Guide: Simple Rounded Hat II:II

January 03, 2017

Slouchy Loose Hat
You have already made the base of your hat. Now you want a ribbed brim.

And when your hat is done, you want the hat to look smooth and soft without those edgy corners from your increases. Or maybe you want a little decoration?

This post gives you:
  1. Nice tips for doing a ribbed brim
  2. Guidelines for blocking
  3. Tips for making ears
If you didn't read the Guide: A Simple Rounded Hat I:II yet. Go there first.

Brim

I like hats with a somewhat substantial brim. It takes up some of the space where my hair used to be.

A brim could be 4-8 cm wide (1.6-3 inch). I like the wide ones. I also like to have the brim folded. So I might make a brim 14 cm (5.5 inch) wide in total. Then I'll fold it, so 8 cm (3 inch) is shown.

Ribbed Brim

If you want a ribbed brim, you should first decide how long you want it, so you can stop working on the hat length in time. Attach the brim to the hat, while making it. This way you don't loose flexibility.

Read more about Crocheted Ribbing here!

Rib Directions and Attachment

You can work on the ribbing in the same direction as when you crocheted the hat, or you can do it sideways - perpendicular to the hat edge. Like this:
  1. attach the yarn to the hat with a slip stitch
  2. make chains into the air as long as you want the width of the brim
  3. start doing stitches for the brim
  4. every time you reach the hat edge, do a single crochet (or likewise) to secure your brim to the edge. Decrease at the hat edge if the rib should be tighter.
Chart for doing sideways rib

Tip: Count your stitches, when you work sideways. Then you don't accidentally increase/decrease, which is easy to do if you confuse edge stitches with rib stitches.

Changing Color

If you want the ribbing in another color, then consider doing 1 or 2 rows of the new color as part of the regular hat pattern before you start the rib. In some cases this gives you a better transition between the hat and the ribbing.

Flexibility

A brim can be tight for maximum functionality or more loose if used as decoration. But it always needs to be tight enough to not fall down if folded. If you made your hat circumference 5cm (2 inch) smaller than your head, then you might need to make your brim at least 5-10 cm (2 inch) smaller than your head.

Some ribbing - like the Top Stitch Rib - will be super flexible compared to the rest of your hat. A way to make it tighter is by using a smaller hook. (Go down 1-1½mm in size.). And/or decrease at every 3rd-4th stitch when attaching the brim to the hat.

Make a Sample

If possible, make a de-attached 8-10 cm (3-4 inch) long sample before you start on the brim. This will tell you:
  • if you got the right stitch
  • and the right hook size
  • how much it stretches
Different combinations of the above can give you very different looks. With a few exceptions, a tighter work means less flexibility, but also a 'stronger' rib that pulls itself back together better.

Compare your samples and put them next to the hat edge and see how the stitches line up next to each other.

The blue hat (top most image) is a slouchy loose model and fits a small adult. Brim is loose too. I used
  • Hat base: 45 gram (1.6 oz) light blue Arwetta. 210m/50gram (230yards/1.76oz).
  • Hat base: Hook 5 mm (US 8/H, UK 6).
  • Brim: 45 gram (1.6 oz) of a darker blue called 'Helle'. 100% merino wool. 150m/50gram (164 yards/1.76 oz).
  • Brim: hook 4 mm (US 6, UK 8).

Blocking

Block your hat for a better look. I blocked the blue one. Here is a simple way to do it.

Hand wash your hat and remove excess water by rolling it in a towel. Place it on a round surface (It could be a glass bowl on top of a vase). Carefully put it how you want it to be, without stretching it more than necessary. Let it air dry without touching and "Viola!" A not-so-perfect flat circle on the top will look soft and not at all edgy!

Note: Some do steam blocking. Avoid that if you are new to blocking and especially when dealing with 3D stitches like rib.

Bonus: Ears

Make ears for your crocheted hat
Ears and other decoration are - of course - totally optional, but great fun :)

The ears here are made of two triangles each.

How To: Start with a foundation row of chains. Make the row as wide as you want the ear. Make single crochet in rows, increasing once per row.

The triangles can be slip stitched or single crocheted together on the two sides. Inside you can add a tiny bit of fill in matching colors. The fill could be leftover yarn ends.

Finally the ears are sewn on to the hat.

 - - -
If you want to recap on the first hat guide, you can find it here Guide: A Simple Rounded Hat I:II

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