Free Strawberry Beanie Pattern…

So it’s been quite a while since I shared a free pattern. I’ve been so busy with orders and life in general.

We’re also expecting baby number 3 here at Hatting Madly Crochet. He or she is due mid-August, so I will have to start Hatting “Moderately” instead of “Madly” fairly soon and get started on making a baby blanket before I run out of time!

After baby is born, I’ll take a couple months off and then will start up again with monthly ready-to-ship sales only, working toward accepting a limited number of custom orders… depending on how the newest arrival settles in.

Anyhoooo…. this hat was actually a request from a customer for her baby girl, due next month. She requested a 3 month old size, in time for our New Zealand winter. Here goes….

Hooks: 5.5 mm (I/9): for body of hat; 4.5mm (7) for stem; 5mm (H/8) for leaves.

Yarn: DK/8ply (light worsted). I used Rosie’s Studio Family Knit. I crocheted holding two strands together to get a chunky effect.

Size: to fit 3 month old (40cm (15.5″) head circumference/14cm (5.5″) hat depth.

Gauge: 12st per 10cm (4″).

HAT INSTRUCTIONS:

(Yarn held double)

Ch2 and work the following row into the 2nd ch from hook (or magic circle).

R1. 10 hdc into 2nd ch from hook (or magic circle – depending on method you used).

R2. ch2 (counts as hdc throughout pattern), hdc in same stitch….then 2hdc in each stitch around. Join with sl st to to of beginning chain. (20 hdc)

R3. ch2, hdc in same stitch, (hdc in next stitch, 2hdc in next stitch) repeat between brackets until end of round. Join with sl st to to of beginning chain. (30 hdc)

R4. ch2, hdc in same stitch, hdc in next 2 stitches, (2hdc in next st, hdc in next two sts) repeat between brackets until end of round. Join with sl st to to of beginning chain. (40 hdc)

R5. ch2, hdc in same stitch, hdc in next 7 stitches, (2hdc in next st, hdc in next seven sts) repeat between brackets until end of round. Join with sl st to to of beginning chain. (45 hdc)

Work even on 45 hdc until hat depth is 14cm (5.5″).

Fasten off and weave in ends.

STEM INSTRUCTIONS:

(Yarn held double)

ch 10
Sl st in 3rd ch from hook, and every ch across (8 sl st). Sew onto top of hat. Weave in ends.

LEAF INSTRUCTIONS

(Yarn held double – make 5 leaves)

ch 10
Work 1dc in 3rd ch from hk and next 2 ch, 1 hdc in next 2 ch, 1 sc in next 2 ch, 2 sl st in last ch.

Work on opposite side of foundation ch….
1 sc in first ch, 1 hdc in next 2 ch, 1 dc in next 2 ch, 3 dc in next ch, sl st to ch in foundation ch.

Sew 5 leaves on top of hat. You might have to slightly overlap them. I didn’t sew the tips down as I think the leaves look more like the real deal when they curl up… but it’s up to you. Weave in all ends.

OPTIONAL SEEDS:

Embroider black seeds with one strand of black DK/8py (light worsted) yarn in the shape of an upside down “V”.

Winners of the Giveaway to Celebrate 500 Facebook Fans…

The 3 winners, generated by Random.org are:

Angela Berry – white snowdrop hat… to fit small newborn – 31cm to 35cm head circumference

Rosalea Shaw – red tulip hat… to fit 0 to 3 month old – 36cm to 40cm head circumference

Kim O’Leary – blue bluebell hat… to fit a larger newborn – 34cm to 38cm head circumference

I will email you all later tonight to get your postal address details. Thanks to all of you who participated – I truly appreciate your support

Time to feed the ravenous kids!!!

Giveaway to Celebrate 500 Facebook Fans…

Hi all

I’ve been meaning to do something to celebrate hitting the 500 Facebook fan milestone for a little while now, but orders have been keeping me very busy! Thanks so much for all your support.

Anyhooooo – I’ve been working on a new hat, in amongst it all, and getting the sizing right. I have 3 flower hats to give away (RRP $25 each). There will be 3 winners in this competition!

- SNOWDROP HAT… to fit small newborn – 31cm to 35cm head circumference

- TULIP HAT… to fit 0 to 3 month old – 36cm to 40cm head circumference

- BLUEBELL HAT… to fit a larger newborn – 34cm to 38cm head circumference. (I like this larger newborn size as it will fit newborns for a bit longer. Did you know most newborn’s heads grow an inch in the first 4 weeks!)

HERE’S HOW TO ENTER:

• You must be a FACEBOOK FAN and a New Zealand resident to enter  this giveaway – so pop on over and “LIKE” Hatting Madly Crochet on Facebook and then SHARE THIS GIVEAWAY on your FB page.
• Once you’ve done that, comment and enter HERE on MY BLOG letting me know you’re a FB fan and that you’ve shared on your FB page. Having problems leaving a comment? Please contact me via Facebook and I’ll record your entry.

The contest will end Wednesday, March 6th at 6pm. I will choose a winner using Random.org. I will post the winner HERE on my blog after I put the kids to bed

Good luck all!

**This giveaway is neither endorsed by nor run by Facebook or any of it’s affiliates and follows all rules and regulations.

Free Toddler Princess Crown Pattern…

I just had to share this pattern I improvised today. I have the flu at the moment, so if my instructions are unclear, I cannot be held accountable

Hook: 3.5 mm (E/4)

Yarn: DK/8ply. I used Knitwise Pricewise Hero, from The Warehouse.

Size: to fit toddler/small child with head circumference 50cm (20″) approx – my daughter is 3 and a half.

INSTRUCTIONS:

ch 84, join with sl st making sure you don’t twist the chain.

