Back in early March I came across a call for crochet pattern testers.  I’ve tested for Deanne Ramsay of Addydae Designs before, and know that they’re always well-written patterns in designs that I appreciate.  This one would involve a new skill – crochet brioche!  And it was for a hat, so wouldn’t be a huge time commitment.  Off I went to Woolarium (yes, this was before the stay-at-home directives) and bought a skein of Malabrigo sock yarn.  I think that the colour was called terracotta.  And off I went, crocheting up the Braddon.

It starts off ruffly, but that’s the crown shaping. As the beanie gets larger the overall shape changes. And at the brim you get to the fun bit – the crochet brioche. I had some white 4ply wool in stash (I think it might have been my grandmother’s) that provided a perfect contrast.

If you look closely you can see my efforts are far from perfect – the white lines are not all the same length – but I’m pretty happy with it for a first try! This is a pattern where you really do need to use your stitch markers and make sure that you place them accurately each round. And the finished Braddon hat?

And on my little head (I crocheted the size small):

I really, really like this hat! I don’t think that beanies/slouch hats are necessarily the ‘best look’ on me, but I don’t really care – they so effective at keeping me warm when it’s chilly outside, and add a pop of colour and interest.

I also sewed up a slouchy beanie, from some soft ponte scraps. I used a free pattern from Patterns for Pirates. I have to say that this was SUPER fast to make! I constructed it all on the overlocker, and reckon that it took me less than half an hour to locate and print the pattern, cut it out, and sew it up.

These would be terrific quick gifts to sew. As always, fabric choice makes a difference – you need something stretchy and soft. These scraps were perfect! It doesn’t take much fabric at all. Once again, I doubt that this is my ‘best look’ but gee it’s great to have a slouchy beanie handy when it’s cold outside.