Ahhhhh, crochet. For the last few years, most of my non-academic hobbies have fallen to the wayside in favor of a set of hooks and tons of luscious yarn. As I've been writing my dissertation, I decided that I needed to set the yarn aside and really focus, but honestly, I realized that the creative energy I generate by making and designing hats, scarfs and gloves actually helps to supplement the creative energy I need in order to think about my research and write well. So... back to the yarn! (Thank goodness - that was a boring few months!)
Recently, I realized that I didn't have a Christmas present ready for my step-mom and looked over my stash and patterns. Last year I designed a cowl called the Riffles and Runs cowl (pattern to be posted soon!), and hooked up in soft and squishy Bernat Alpaca and in a gorgeous plum color it's the perfect gift for her! So I whipped that up in a couple of hours - it's a super easy pattern. It needed a matching hat though, and for that I needed to come up with a pattern. The things I wanted: The signature riffles and runs texture, a bottom-to-top pattern with smooth decreases to shape the top of the hat, and a super-stretchy band for ultimate comfortableness.
I ended up with a fantastic hat! And I'd hate for you not to have one of your own, so here is the pattern for ya! (You can also download this in pdf format from my pattern shop, The Ivy Killers Designs, at Ravelry.com for $1.99. This helps offset my costs for pattern development and helps me keep offering patterns for free!) There is a "messy bun"/ponytail version and a full beanie version. And add a pom pom on top if you want!