R1. ch1, sc in same st, sc around, join with sl st

R2. ch1, sc in same st, sc around, join with sl st

R3. v-stitch (hdc, ch2, hdc) in joining st and every 3rd st around, join [the first v-stitch will be ch4, hdc]

R4. OPTION ONE… Shell (3dc, ch2, sl st in 1st ch, 3dc) in first v-stitch, sc in next v-stitch, repeat around, join [the first shell will be ch4, sl st in 3rd ch, 3dc] OR OPTION TWO… Shell 6dc in first v-stitch, sc in next v-stitch, repeat around, join [the first shell will be ch2, 5dc].

R5. If you did the 2nd option in R4, then ch1, sc in same st, sc around (in the tops of stitches of each shell) and sl st into the sc’s of the previous row. If you chose the first option in R4, then omit this row.

Join. Fasten off.

If you would like to make the 3 middle crown points stand out from the rest, then work as follows:

Centre point – 6dc in v-stitch, sl st into sc, ch1, turn, sc back over top of shell, sl st in sc, ch1, turn, sc in first 3 sts, picot (ch 4, sl st in 2nd ch, ch1), sc in final 3 sts, sl st in sc. You can modify this in so many different ways. The idea is to make this crown point the largest one so you can tell where the front of the crown is.

Work the larger centre point picot (ch 4, sl st in 2nd ch, ch1) in the middle of the shells of the 2 points to the left and right of the centre point.

Enjoy!

Facebook Giveaway…

Want a chance to win one of my hats (newborn to preteen size)?

HERE’S HOW TO ENTER:

• You must be a FACEBOOK FAN to enter for this giveaway – so pop on over and “LIKE” Hatting Madly Crochet on Facebook. Leave a comment HERE on MY BLOG to let me know you’re a new Facebook fan to enter. If you’re already a fan, just leave a comment HERE saying that you’re “already a fan”.

• Having problems leaving a comment? Please contact me via Facebook and I’ll record your entry.

• For ADDITIONAL ENTRIES, share my giveaway on your Facebook page, your Twitter account or your own blog. Please leave a SEPARATE COMMENT for EACH ENTRY and let me know where you shared my giveaway. You need to INCLUDE THE LINK in your comments in order for each “share” to count.

The contest will end Wednesday, November 30th at 8.30pm, and I will choose a winner using Random.org. The winner will be posted HERE no later than Thursday, December 1st, 8.30pm.

Thanks to everyone who participates, and of course, to all my loyal Facebook fans! Good luck!

**This giveaway is neither endorsed by or run by Facebook or any of it’s affiliates and follows all rules and regulations.

Cotton Hats for Summer!

Sooooo, recently I’ve been hatting madly, coming up with my own cotton sunhat designs. Those of you who follow me on Facebook will have had their newsfeeds bombarded with images of my latest and greatest creations in cotton. Cotton is a natural fibre, which means that it is cool and comfortable for summer-wear.

Here’s a selection of the hats you can have made in cotton this summer. They come in a wide range of colours and you can choose your own flower embellishment or applique. For that matter, if you see any other hats in my Facebook photo albums that you would like made in cotton, please by all means just ask!

Free Ruffled Brim Sunhat Pattern…

I get frustrated when I see patterns that are offered for free with the stipulation that you may not sell items made from it. *Sigh….* – that’s just me. No offense intended. Well, you  may rest-assured that the patterns I post on my blog are free, no strings attached.  As long as you don’t copy and sell the pattern as you’re own, then you are free to do what you will with them. If you feel inclined to give me credit for the pattern, go right ahead – if not…. no skin off my nose Anyhoooo…..

Here’s one of my designs, that may or may not need a little fine-tuning once I’ve had an opportunity to test it using cotton. Enjoy!

Hook: 4 mm (G)

Yarn: Worsted weight. I used Redheart to test the pattern – but in future I will be using cotton as it is breathable and cool to wear.

Gauge: 64dc stitches = 50cm (20″) approx. So I guess the gauge is around 12st per 10cm (4″)?

Hat circumference: 50cm (20″) approx – to fit a toddler/small child – my daughter is 3 and a half.

Hat height (body of hat – brim not included) 17cm (6.5″)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Magic circle (or ch2 and work the following row into the 2nd ch from hook)

R1. 10sc into ring (or 2nd ch from hook – depending on what method you used)

R2. ch3 (counts as dc from here forward), dc in same stitch…. then 2dc in each stitch around. Join with sl st to to of beginning chain. (20 dc)

R3. ch3, dc in same stitch, (2dc in next dc, dc in next dc) repeat between brackets around. Join with sl st to to of beginning chain. (30dc)

R4. ch3, dc in same stitch, dc in next 2 stitches, (2dc in next dc, dc in next two dc) repeat between brackets around. Join with sl st to to of beginning chain. (40dc)

R5. ch3, dc in same stitch, dc in next 3 stitches, (2dc in next dc, dc in next three dc) repeat between brackets around. Join with sl st to to of beginning chain. (50dc)

R6. ch3, increase evenly seven times by crocheting twice  in same stitch until you have total of 64 dcs (64dc)

R7. to 10. DC in each st around (64st)

BAND:

R11. to 13. ch3, (dc in prev st, skip st, dc) repeat around… there will be one dc in every st – join with sl st at beginning of row (64sts)

BRIM:

R14. (2dc, dc in next 2 sts) around

R15. (2dc, dc in next 3 sts) around

R16. (2dc, dc in next 4sts) around

R17. (2dc, dc in next 5sts) around

R18. Reverse slip stitch in each st around. (I find the reverse slip stitch gives the brim a nice firm edge. If you are unfamiliar with this stitch, just slip stitch around).

Fasten in ends etc etc…

Hope you have fun with this pattern