My first reversible scrunchie hat

I’ll admit it: I have an unstoppable craving for crocheting hats. It’s my shield against the biting Swedish polar chill. I find myself needing them in every possible color, texture, and fiber. My ears suffer when winter truly bites, but also during those early spring bike rides when the wind still carries a sting.

As always, I look for inspiration in everything that surrounds me. Finding the right color palette took time—two weeks of rearranging skeins of Uruguayan Merino wool from @uyyarn (at least I was certain about the material!).

For this piece, I decided to craft the ribbing using the slip stitch back loop only (ssblo) method. I usually stick to back loop half double crochet, but this change added a touch of elegance and a much sturdier stretch to the brim.

But then came the big question: which design? It wasn’t as easy to fall in love this time around. Sometimes, the process becomes more vital than the result itself. It took me another two weeks to decide. Usually, a quick flip through my stitch dictionaries ends in an immediate "Mmmm, this is the one." Not this time.

Finally, thanks to the "fates," my finger landed once again on "The Indispensable Stitch Collection for Crocheters" by @melissa.leapman.

The rows are built by crocheting into the previous one, combining chains, treble crochets, and single crochets. The stitch structure consists of two foundation rows followed by a 4-row pattern repeat that you can continue for as long as you want to extend your project.

If you’d like a video tutorial, let me know in the comments!

The last two rows are diminishing rows every three stitches with hdc.

It’s a case of two parts of a single reality, perfectly explained through photos, written instructions, and the chart—which, personally, is my greatest ally. Sometimes, written patterns can leave me feeling a bit uncertain, but the chart... the chart is always a safe bet. However, the written instructions in this book are truly fantastic.

It is a wonderful book, one of my absolute favorites. I adore crochet books made with love and care, where nothing is missing. This one even includes a resource section that is pure crochet pedagogy, as well as a section dedicated to borders. In short, it is an essential volume for any crochet library, standing tall alongside the works of @edieeckman, @sarahhazell, @doraohrenstein, Yoko Hatta, or Keiko Okamoto.

Till next time!

Let me know in the comments what do you think about the crunchie hat!