Wickiiin'

I wonder... why... I can't get my freakin' bra strap to stay in place...

Lookit what I learned how to do! Crochet! Now a normal, logical sort of person might've started off with something a little more basic, a swatch or granny square, just to get a feel for things. But of course, I'm a crazy, irrational idiot and went straight for the hat in the round.

Luckily, it was easier than I thought it would be, and it totally brought out the hooker in me!

Wait, that didn't come out right... but it did rhyme...

Let's all be hookers together!

Summer surfin'
I was surfin' around Time Suck '08 Ravelry for a summery hat and this pattern was exactly what I'd been looking for. But there was a problem - I didn't know how to crochet. What to do, what to do...

What else? Turn to the Internets! If you cruise on over to NexStitch, they have a boatload of free video tutorials, much along the lines of knittinghelp.com (which is how I learned how to knit!). Picked up a few basic stitches and I was off!

The hat itself is very simple. You start off with an adjustable loop (great pictotute here), then you basically just single crochet your butt off. Not much to it really, and it hooks up (is that the right cro-lingo?) fairly quickly. It's just the FO post that takes a month. :P

The only real problem I ran into was trying to figure out how to mark the end of the round. When counting became a PITA, I placed a marker in the last sc behind the hook. As you can see from the very distinct diagonal line going down the side of my hat, I uh, don't think I did that correctly.

I'm hoping the Happy Hooker book I swapped for shows up soon, and has better instructions on how to do that. Or maybe I just need someone to sit next to me for an afternoon and teach me all their secrets. Hey Pam, got any miles you wanna use up? ;)

Sideline. Literally.

As for the pattern, it was well-written, but could've been a little more consistent in its directions. For example, it says to 2sc for the hat increases, but to increase 1sc for the brim. Why not just say 2sc all the way through? (Unless there something I'm missing as a crochet newbie?) Also, it has a stripe pattern that's a stitch pattern, and a stripe pattern that's a color change, but the instructions refer to both in the same way. More distinct references between the two would've been nice, as would better instructions on how to work the adjustable loop and how to do a jogless jog on the stripes (yes, I know, I did it in one color, but for everyone else who striped it up, this would've been nice).

Other than nitpicky stuff like that, however, it was fun, quick, and easy! Just like a hooker should be!

A few mods:
- Made sides slightly shorter at 4”.

- Adjusted the brim increases a’la suecrafty (that's a Rav link, sorry, she appears to be blogless): For the first two increase rounds, did a 2sc every 4th stitch three times, then 2sc every 5th st to the end. On the third increase round, did a 2sc every 5th stitch three times, then 2sc every 6th st to the end.

- After the third increase round, I did 2 plain rounds, then added a fourth increase round with a 2 sc every 7th st three times, then 2 sc every 8th st (again like suecrafty, but I did the every 8th stitch increase to the end, not just one time). Finished with two plain rounds.

Honestly, I don't think futzing around with the increases made any difference whatsoever in my hat. Maybe 'cause I used a different type of yarn? I just loved how hers came out and figured it wouldn't hurt, and it didn't. ;) Next time, though, I'll just place the increases as written.

Does it actually wick away perspiration? How would I know? I only glow.

Yarn thoughts
Knit One Crochet Too Wick is soy/polyproplene blend, nice for summer! It has a chain-type construction, almost like Calmer, that was really easy to work with. And ooh, this stuff is soft - I've had the hat on all day and it's super comfy! Runs through the washer/dryer (on delicate/low) like a champ, too! No fading or pilling whatsoever.

It does have a few drawbacks, though - the yarn snags like a mofo if your hands are dry, so keep the moisturizer...er, handy (bahahahahaha!). I also had a helluva time trying to root out the inside end on both skeins, so after creating a big huge tangled mess, I just re-wound them into balls using the outside end. And the color selection is very limited. Here's hoping they expand the line soon with a few more colors and add some girly ones, too!

Wrap it up
It came out more like a bucket hat than the wide-brimmed hat I'd originally envisioned (ran out of yarn, dammit), but not too bad for my first crochet project! It's rather cute, even. I already want to make another! And I'm completely infatuated with my new crafty hobby. Which officially makes me bicraftual, right? Not that there's anything wrong with that...

Wickin' Summer Hat
Pattern: Interweave Crochet, Spring 2007
Yarn: Knit One Crochet Too Wick in Sea Gold (2 skeins)
Hook: Boye, Size G
Mods: Made the crown longer, futzed around with the brim increases.