Toddlers spiral plarn hat

I remade my nephews hat deeper so it would stay on his head better.

I used 11 bags cut 1/2" and h hook.

I started out with a magic circle and worked in a spiral.
Rounds were marked with safety pins so I would know where I started plus I tend to lose track of counting so the pins were a visual reminder where I was.

About halfway through I turned the hat inside out to make working on it easier and left it like that when I was done.

Rounds for top or crown of hat

1. 6 SC, mark
2. 12 SC, mark
3. 24 SC, mark
4. *2 SC increase, then 2 SC* repeat 6 times?
5. *2 SC inc, then 4sc* repeat 6 times
6. *2 sc inc, then 8 sc* repeat 4 times, then 5 sc 
7. *2 sc inc, then 12 sc* repeat 3 times?, then 2sc incr
8. *14 sc, then 2sc inc* repeat 3 times?
9. *16 sc, then 2sc inc* repeat 2 times, then 14 sc
10. *2sc inc, then 18 sc* repeat 2 times, then 14 sc (I let it start to curl here)
11. *2sc inc, then 20 sc* repeat 2 times, then 2sc inc, then 10 sc
12. *10 sc, then 2sc inc* repeat 5 times, mark 

Measures about 6 1/4" in diameter

Rounds for Side of hat
Approximately 60 HDC for about 9 rounds or 3"

Rounds for Brim of hat
These rounds were unequal stitches as I didn't count stitches. I just worked till I got near or just past safety pin mark. I worked until the brim was about 2 1/2" long. Ending up stopping hdc about 3 st before safety pin, then did 2 sc to finish last round.

1. *2hdc inc, then 5 hdc* repeat until get near or just past marked spot
2. *2hdc inc, then 6 hdc* repeat
3. * 2hdc inc, then 7 hdc* repeat
4. * 2hdc inc, then 8 hdc* repeat
5. * 2hdc inc, then 9 hdc* repeat
6. * 2hdc inc, then 11 hdc* repeat

Here's my notes.

Started on 6/8/14
Finished 6/29/14
Worked on while keeping husband company so maybe about 2 hours per week while distracted.

Creative Crochet Originals, Volume Two by Cora Nasa Rattle

Vantage Press, New York
copyright 1993 by Cora NasaRattle
isbn: 0-533-10360-6
Library of congress catalog Card No.: 92-90893

Instructions are in American abbreviations. Appear clear. Nice black and white photos. Nice B/W drawings of stitches. Gives basic concentrated 2:1 sugar:water solution recipe for stiffening projects.

Table of contents
Acknowledgements
Introduction
General information
Afghans and Matching Pillows p. 4
Bedspreads and Shams p. 40
Tablecloth and Centerpiece p. 49
Crochet Crafts p.58

Illustrations

General Instructions p. 125
Abbreviations p. 127

Crochet Instructions/Basic Stitches p. 128
Chain, SC, DC, Hdc, TC
Slip st, puff st, popcorn st, picot
Shell st
Basic Afghan st
basic, loop & knot fringes
Binding off row
cross-stitch embroidery on afghan stitch

TC lace with 4TC shell, 4TC decrease, TC V-stitch

4 ply lavender yarn
k hook

TC decrease:
Hold back last loop of each stitch while TC in each stitch indicated.
YO (yarn over), pull through all loops on hook.
Sometimes TC (Triple crochet) is abbreviated TR for treble crochet.

a beginner's book of Knitting and Crocheting by Xenia Ley Parker

Dodd, Mead & Company, New York
Drawings by Olga Ley
Photos & additional drawings by Xenia Ley Parker
copyright 1974 Xenia Ley Parker
isbn: 0-396-06862-6
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 73-11990

Black & white photos, line drawings. Directions in American abbreviations only. Patterns are crowded without separating out each individual row instructions. However pattern instructions seem OK where I could probably figure them out. Extensive detail in describing stitches. I found the instructions for the textured pattern stitches confusing so drew them out in European symbol style.

Cover- Peach background, title in brown on upper third, colored pencil drawing of knitter, author on bottom. Back cover has colored pencil drawings of crochet projects.

ch 1, It's easier than you think, p. 9 (Introduction)
ch 2, Yarns, wools and fibers, p. 11

• ply, 
• types of yarn: knitted worsted, sport yarn, fingering yarns, rug, bulky, novelty (boucle, chenille, metallic, space dyed, multicolored)
• other materials to crochet: heavy kite string, raffia, soutache, thin leather strips
• wool, want mothproofed, colorfast and preshrunk, hand wash wool articles
• angora, mohair
• cotton
• rayon, acrylic fiber, nylon, blends
• choose yarn first as it determines which size needles or hooks you use

(At this time I am only interested in crocheting so skipped the knitting sections.)
ch 3 Needles and tools to knit with, p. 16
ch 4 Let's get started, p. 21
ch 5, the basics of construction, p. 42
ch 6, patterns and figure stitches, p. 63

ch 7, crochet materials and tools, p.87; hooks & sizes

ch 8,  the first stitch and more, p. 89 (Very detailed stitch instructions.)

