Hats and a Beardy face warmer. Image heavy!

[Fruitysalad]

I've been making lots and lots of hats lately, so I thought I'd share with you a couple of my favourite patterns.

The first one is Reatheylia's Cable Hat. http://www.rheatheylia.com/index.php?page=patterns&id=5

I've made some changes on this one. This one is for a man's head, but my yarn needed a smaller hook to make a dense enough fabric, so I increased the starting round to 18 dc's and added in some extra bpdc further on including one between the cables. Also I changed the edging a bit. I'm very happy with how it turned out, and I think I may add in that bpdc in the centre of my cables from now on.

My all time go too pattern for a quick hat that will fit a lot of heads is the Reversible 'Crochet Brioche' Hat, by Megan Mills. http://megan.kiwi.gen.nz/CrochetBriocheHat/
It is a short row hat and easily adapts to using just about any thicker yarn or two strand of thinner as she recommends in the pattern.
These two are made using quite bulky yarns.

 
The purple one came out a little pointy in the crown. This is because of it only took seven gores to make it. I solved this in the black one which only has 6 gores by keeping the slip stitches very loose.

The last one is my own pattern based on the one above.

I did plan on doing this hat using Megan's pattern, but I decided that the yarn I had was wasted using two strands. It was a sock yarn, and I really wanted to preserve the finer feel of it, but still loved the stretchy quality of Megan's hats, SO, I had to write my own pattern. It's a bit hard to see it clearly here, but I'm very pleased with the result. It feels glorious on and looks lovely with the brim folded up.

Last but not least, the beard! It is a corruption of Warm Beard by Felicia at A Girl and Her Yarn. http://agirlandheryarnfk.blogspot.com/search/label/free%20pattern

I made it for my brother who swears he will wear it. As he lives in the Alps of Italy it is possible I guess. I couldn't seem to get it to sit straight for a photo, either because it's too big for me, or perhaps my face is crooked! Anyway, here is one last pic of the beard with the first hat, which is also going to Italy, but for my Nonno.

I'm pulling a serious face as I was trying to gauge if this hat is really masculine enough for a man. My decision is to send it, and let Nonno decide!

[Staplerinvasion]

The beard is particularly awesome!

[Balatong]

nice work, and that beard is hilarious 

[Fruitysalad]

Thank you! The beard is a weird piece, but I think in the right climate (not the sub-tropics!) it could be quite useful. I can only keep it on for a few moments at a time, it's really warm.
I think it may be better to make a bearded balaclava, that way your nose would stay warm too. You could start with a hat, build a large nose into it, and nose hair, and maybe eyebrows........ Ok, so basically it would be a mask attached to a hat

[bkzmom1]

I'm planning on making these for the men in our family, and this is the only pattern that looks like I want it to be, only problem is it is no longer on the site. Do you happen to still have it?