Gege Crochet Double Feature

At long last!  The 2 videos (actually 4 because of the length) are finally up!  Now I can finally tackle that mountain in my bedroom known as the laundry pile.  When my Mister starts his own load of laundry, I know it's bad....

Home Alone With Watermelons and Pixels

Yayayay! I had the day off yesterday which was AWESOME. It was awesome, my friends, because I was home....ALONE! Woot! No cabin feverish hubby or chattering sis to interrupt me. Oh, don't get me wrong- I love them both to bits, but sometimes you just gotta have alone time where you don't have to worry 'bout nothin' and nobody. Just hang out with yourself. I missed me. I'm pretty cool.

So, how did I utilize my precious day alone? I spent a full day in Crochet Nirvana and was able to cross some items off of my New Year's Resolution list. Or, at least my imaginary list- the list I would have made had I really made New Year's Resolutions. The list Cool Me probably made. Dang- I wish I was more like her.

Get this........I know many folks have been waiting for this........so I won't delay this announcement any longer..........it's really awesome...........are you sitting down??  I wrote up my Winter Watermelon Hat pattern! GAH!! FINALLY. So now you don't have to keep asking/inquiring/pestering/demanding for the pattern!! It's here!



This is the 3rd time I've made it. The first pink one is my sister’s, but it wasn’t quite long enough and felt just a mite loose. The second one is mine, but it felt a little imbalanced and was too tight in the crown. What these hat qualities may say about their respective owners is purely conjecture.

 

In addition to the hat, I recorded not one, but TWO video tutorials! The first goes along with the hat pattern. In one amazing video, you will learn how to do a Magic Loop, how to fl/bl crochet in the round with increases AND decreases, how to switch colors in the round, AND how to do beaded crochet IN.THE.ROUND. (which is actually different than the beaded crochet for the matching scarf). All this for the low introductory price of $19.99! What?!? That's an amazing offer! But, if you call now, Cool Me will let you have it for absolutely FREE. (Dang, Cool Me has no business sense.)

The second video is....drum roll please.....How to Change Colors with Tunisian Crochet. WHAT?!?! Oh yeah baby! Cool Me has got your back. I've been bombarded with requests for information on this topic. I had recorded a video eons ago but had to reshoot a portion of it, so Procrastinator Me (not too fond of her) left it on the pile of WIPs and never finished it. So, Cool Me had to come and take over- I reshot the entire video yesterday. You'll learn not only how to do color changes correctly, but you'll also see THE Map of my Super Mario Blanket, as well as 2 pictures with sketches that I used for 2 panels. What the what?!? Yep. Cool Me is letting you catch a glimpse of my creative process. I love that girl.

The videos will be up in the next day or two- my hubby will be editing them so, hopefully the Cool Him will hurry the heck up.

Now, for the pattern!
Video Tutorial found here.

Winter Watermelon Hat Pattern
By: Gege Crochet

MATERIALS

• Green WW yarn- not a whole lot- maybe an ounce
• White WW yarn- ditto
• Red or pink WW yarn- a little bit more...maybe 2 ounces
• Size 5.5 mm (U.S. I/10) crochet hook
• Yarn or tapestry needle for beading yarn and finishing
• 24 black pony beads

GAUGE
Not important

NOTE:

• Chain 2 counts as half double crochet.
• To change colors, work hdc until 3 loops are on hook, yo with new color and draw through all three loops
• repeat instructions between asterisks as many times as directed

ABBREVIATIONS & TERMS

• ch = chain
• bl = back loop
• fl = front loop
• hdc = half double crochet
• hdc dec = half double crochet decrease ([Yo, insert hook in next st, yo, draw lp through] twice, yo, draw through all 5 lps on hook.)
• blhdc = back loop half double crochet
• flhdc = front loop half double crochet
• B-blhdc = beaded back loop half double crochet (yo, slide bead, insert into st indicated, finish hdc)
• B-flhdc = beaded front loop half double crochet
• ss = slip stitch
• yo = yarn over

Ch4, join with ss.

Round 1: Ch2. 11hdc in ring

Round 2:
Ch2 (counts as first hdc) blhdc same st.
(Flhdc, blhdc) in each stitch around. Join in bl of ch2. 24 hdc including initial ch2

Round 3: ch 2. Flhdc same st
*Blhdc next st. (Flhdc, blhdc) next st. Flhdc next st. (Blhdc, flhdc) next st. Repeat from * 5 times omitting last (blhdc, flhdc) join w/ss in bl of ch 2 36 hdc

Row 4: Ch 2. Flhdc same st. *Blhdc, flhdc next 2 st, (blhdc, flhdc) next st. Repeat from * 11 times omitting last (blhdc, flhdc). Join w/ss in bl of ch2. 48 hdc

Round 5: ch 2. Flhdc same st. * Blhdc, flhdc, blhdc next 3 st. (flhdc, blhdc) next st. Flhdc, blhdc, flhdc next 3 st. (blhdc, flhdc) next st. Repeat from * 5 more times omitting last (blhdc, flhdc). Join w/ss to bl of ch 2. 60 hdc

Round 6: Ch 2. Flhdc same st. * Alternate Blhdc, flhdc next 4 st. (blhdc, flhdc) next st. Repeat from * 11 more times omitting last (blhdc, flhdc). Join w/ss to fl of ch2. 72hdc.

Round 7: ch 2. Blhdc next st then alternate flhdc, bldhdc around ending with blhdc in last st. Join w/ss in bl of ch2

Round 8: Ch2 flhdc next st then alternate blhdc, flhdc around ending with flhdc in last st.

Finish off green and change to white. Join w/ss in fl of ch 2.

Round 9: repeat round 7

Round 10: repeat round 8. Load 24 beads onto pink. Finish off white and change to pink. Join w/ss to fl of ch2.

Round 11: repeat round 7.

Round 12: ch 2. Flhdc, blhdc, flhdc next 3 st. *B-blhdc next st. Alternate flhdc, blhdc next 11 st. Repeat from * 4 more times. B-blhdc next st. Alternate Flhdc, blhdc, next 7 st ending with flhdc. Join w/ss in fl in ch2.

Round 13: repeat round 7

Round 14: ch 2. (Flhdc, blhdc) 4 tines, *B-flhdc next st, alternate blhdc, flhdc next 11 st. Repeat from * 4 times.
B-flhdc, blhdc, flhdc next 3 st. Join w/ss fl of ch 3.

Round 15: ch2 blhdc, flhdc, blhdc next 3 st. * hdc decrease in next 2 fl and bl. Alternate flhdc and blhdc next 4 st.
Repeat from * around. Join w/ss in bl of ch2. 60 hdc

Round 16: ch2 flhdc next st. *B-blhdc next st. Alternate flhdc, blhdc next 9 st. Repeat from * around. Join w/ss in fl of ch2

Round 17: repeat round 7

Round 18: ch 2. Alternate flhdc, blhdc over next 5 st. *B-blhdc next st. Alternate flhdc, blhdc over next 9 st. Repeat from * 4 times B-blhdc, flhdc, blhdc, flhdc. Join w/ss in fl on ch2.

Round 19: repeat round 7. Join w/ss to ch 2. Fasten off pink and weave in ends.

Copyright 2010 Geraldine Lemay of Gege Crochet. All rights reserved. Pattern available for personal use only- please don't sell it- that's just not cool. Please don't post this pattern anywhere- you can provide a link back to here, though.