•  holding hook, pencil hold
• foundation chain, SC, ending
• DC, TC, hdc, sl st
• guage

ch 9, things you'll need to know, p. 106

• increase at turning chain, 2 st in one st either in row or at ends, by adding a chain
• decrease by skipping st at beginning or end of row, 1 st into 2 stitches
• ending, blocking, joining yarn, 
• joining crochet sections; crochet together SC or sl st or sew together
• button holes
• round crochet
• don't have to worry about dropped stitches
• how to read a pattern, American crochet symbols and meaning, commas separate individual steps or stitches, asterisks or parentheses for repeats

ch 10, textured stitches, afghans, and designs, p. 120

• textured; work in spaces, 
• afghans, motifs; granny square

ch 11, the finished article- what now?, p. 130

•  blocking
• fringe, tassels, pom-poms
• cleaning and care; handwash, don't wring, lay flat, don't hang, minimum folds in drawer

ch 12, make these by hook or needle, p. 136

• scarf, cap, poncho, pillows, potholders, slippers, pocket book

index, p. 151

Thoughts on learning crochet stitches

My favorite stitch to use is HDC, half double crochet. It's fast and fills in nice. I also like to use SC, single crochet, and DC, double crochet occasionally.  I tend to just make hats, slippers, socks, baby blankets, and rugs. Lately I have been making things out of plarn. Currently I am working on another plarn kids summer hat. I'm making the side deeper so hat is more likely to stay on. I think I could make a cowboy shaped hat by starting with an oval. That might be next hat project.

My goal has been to learn new stitches. Sometimes it's hard because directions in American abbreviations can be confusing. So I usually draw them out in European symbol language. Sometime stitch directions have both but not all the time.

Usually American directions are all crowded together without being separated out in rows. There really aren't many directions so far in European but the ones that I have seen often drop the stitches down into the row which mimics the final crochet appearance when stitches hang down in a row. I find that confusing too. So I use the lines of my notebook to keep each row separate when re-writing in European symbols.

Lately I have been learning a lot of lacy stitches. Not sure I like them or what I would use them for. However I will just keep learning and recording what I am learning.

Here's a box of my crochet samples. I stuff the samples in a labeled old bill envelope sliced open at the top and folded in half. I'm not sure what I will do once the box is full. I can keep it for a little while but I have limited storage here. Maybe I can crochet them together into a wall hanging?

Better Homes and Gardens Crocheting & Knitting

50-plus projects for your home
Traditional and Contemporary designs with easy-to-follow patterns.

editorial director: Don Dooley
copyright 19777 by Meredith Corporation, Des Moines, Iowa
Library of congress Catalog Card Number: 76-47271
isbn: 0-696-00155-1

Cover; Background of mostly reddish granny squares and motifs in an afghan. Title in white, 2 fonts. White insert with photo of staged granny square sampler afghan. 

Short introduction at beginning of each chapter. full staged, color pictures of finished pieces. Directions are in American abbreviations and run together but seem pretty complete. Basic line drawings to illustrate concepts, design, and stitches. Sometimes graphs are used to illustrate basic design.

Chapter 1- Afghans, p. 4-23

Chapter 2- For your table, p. 24-35

• Tablecloths, place mats, napkin rings, table toppers

Chapter 3 - For your bedroom, p. 36-53

• bed covers, pillows, canopy, valance, coverlets, throws

 Handcrafted Rugs, p. 54-67

• jute, patchwork, rag, shaker design, scatter

Accessories, p. 68-85

• Doily, table mat, chair set, baskets, pillows, curtains

 Glossary, p. 86-95

• Granny square sampler afghan
• Basic crochet stitches, sl knot, foundation chain, SC, DC, sl st
• Basic Knitting Stitches

 Designers and Acknowledgments, p. 96

Shell columns, combo of DC, SC and chains

K hook
4 ply lavender yarn
Multiple of 11 + 8 for chain

4 row lace, combo of DC, V stitch, SC and chain stitches

k hook
lavender 4 ply yarn

(Whenever I look at a pattern written in American abbreviations I usually put change the abbreviations to European symbols. It's easier for me to understand and see what I need to do.)

Shell or Scallop Stitch

I had a really difficult time getting the right number of stitches in base chain.
Once I got that it was an ok not too hard stitch.
Multiple of 6
k hook, lavender 4 ply yarn

Open Squares, combo of DC and chains

multiple of 4 st
k hook, 4 ply lavender yarn

Row 1: 6 ch, dc into 9th ch from hook, *3ch, skip 3 ch of base, 1 dc into 4th ch* repeat, 3 ch to turn
Row 2: *3 ch, 1 dc into dc of previous row* repeat 3 ch to turn

Louisa Calder's Creative Crochet by Louisa Calder and Mary Konior

Penguin Books Ltd, Harmondsworth, Midlesex, England
First published & copyright 1979
isbn: 0 14 04 6 370 4

Cover, 3x12 grid with title in center grid and pictures of crochet pieces in other grids.

Table of contents not separated into chapters?

