Beacon Street Cloche
I designed this hat to be warm enough for walking to work in a Boston winter and have enough of a brim to keep the rain off my glasses. I have made many versions of this hat to give as gifts, and it is always well-received. The beauty of it is that you can shrink it to any head size. The problem with fulling crocheted items, of course,is that the fabric doesn't shrink symmetrically. That made designing this feltedcloche something of a challenge, overcome only by trial, error and much cursing. The misshapen remnants of my hat experiments litter my apartment.
The finished pattern is well worth it, however. This hat works up in only one ball of Paton's Classic Wool Merino, making it very cost effective. Other feltable yarns work well, also. For a wonderfully fuzzy version of this hat, try Lamb's Pride worsted-weight wool/mohair blend. This hat is really a blank slate that you can use to add any kind of artistry to, such as hatband, beads, buttons, embroidery, or anything else you can think of.
Materials
1 ball Patons Classic Merino or about 220 yards (200m) worsted-weight feltable yarn Size H (5mm) crochet hook.
Gauge
Gauge is not important, since we will be felting this fabric Skills you will need Crochet in the round slip st (sl) chain stitch (ch) half-double crochet (hdc)
Instructions
Begin with a slip-knot that can be tightened by tugging on the \*tail\* yarn. You will use this to tighten your beginning loop after the crocheting is done. Round 1. ch 3, hdc 7 in third chain from hook, 8 sts made (counting two chains as an hdc). sl in the third chain st to join. 2. ch 2, hdc 1 in top chain of previous row's ch2, hdc2 in each st around (7 times), sl into second ch of ch2 to join (16 sts, including ch2). 3. ch 2, hdc 1 in top chain of previous row's ch2, hdc 1 in first stitch, \* hdc2 in next st, hdc1 rep from \* around (7 times), sl to join (24 sts). Beacon Street Cloche Apr 05th 2008 (v1.4) Copyright @ Eleanor Howe 4. ch 2,hdc 1 in top chain of previous row's ch2, hdc 2, \* hdc2 in next st, hdc 2, rep from \* around (7 times), sl to join (32 sts). 5. ch 2, hdc 1 in top chain of previous row's ch2, hdc 3, \* hdc2 in next st, hdc 3, rep from \* around (7 times), sl to join (40 sts). 6. ch 2, hdc 1 in top chain of previous row's ch2, hdc 4, \* hdc2 in next st, hdc 4, rep from \* around (7 times), sl to join (48 sts). 7. ch 2, hdc 1 in top chain of previous row's ch2, hdc 5, \* hdc2 in next st, hdc 5, rep from \* around (7 times), sl to join (56 sts). 8. ch 2, hdc 1 in top chain of previous row's ch2, hdc 6, \* hdc2 in next st, hdc 6, rep from \* around (7 times), sl to join (64 sts). 9. ch 2, hdc 1 in top chain of previous row's ch2, hdc 7, \* hdc2 in next st, hdc 7, rep from \* around (7 times), sl to join (72 sts). 10. ch 2, hdc 1 in top chain of previous row's ch2, hdc 8, \* hdc2 in next st, hdc 8, rep from \* around (7 times), sl to join (80 sts).
11. ch 2, hdc 1 in top chain of previous row's ch2, hdc 19, \* hdc2 in next st, hdc 19, rep from \* around (3 times), sl to join (84 sts). 12. ch 2, hdc 1 in top chain of previous row's ch2, hdc 20, \* hdc2 in next st, hdc 20, rep from \* around (3 times), sl to join (88 sts). 13. ch 2, hdc 1 in top chain of previous row's ch2, hdc 21, \* hdc2 in next st, hdc 21, rep from \* around (3 times), sl to join (92 sts). Rounds 14-28. ch 2, do not hdc 1 in top chain of previous row's ch2, hdc around, sl to join (92 sts). 29. ch 2, hdc around, increasing by four sts evenly around, sl to join (96 sts) 30. ch 2, hdc around, increasing by four sts evenly around, sl to join (100 sts) 31. ch 2, hdc around, increasing by four sts evenly around, sl to join (104 sts)
Fulling (or felting)
There are many ways to felt fabric, but the easiest way for me is to toss the item in the washing machine with a little detergent and an old pair of jeans for agitation. Keep a very close eye on it, though, because if you over-felt it you will never stretch it back out again to the right size. Keep trying the hat on, even if your hair gets soaking wet. When it's the right size, pull it out and block it to the shape you want. Let it dry and brush it with a felt brush to give it a really nice texture. Enjoy! -L Beacon Street Cloche Apr 05th 2008 (v1.4) Copyright @ Eleanor Howe
