Crochet Vintage Flowered Cloche Pattern

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I am proud (and relieved) to finally present to you: the vintage flowered cloche!

This hat has been in the making for years.  Literally, years.  For those of you in the crochet ‘know’, you may recognize this hat, most likely from Anthropologie back in something like 2010.  I saw it online and began my long and arduous journey to try and recreate it myself.  The friggin cluster stitch!  That elusive brim!  Let’s just say I didn’t get very far those first few tries.

A year or two later, imagine my surprise when I saw the very same hat (at least, it looked the same to me) being sold at World Market for a fraction of the cost.  I should have just bought the darn thing and taken it apart, but my stingy Asian self just couldn’t pony up the $16.99, so I made my poor husband take a zillion photos of the hat in store instead.  (“Why are we doing this again?” “JUST TAKE THE PICTURE.”)  More experimenting followed.

Anyhoo, I discovered that my biggest obstacle to success was finding the right kind of yarn.  All of my regular worsted weights were just looking kind of weird.  It turns out that single ply, roving medium weight yarn is really the key to the hat here, and unsurprisingly, really. hard. to. find.  I started out with Berroco Lustra, but was reticent to sell a hat/publish a pattern that required one specific kind of (rather more expensive) yarn that wasn’t easily obtainable.  I like the fancy yarns and all, but I really also like my hats and patterns to be accessible to the ‘regular’ folk that aren’t on first name bases with their local yarn store aficionados, y’know?

Fast forward MORE years later, and finally Caron has come out with its own big-box brand!  Vickie Howell’s Sheep(ish) yarn is a great bargain substitute if you don’t have access to the Lustra (which I’ve found is often discontinued and sometimes still hard to find).  However, my snobby self has to make an appearance and say that comparing the final product of the two brands, Berroco really is sooooo nice.  Use it to make the hat for yourself and the Caron brand for your friends.  There, I said it.

Buy your pattern on Ravelry, Etsy, Craftsy, or this AWESOME direct link below that I just figured out how to do and get vintaging today!

Free Pattern: Knit Slouch Flowered Hat

Hi all! I apologize for being remiss in my blogging – I’ve had this pattern ready to go for weeks, but then suddenly allergies and hives attacked my body and I’ve been doped up on antihistamines and that’s just not the optimal blogging environment.

I have a confession: sometimes (well, a lot of times) I peruse commercial clothing sites and reverse engineer my favorite hat styles.  I even have a list entitled “hat knockoffs”, with plenty of patterns to share with all of you.  This one I found on Zappos – their yarn-based hat selection is ENDLESS!  I’m sure you’ve seen this style before – it’s all over the place on Ravelry etc., but I liked the flower and it was straightforward, so here you go. 

(Ignore the fact that it’s on a male model head – makes for a weird photo prop but whatever.)

Before I continue, I must caveat: this is a knit AND crochet project.  Sorry folks – you will have to embrace your inner ambi-yarner for this one.  Knowing how to do both really isn’t as evil as each side makes it seem.  I think they’re all just slightly jealous so they make the other side seem inferior.  I’m not going to attempt to teach knitters how to crochet or crocheters how to knit for this hat – it’s impossible to do through photos and that’s not the point of this post (or blog). Just please put up with me on this one.  🙂

I researched several grades of ‘chunky’ yarn for this hat.  It appears that the hat itself is made of a *slightly* heavier weight than your typical “size 10 needles” (based on the stitch size and number of rows), which was the vast majority of what I had on hand, but I wrote it up for 1) what I had and 2) what seems to be more readily available.

Before you commit, here’s my version.  Not quite as impressive on a round styrofoam ball but I swear it looks adorable on.  Also, second caveat: this hat isn’t really “slouchy”, as in, it doesn’t pouf out the back.  It fits nicely on the head. I just don’t know how else to describe the “in out” pattern… pancake? cupcake? not as cool, right?

MATERIALS

I used Plymouth Encore Chunky for the hat body in an indiscriminate light blue (actually, it was the free skein I pilfered from the awesome free skein giveaway of yore) and size 10 needles.  The flower was made with Vanna’s Choice (white) with a random wooden button from Joann’s.

PATTERN

With size 10 16″ circular needles, cast on 64 stitches.  Join to work in the round, being careful not to twist your stitches.  *Hint: sometimes I have issues getting the stitches to stretch around to join on the cast on round.  Usually I just knit the first row and by the time I get to the end, it’s now stretchy enough to join, and then I use the tail to sew up the bottom. It doesn’t look much different than the torture of streeeeeetching it out to join in the first round.

Rows 1-10: k2, p2 in rib (or for about 2″)

Rows 11-14: purl all the way around

Rows 15-18: knit all the way around

Rows 19-22: purl all the way around

Rows 23-26: knit all the way around

Rows 27-30: purl all the way around

Begin decrease: *k7, k2 tog*, repeat around

*k6, k2tog*, rep around (at some point you will have to switch to DPNs)

Continue decreasing by one stitch every round (k5, k2tog, k4, k2tog, etc.) until k1, k2tog.  Then k2tog on last round.  Cut off a tail to draw through remaining stitches and fasten off. It’s a bit of a quick decrease so you have a very obvious spiral across the crown of the hat.

