The annual gift dilemma. What to get or do for loved ones when we’re all a little strangled by things?
This year I tried on being that person who gifts something handmade, at least for a portion of the gifting. I don’t know if it’s more or less appreciated, but it feels slightly less capitalist if you ignore that I had to buy the yarn. In my continued effort to avoid patterns and counting while learning to crochet I stumbled across a technique for creating a chunky hat wherein you half-double crochet most of the stitches but the last five on the top side of every row is a single-crochet, making them shorter, making the top of the hat cinch in with less bulk.
These are fold-over beanies, so essentially a long tube, gathered at the top. I made myself one first as proof-of-concept (the smaller one) and then crocheted one each for the men in my immediate family.
The ribbing is achieved by crocheting into the back loop only. I used Wool-ease 20% wool blend “very bulky” in various colors. The color variation in the yarn is what makes these exciting to me. They are moderately warm but sadly not at all wind-proof. Someday I’ll learn a waffle-stitch, but I don’t know if it will be this year.
