Beret!

Yesterday, I got a big old US size 15/10.00mm crochet needle, and I was so excited that I set to work right away crocheting a hat. Since I'm not terribly skilled yet, I had some bumps along the way and had to restart at one point, because my hat was curling into a tight little bowl at just four rounds in. Yikes! Once I set about it again, it really worked out. 

As soon as I finished it, I grabbed my boyfriend and we took the photos. Yes, I look tired. Yes, this was taken in my bathroom. Yes, I'm not the best model ever. Yes, I'm in comfortable clothes that don't really suit the hat. But this isn't about fashion! It's about creativity (and a little bit of insanity!)

Now then, I'll tell you how I made it:

Materials:   US size 15/10.00mm crochet hook

                    US size 6/4.25mm crochet hook

                    Yarn needle

                    About 1/2 skein of yarn (I had some leftover from a previous project -- that's how little this uses!)

                    Some contrasting buttons (Yellow in my case)

Abbreviations Glossary: 

sc: single crochet

dc: double crochet

ss: slip stich

dc dec: double crochet decrease

v-stitch: double crochet in stitch, chain one, double crochet in same stitch. This will create a "V" shape (photo below).

Now then. I completed this in about seven to eight hours of crocheting time, over two days, with a ton of distractions. those who are better and faster than me can probably do it in half the time.

One really nice thing about the huge needle is that you can make really nice, big holes without much effort. The key is to crochet loosely, so that it all flows nicely.

To start, chain five, and use a slip stitch to join the round. 

Round 1: Chain 3, dc, v-stitch four times around the ring (You should have five distinct "V's" or holes), ss to join.

Round 2: Chain 3, dc in same hole, v-stitch in each of the remaining four holes of previous round (You should end up with nine "V's"), ss to join round.

Round 3-16: Chain 3, dc in same hole, v-stitch in every other hole (that is, skip the "V's" from the previous round and make a v-stitch in the "spacer" holes), ss to join rounds.

Round 17&18: Use dc dec across entire round, using ss to join rounds.

Round 19-26: Switch to smaller needle, sc across entire round, ss to join rounds. 

Tie off and hide ends.

Sew buttons.

And that's it. It's pretty simple. A few notes:

• I wanted this quite slouchy, so I carried on for a while before I started decreasing. You can adjust your rows up and down according to slouchiness desired. The best method to determine when you're finished with the main part of the hat is just to place it over your head, where you'd like it to sit. Once you're satisfied with the length, start to decrease.
• I only needed two rows of decreasing to get the hat to my size, but you may need more or less. Test the hat after each row to determine if it's reached your ideal size or not.
• Because the dc dec creates rather large stitches with such a big needle, I used multiple sc stitches across the first row, using the smaller needle. You can adjust this to your own preference.
• I wanted a nice wide brim to sit on my head so I could embellish it, but you don't have to use one; in fact, I found it was a suitable length for non-embellishment at about 4-5 rounds of sc.
• Make sure you work loosely! If it starts to really curl up within just a few rows, you may need to start over. That sort of cupping is nice on a beanie, but you want a nice level start for a beret!

This is what your holes should look like. Keep in mind that this photo was taken down the length of the hat, so check your work similarly.

I'm super excited about this hat. It will be really nice to wear with some of the grays and blues in my wardrobe, especially when the warmer weather hits!

If you have any comments or questions about this pattern, feel free to ask me!