Donating Hats

During the winter months I spend a lot of time spinning and dying wool from my sheep.  Just last week I attended our annual winter spinning festival.  Our spinning guild gets together for 3 wonderful days filled with spinning, workshops, trading ideas, and digging through the many bins of roving (wool prepared and dyed ready to spin) supplied by several of the guild members.  I generally purchase fibers from several of the ladies who bring beautiful products from their animals.( Thanks Jenny for the alpaca).  After turning the mountains of wool into yarn, I needed a project to utilize the yarn.  I have previously spent many years knitting hundreds of baby booties to donate to local hospitals and humanitarian projects.  Then several years ago I also began making these hats to donate to cancer centers, or local homeless shelters.  I scour thrift stores and craft stores for unique yarn to mix with my hand spun yarn to make one of a kind, warm hats.  I have included a simple pattern and hope you will be inspired to make some hats this winter to help others,( while you are keeping warm by the fire).  I package each hat separately along with a hand written note of well wishes, prayers, and hugs. These hats work up very quickly.  I hope to donate over 100 this year! 

HAT PATTERN  medium size

use size I crochet hook and 2 strands of 4 ply yarn

Row 1- chain 8, join with slip stitch.  Chain 3 to begin each new row, count as one double crochet.

Row 2-2 double crochet in each stitch (16 stitches) join

Row 3-*2 double crochet, 1 double crochet, repeat from* (24 stitches) join

Row 4-*2 double crochet, 1 double crochet, 1 double crochet, repeat from*(32 stitches) join

Row 5- repeat above row (44 stitches)

Row 6 -repeat row 4 adding in 3 additional double crochets, should have about 56 stitches (add in more for a larger size)

Row 7-Double crochet in each stitch. (This will begin the sides of the hat) join.

Repeat row 7 until desired length is reached.

BRIM-  if you desire to add a brim, single crochet in each stitch for several rows.  After desired length is reached decrease 3 or 4 stitches by skipping over a stitch.

Add flowers or other embellishments.