Stix Journal

Crochet is such a rewarding skill to learn. You can make hats, sweaters, blankets; the sky is the limit.You can crochet with yarn, wire, twine, fabric strips….anything you can wrap around your hook is fair game! Also, I am rather fond of covering anything that can't run away in a layer of crochet, so don't sit too still for too long next to me.

(Ask this tree, minding its own business in front of our old location)

Today though, I’m going to stick to something basic:

a perfect basic hat crocheted with some cozy wool.

When Stix is running a full class schedule, we always include a version of this basic hat on our class list. It is the perfect thing for a fledgling crocheter to make; it’s made from 2 basic stitches with just the right amount of counting required before cruising to an easy finish. It’s a great way to get a feel for what hook style you enjoy (we carry several different styles, you can see them here) and how you like to manipulate the yarn around your fingers to get good tension. And, you can never really have too many hats, right?

There are two basic ways to crochet a hat in the round: in a true joined circle or in a spiral. The difference isn’t really visible to the uninitiated hat wearer, just to you soon-to-be knowledgeable crocheters. The solid-colored hats you see here are made in a spiral, like a snail shell.

The ends of the round are marked with a removable marker to make it apparent when you have arrived there; the next round will just flow uninterrupted from the previous one. You can see that little “step” or “jog” at the end of that round with the marker in it. Ideally, you will want to smooth that off when you are finished with the hat by joining and working a circular round at the end. (We will tell you how, don’t worry)

The striped hats here have been made in joined rounds rather than spirals.

With this method, at the beginning of each round a chain of the correct height is made, and then the round is worked. At the end of the round after the last stitch has been made, it is joined to the beginning of the round with a slip stitch.

This makes a smooth circle without that little step that you saw on the spiral version. The joined circle method is ideal for making striped hats; the step resulting from a spiral makes for a very jagged transition from one color to the next. 

You can see the difference here.

You can download our free Hat for Every Head pattern here. It is written for four different sizes and includes instructions for the spiral hat with notes on the joined circle striped hat too. You’ll need a size J crochet hook and some bulky-weight yarn to go with your pattern. We used (and adore!) Malabrigo Chunky for the hats pictured above. You can check out the selection in that yarn and some other great bulky choices here. You’ll need just one skein of most of those yarns (about 100 yards) for a solid color hat, or as many skeins as you like if you are going to try some striped ones. If you have some yarn in your stash you might like to use for stripes, you could try doubling up some lighter weight leftovers; two strands of worsted is pretty close to bulky weight. Or try 3 or 4 strands of fingering, it’s fun to blend up your own marled bulky colors!

Grab a hook and some yarn and give it a try! We are here for your questions and we would love to see photos of your finished hats.

Hit us up at contact@stixyarn.com or tag us on Instagram @stixyarn or #stixjournal

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Burning yarn or technique questions we can answer for you? Project ideas? Let us know!