Nice color pictures. Line drawings to illustrate stitches and techniques at end of book. Directions run all together to save space. not separated out in rows and are more of a guide. Main stitch used in American single crochet (known in England as double crochet.) Everything is worked in 2 dimensions (flat) and then joined to make tubes and other 3 D shapes.)

p. 7 Introduction

• discusses artist and how she works
• mentions learning concepts and design
• craft of crochet
• historical development
• designing with color, primaries, secondaries, tints, complementary, color preferences, unequal color proportions more interesting
• Designing with crochet theory, article should suit it's purpose, logical scale (lighter yarn for small object, thicker yarn for big object), decoration
• Designing with crochet - practice. Can plan out on graph paper.

p. 17 purses, handbags
p. 35 neckties
p. 39 bonnets, caps, hats
p. 45 belts
p.48 buttons
p. 50 gloves, mittens
p. 69 tea cosies, serviette rings
p. 74 hairbands, choker, head ribbons, bracelets
p.81 cushion covers, slip-on cases & covers
p. 90 pin cushions
p. 92 slipper socks
p. 96 booties, pram or cot covers
p. 102 table mats, rugs, wall hangings

p. 118 Materials and equipment

• hooks
• comparison of hook sizes (American vs International Standard Range)
• yarns, plied, "tight or high twist... less likely to be split by the hook during work." plies are not standard sizes, twisted strands vary in size. Splicing yarn, spinning

p. 123 Basic techniques

• holding hook; pen, knife
• holding yarn, controling tension
• how to begin, slip knot, foundation or cast-on chain. slip knot on hook not counted when counted when counting stitches
• DC (American SC), TC(Am DC), double Treble(Am TC), Half Treble(Am hdc)
• sl st- jointing work, decreasing at beginning of row
• increasing/decreasing
• working in rounds, spiral, concentric rings, how to work flat
• tubular rounds
• ridged crochet
• multiple colors, wind one color on each hand, "similar to fair isle knitting technique"
• Develop speed by working both hands at once, both hand holding hook and hand holding piece.
• Left handers can use mirror to reverse pictures
• crocheting with one hand
• dealing with ends
• seaming using SC
• drawstring chains with 2-3 strands. 
• attaching ornaments (beads)
• applique crochet motifs

Bibilography
Index

Checked Stitch, a combo of DC and chains

Multiple of 6. Easy. Fast.
K hook, lavender 4 ply yarn

Row1

• 6 chain, 3 dc into 9th, 10th and 11th st from hook
• *3 ch, skip 3 cht on base, 3dc* repeat, ch 3 turn

Row 2

• *3 ch, 3 dc into space* repeat, ch 3

Carry-Along Crochet by Leslie Linsley

Sedgewood Press, New York, NY
copyright 1985 by Leslie Linsley Enterprises
distributed by Macmilan publishing Company, a division of Macmillan, Inc.
isbn 0-02-296760-2
library of congress catalog card number: 84-52786

Instead of playing on your smart phone you can crochet instead in the little spaces when you are waiting. Nice layout with index. Nice pictures. Clear instructions in American abbreviations. Projects look like they'd be fun to do. Some are short while others like the afghans will take more time.

Notes about the book layout:
Cover: Background is a crocheted, granny square, all white afghan against peach background, with Title and author name in red on top 3rd. (Not a very good contrast, probably would be hard to see as thumbnail.) bottom third has picture inserted with selected crochet pieces. staged.

List of craft contributors on title page

introduction + 5 chapters + source list and index

Introduction p. 6

• brief history (2 paragraphs)
• Why people crochet
• Why "carry-along crochet"

Chapter 1 - Getting started in crochet, p. 11
Drawn illustrations with written explanation of stitches.

• ch st, sc, fastening off
• dc, hdc, tc, double tc, 
• turning (discusses number of chains at end of row. e.g sc, ch2; dc, ch3; tc, ch 4
• slip st, joining rounds, working in spaces, afghan stitch, picot
• increasing & decreasing sc
• yarns, 
• choosing yarn (knitted worsted, sport weight, fingering/baby yarns, bulky yarns, wool, cotton, acrylic)
• gauge, types of hooks, 
• crochet abbreviations (beg, bet, ch, cl, dec, dc, dtr, hdc, inc, lp, MC, pc, rep, rnd, sc, sk, sl st, sp, st, tog, tr, yo, *)
• adding a new color, joining crochet, crochet edges, blocking
• making pom-poms

Chapter 2 - For your home, p. 25
Colored pictures of finished projects staged to look nice.
Directions are written out Materials, Hook, Rnds

• pot holders, place mats, afghans, towel edgings....

Chapter 3 - Personally Yours, p. 55

• sweater jacket , hat, cap, shawl, bags, sweater, slippers

Chapter 4 - Treasures for  tots, p 87

• sweater set, puppets, dolls? toys, blankets
• Infant's dress, hat & booties

Chapter 5 - Bazaar Best sellers, p. 133
Some line drawings in instructions to illustrate how to put things together

• ornaments
• dog coat
• note cards
• mittens
• sachet
• toys

Source list (for where to buy yarn), p 166
Index, p. 167

5 row Lace with chains, SC, & DC

Multiple of 4 + 2 ch