FLOWER

Time for the flower.  It’s pretty much my basic crochet flower pattern, with a few additional petals.  There are some tips on that page on keeping the flower flat, how to best sew onto a hat, etc.  I won’t repeat them here but feel free to take a look. I used pink here, cause white on white just doesn’t work.

With worsted weight yarn and H (or I, whatever you prefer) hook, ch4 and sl st to form a loop.  Ch6, dc into loop.  *Ch4, dc into loop*, repeat 3 times. You should have six posts at this point. Sl st to the third ch of your original ch6. You should have a wheel-esque looking contraption, above.

Sl st into the first ‘spoke’. Into each ‘spoke’ of the wheel: *ch1, hdc, 2 dc, hdc, ch1, sl st*. Sl st into next spoke, and repeat.

Turn flower over.  This is the trickiest step, not because it’s difficult at all, but simply because you’re going to be creating eight petals out of a six petal flower.  Basically, you will: *ch4, insert hook, sl st into the back of the petal* and repeat until you have a total of eight loops.  I don’t have any magical methods of making this even – I ended up doing it a few times and ripping it out until the loops were evenly spaced across the back of the flower.  They don’t *have* to be perfectly even if you don’t care – it is a flower, after all, not a dodecahedron.

Turn flower back to the front again.  Repeat the petal row, except increase the number of dc: Into each ‘spoke’ of the wheel: *ch1, hdc, 4 dc, hdc, ch1, sl st*. Sl st into next spoke, and repeat.  You can do 5 dc or whatever you want that will make your flower as big and pretty as you’d like.  Sometimes I increase my hook size for the second row to make the petals bigger as well.  When you’re done, fasten off and leave a long tail to sew flower onto hat.

Sew flower onto hat, sew button to middle of flower, put hat on head, and feel very proud of yourself for completing an ambi-yarning project.  YES!!

Crochet Daisy Tutorial

Good morning yarning friends!  Today I’m going to walk you through a super easy crochet daisy tutorial.  I came up with this flower several years ago in my first few months of rediscovering crochet, and I thought it was time to revive it.  It’s a pretty cute flower – the only gripe I have is sewing it on, since the petals are a bit floppy and since I’m anal retentive I tack each. one. on.  But the end results are well worth it!

(Personally I think the hat itself is kind of ridiculous, since it’s really not a hat but a doily, but if you want a pattern, I can probably figure it out again.)

Okay, to start: you’ll need daisy colored yarn (I used white and yellow) and your crochet hook of choice.  This flower is easily adaptable to different weights.

Start with yellow yarn.  If your dc are 3 ch high, ch4.  If they are 2 ch high, ch3.  12 dc into the first ch.  You could also use magic ring, but I never really figured it out and crocheting into the first ch always worked just fine for me.  Sl st to first st.

Switch to white yarn.  Sl st and ch8. (9, if your dc are 3 ch high).  Starting on 3 ch from hook (or 4, if you have 9 ch), you’ll crochet into the remaining six ch: 3 dc, 2 hdc, 1 sc.  Make sense?  You’ll have three stitches of dc, two stitches of hdc, one stitch of sc, six stitches total.

When you reach the end of the petal, sl st into the very next st of yellow (see arrow above).  Ch 8 (or 9) and repeat petal.

Again, you’ll be sl st into the very next st when you are finished.  You’ll end up with 12 petals of six st (3 dc, 2 hdc, 1 sc).
Completed daisy.  Sl st the white yarn to the first petal, fasten off yarn, leaving a looooong white tail to sew onto desired project.

Hope this tutorial makes sense, and if not, you know where to find me!  🙂  Good luck and happy daisy-ing!

Crochet Chunky Flowered Cloche Pattern

I made up this pattern a few winters ago after a failed attempt to replicate a crocheted beanie/toque I’d found at Nordstrom Rack, made by some fancy jeans company – Seven for all mankind or lucky or something else I’ve never purchased.  I spent weeks creating the pattern, and when I finally perfected it, I proudly put it up for distribution, only to have the mass majority of people comment that they “didn’t know how to wear slouchy hats”.  Noses were turned up, hats sat forlornly on shelves.

So, a few months after said failed sales attempt, I took apart one of the hats and recreated a ‘regular, smash down on my head’ hat that I could wear out and about.  Ironically, for all the hats I had made, none really fit me or looked good on me, and my head was getting cold!  It was charcoal gray, very neutral, but I liked how the chunky yarn made my really huge head look not-so-huge.  Seems rather counterintuitive but there you go.  I distinctly remember waiting at Good Stuff Eatery in Washington, D.C. after work for a friend’s birthday gathering, and out of excessive boredom, I whipped out a ginormous mustard flower. It was a hugely bold move for me (large statement pieces + large heads = extreme fashion failure)… I even left all the strings on the flower dangling and shoved them inside the hat for weeks, ready to rip it out at any moment.

