I decided to foray away from blankets for a minute and crochet something else. This, the Regency Hat from this book is one of those things that’s so crazy it just might work. It’s made with chunky yarn and a relatively small hook, so as to make a tight fabric that will hold its shape. As I was working on it, as it got more and more pointy and helmet-like, as it became practically a vessel you could use to haul water from the well, I kept thinking it would either be hilariously ridiculous or outrageously awesome, and actually it turns out to be a little of both. It’s a mash-up of Holly Hobbie and Elizabeth Darcy, with a hint of Rudy from Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids. It’s an oversize newsboy cap with a kind of prairie girl flavor; Laura Ingalls, working in an ice-cream shop.
I don’t know anything about fashion, but this feels like it could be incredible, though it might require a certain look to pull it off—hence my use of the beautiful mermaid-like daughter as a model, because when I put it on myself, with my short hair and severe, smart-girl statement glasses, everyone in the house completely cracked up. It fell down over my eyes and the girl’s BFF said, in an incredulous tone, “Who is that for?” I said, “probably nobody!” and then we put it on the girl and a hush fell over us, and he said, “Oh. Yeah.” It looks good on her. Everything does, you know. Oh, to be twenty-one. 
I did some tinkering with the pattern. I made a hat according to the instructions, and even though I got gauge, it turned out teeny, perching on my head like an army utility cover, which is fine if that’s the result you want, but I wanted mine to be bigger and more dramatic. I unraveled it and tried again, using two strands of the already-chunky yarn (This is Berocco Vintage Chunky, color 6121) held double, and a US J hook, and the end result was so close, slightly too big, but I solved that by running a twisted yarn tie through the band and tying it in the back. Nothing about the instructions for the brim made any sense, including the errata, so I tore that out too, and just hooked what looked good. It’s still just slightly too big for my child-size head, and I think I could get it right on a third try, but this is enough for now. I also went rogue and used a different flower—this is my favorite crocheted flower pattern of all time. A couple of those makes everything look like a birthday cake.
See how it stands up all by itself? This hat will keep the wind out.
Always willing to be a clown, this girl. She’s so great.
Whoops!
Cozy. Crazy. Nobody else will have one like it, and I think it’ll get looks when I wear it, different looks than the looks she will get if she wears it, but you know, that’s pretty much true of everything.
