Solstice Slouch

Don't those look like the colors of winter? I've crocheted a slouchy hat that I hope will make me feel a bit more in the mood for frosty. After all, the weather here has been unseasonably cold! Mornings at the Red Barn have been quite cool, the horses are fresh. The color combination reminds me of crisp snowy mornings with clear skies. Or the frothy ocean waves rolling in - especially that pretty forest green in the center. So I've named it Winter Waves. It seems kind of funny to name each and every project, but I keep track of my yarnwork on Ravelry so I try to come up with creative names just to keep it fun. Totally not taking myself seriously, here.

This project is another one of those satisfyingly quick work-ups in cotton yarn that I had in my stash. I looked around on Ravelry and settled on this (free!) Autumn Slouch pattern. I thought about doing a more complex design, but a variegated yarn calls for simple, in my opinion. The crossed double crochet gives the fabric a nice texture without looking busier than the colors already do. This yarn is a self-striping colorway from Lily, and the colors are my favorite part. I kind of wish the stripes were a little thicker around this hat, but the color change every row or so works out ok, too.

As soon as I let the ball drop to the floor, Newton (the new kitten) was on it in a flash. Jack wasn't a playful kitten (nor is he a playful cat), so I've never actually seen a cat play with yarn before. It was hilarious! But, Dave quickly realized that in a few more minutes the ball would be an unredeemable tangled mess, so we stopped that. 

To achieve the desired amount of slouch I added 2 more repeats of the pattern where the option was indicated. It's just enough to achieve a jaunty looking hat without it hanging down to my shoulders. 

I've been wearing this hat all evening since I finished it. It's quite warm and hasn't slipped off my head once! This is a peeve of mine with some hats, especially if I leave my hair loose. Maybe my head is shaped funny. I am hoping this doesn't stretch out of shape. It might because it's all cotton, but I'll just hope we avoid that. Fingers crossed. Other than that consideration (oversight) I'm pleasantly surprised at just how much I like this hat!