, and the two narrow portions overlap.  This lies somewhat flatter than a keyhole slit, but I think a keyhole might actually be easier for her to thread the scarf end though.


Whether I decide to work the hat vertically or horizontally, I will need to figure out stitch patterns that will combine stretch and flexibility to conform to her head shape, but will also have enough stiffness, at least along the edge, to stay open when she tosses the hat onto her head while holding the scarf flaps.  It also has to be somewhat dense to cut the wind and actually keep her warm.  The double thickness and silk blend will help with the warmth, but cutting the wind is always a challenge. A surface braid has the flexibility and stretch, but it doesn't cut the wind as much as I'd like.  Hook size and yarn thickness can help with that, though.

So, lots to think about and figure out. 

Time to break out my hooks!

Done, and Ready for delivery

Tonight I got my customer order finished. :-)

The yarn used is Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick in Charcoal (the closest thing to black they had). It took 4 balls to do all the items. I must've had bad luck this time, though, as every one of the balls had knots in them - yarn ends tied together, not knots within the strands themselves. One of them actually had 2 knots in it! Of all the balls of this yarn I've used, this is a first! Irritating and a waste of yarn, since I have to cut the knot out and leave long enough tails to sew them into the item. I haven't had yarn with this many knots in it since the yarn I used to make my daughter's coat.

All the projects were done using a 9.00mm hook.



The scarf pattern requested is modified from one in Think Pink, a book of crochet projects for victims of breast cancer and to promote breast cancer awareness. The original used a much finer yarn and was, of course, pink. Using the chunky yarn, the foundation chain is half the number of stitches from the pattern, and there was some modification while curving the ends.




The earwarmers are my pattern, slightly tweaked one last time. Well... maybe I shouldn't say one *last* time, knowing my insatiable urge to muck about. ;-) I'm really happy with the changes, though.



The mittens are the same pattern I used during my crochet blitz before Thanksgiving last year. With those, I found them a bit short and added the cuff. Using the super bulky yarn, they were a decent length, so I left the cuffs as they were. I didn't bother changing hook sizes for the thumb, though. I found I didn't have to modify the number of stitches in each round with this yarn - the bulk of the yarn itself makes up for the larger sized hook.

I think she'll be quite happy with them. :-)

This is cool!

In the last little while, I've finished some gifts I've been working on and getting parcels ready to mail out. This has given me a chance to work on the Reminiscence Afghan I was supposed to finish for my daughter before it got cold. *blushing in shame* I'm at the point where I'm stopping to measure the entire piece every couple of rows, as the body is supposed to be done at approx. 50 inches. I'm about 2 rows short... but I've been about 2 rows short the last three times I've measured it. :-P

Today, however, I got an interesting surprise. A phone call from one of the members of the housing co-op we live in. She'd just lost her hat and was wondering, could I make some earwarmers for her? With a matching scarf, like the ones I had in the co-op craft sale? In black?

(Oh, dear... I just realized... she might have meant the single lacy designed scarf I made, not the several others I'd made in a different style. I'll have to call her back about that!)

A few minutes after we worked out some details and said our goodbyes, she called back. Can I do mittens, too? she asks. *L*

So tonight I picked up the yarn and am working on the set. The earwarmers worked up quickly - I've tweaked the pattern a little bit more, and they're the best ones I've made yet. I've finished the first mitten, but will leave the second one for tomorrow. I can then verify the scarf pattern, too. If it is the lace pattern scarf I'm thinking of, we'll need to figure something out, because I've found that pattern really doesn't work well with bulky yarn, never mind super bulky. I can certainly do it, but the pattern will get rather lost with such thick yarn. Especially since she wanted it to be quite long. I'll find out for sure, tomorrow.

Until then, I'm just thrilled about getting a call out of the blue like this for a custom order!

My first customer orders

Today I delivered my first customer ordered items. Felt kinda good. :-D



During the craft sale, one customer asked if I did potholders. I asked her what she had in mind and she ended up just bringing over the older potholder she was wanting to replace (handily enough, she lives pretty much across the hall from the room the sale was in). When I said I could and after talking colours with her, she insisted on paying me in advance, and more than the amount I'd said. Pretty much double. So I made her two.

The larger one, done in dc stitches worked between the stitches of the previous rows, is how the one she showed me was made. This one is a touch larger than her original. The smaller one was worked up with dc stitches worked into the tops of the previous stitches, then bordered in sc, with a loop of foundation ch sc (the foundation chain and row of sc are worked at the same time) added to the last corner.




For the earwarmers, the customer wanted a pair in brown, which I didn't have during the sale. For her, I was a little more concerned with how they fit on her head. She's in a wheelchair with headrest and mentioned it was a problem with hats. As she moves her head, hats tend to be pushed up in the back by the headrest, uncovering her ears. She doesn't have enough mobility in her arms to fix it. I just delivered it to her and helped her try it on. She thinks it will work fine. I hope so. Until she actually uses it for a while with the headrest that was giving her problems (she had a different one on her chair at the time I visited), I won't feel confident that it's right. We shall see.

Now I just need to talk to another potential customer who was interested in a hat and scarf set. :-D