The summary of said experience since, however, is as follows: of all the hats I’ve ever carefully crafted, designed, tested, modeled, sold, displayed, etc., this hat, by FAR, has received the most compliments, “where did you get that”s, and “Can I please buy one” than any other I’ve ever made.  I suppose I should pay closer attention to supply and demand and provide on a more timely manner.

However, timely or not timely, here’s the pattern, available for your own fine creation, and modified to also include children and baby sizes.  Hooray children and baby sizes!  (Make a matching set for mommy and daughter – I’ve witnessed the cooings firsthand!)

Buy your pattern from Etsy, Ravelry, or Craftsy.  Email me at classycrochet@gmail.com with any questions.  Enjoy!

How to: Quick Rosette Flower

Here’a super simple pattern for a rosette crochet flower.  They’re cute and really fast to make, and add a classic or whimsical touch to your finished projects.  You can use any weight yarn and any size hook.  For this tutorial I’m using regular worsted weight yarn and a size I (5.5mm) hook.

This pattern is SUPER adaptable.  Chain any length you want for a bigger flower, go up a hook size, etc.  The sky’s the limit!

ch25

The basic premise is, you’ll be crocheting two stitches into each chain. I like to start off smaller, so 2 hdc into the next three ch, then I switch up to 2 dc into each of the next 8 or so ch. If you want to go wild, you can increase even more to 2 tdc into the next 5 ch, then back down to 2 dc for the next 8 ch, then back down to 2 hdc for the last two chs. Your project will curl around like so. Fasten off, leaving long tail to stitch the flower together and attach to projects.

Arrange your curl around so it looks like a nice rosette.

Using long tail, stitch the rosette into place. I like to make sure my stitches go through the foundation ch on each layer (white arrows) so the petals are secure. Fasten off with a long chain to sew onto project.

If you use 100% wool to make the rosette, they felt up beautifully. You can attach a 1″ pin or 1″ French clip on the back to fasten to projects.

And that’s it!  Awesome flower, done in no time, very versatile… what more could you ask for?

How to: Basic Crochet Flower

I’ve been making this flower forEVER and have done a zillion variations on it – hook size, number of stitches per petal, number of petals per flower, etc.  It’s extremely versatile and is fantastic for a last minute embellishment on any of your awesome yarn accessories.  You can sew it directly onto your project, or I have also lined the back with a felt circle and French clip for a removable accessory.  The possibilities are endless!

For this tutorial I’m using just a basic worsted weight yarn and a size I hook.

Row 1: ch4, sl st to form a loop. *ch3, sl st into loop* repeat 5 times for a total of six ch3 loops. This forms the basis for your first row of petals.

Row 2: Sl st, ch1 into first ch3 loop. In each loop: hdc, dc, hdc, ch1, sl st. Sl st, ch1 into next loop and repeat.

Finished first round of petals.

Row 3: ch1, turn flower over. *Insert hook, sl st into middle of the back of the petal. Ch4.* Repeat * five times – 6 ch4 loops.

Finished row 3. The ch4 loops provide the base of the next row of petals.

Row 4: Sl st, ch1 into first ch4 loop. In each loop: hdc, 3 dc, hdc, ch1, sl st. Sl st, ch1 into next loop and repeat. If you want to be done at this point, fasten off and leave a long tail to sew onto your finished project. OR…

If you want to go big and keep going, repeat rows 3-4, increasing the ch loop to 5 and dc in each petal to 5. Usually at this point it’s big enough but you can always add another row for extreme flower awesomeness.

Some tips I’ve picked up over the years:

• When I sew the flower on, I fasten around the loops of the edges of the petals of each row, but in the last row (with the largest petals) I also sew a tiny stitch into the middle of each petal.  This keeps the flower from curling up, and then it looks a lot smaller.
• I prefer to leave the long tail for fastening at the beginning (before you ch4 into a loop) and work my way out when I fasten, but that’s a matter of preference.
• If you do choose to attach the flower to a clip, depending on how big the flower to clip ratio is, I tend to attach the clip towards the ‘top’ of the flower in the back.  This way the flower doesn’t flop over and look very sad.
• If you want to make it bigger, you can just increase the hook size.  I’ve gone all the way up to a K hook on the last row of petals and added a few extra dcs in each petal.

The quick and dirty typed out pattern:

Row 1: ch4, sl st to form a loop. *ch3, sl st into loop* repeat 5 times for a total of six ch3 loops. This forms the basis for your first row of petals.

Row 2: Sl st, ch1 into first ch3 loop. In each loop: hdc, dc, hdc, ch1, sl st. Sl st, ch1 into next loop and repeat.

Row 3: ch1, turn flower over. *Insert hook, sl st into middle of the back of the petal. Ch4.* Repeat * five times – 6 ch4 loops.

Row 4: Sl st, ch1 into first ch4 loop. In each loop: hdc, 3 dc, hdc, ch1, sl st. Sl st, ch1 into next loop and repeat. If you want to be done at this point, fasten off and leave a long tail to sew onto your finished project. OR…

Row 5: repeat rows 3-4, increasing the ch loop to 5 and dc in each petal to 5.