Crochet: Triple Strand Earflap Hats for Sledding

With a just-in-time white Christmas my family and I had a great time enjoying Winter sports over our holiday break. Skiing with the cousins is becoming a tradition for my girls, which is so much fun. And so is sledding! 

Especially with the right gear! I made an armful of Triple Strand Earflap Hats in various colors and sizes to share with my extended family. I love the gree-and-green version I made (three different strands of green yarns) with big pom-poms embellishing the flaps.

Scarlett requested a version that reminds me of cotton candy ice cream. A bit too sweet! But she loves it.

And I pulled out one of my original hats--a fuchsia with white tassels.

Looks like I need to get working on some for the men.

You can find out more about my Triple Strand Earflap Hat Crochet pattern here.

Crochet: Triple Strand Earflap Hat Tester Roundup

It's definitely hat weather now! And it's high time to thank my great testers for helping me with the Triple Strand Earflap Hat pattern. It's such a thrill to have hard work validated and I really appreciate their willingness to try out these hats and provide feedback. Click through to see all the variations they came up with, and some really cute faces.

Crochet: Easy Afghans for My Girls

Though we've had unseasonably warm, beautiful weather around here, the temperatures are dropping so it's time to snuggle up!

I love Fall with it's golden colors and chill in the air.

So I made my Easy Baby Afghan in a larger size for Audrey and Scarlett, so they would have one similar to Tess's, which is the original size.

I can't tell you the numbers here but I added about twice the chain stitches (compared to the original pattern) at the beginning and used 6 skeins of the three yarn colors. The nice thing about this pattern is that you can chain until you have the width you would like and then just crochet rows until you get the right length. Pretty easy!

Three girls and three blankets. Sounds just right.

Crochet: Triple-Strand Earflap Hats for the Family (New Pattern)

Aren't the seasons the perfect length? Each one lasts just long enough for us to savor it while not taking it for granted and then the next one is peeking around the corner. I love the changes. Especially the transition to Fall. 

I'm ready to start thinking about getting cozy with rich colors and textures and some extra layers. Which is why I'm releasing this crochet hat pattern now. So there is plenty of time to make some comfy earflap hats for cooler weather. 

This Triple-Strand Earflap Hat was designed to be an instant gratification project. It's worked with three strands of yarn at once and a big fat crochet hook (Q 15.75mm!) so it goes really quickly. And I've designed it to be worked as one continual piece--no annoying (to me anyway) fastening off and re-attaching your yarn for the earflaps. No seaming in the end! In a few evenings you could have hats for your whole family! Or all of your friends.

These crochet earflap hats are great for siblings. There are so many ways to make them unique: different yarn combinations, contrast edging, embellishments. The possibilities are endless.

They work for babies too. Everybody's ears will stay warm from Fall to Spring.

The Triple-Strand Earflap Hat Crochet Pattern includes nine different sizes for heads measuring 14" to 24":

• Baby sizes small, medium and large
• Child sizes small, medium and large
• Adult sizes small, medium and large

Of course heads come in all shapes and sizes so while it's best to start with head circumference, the height of the head will affect the fit too. I've provided circumference measurements for every size as well as hat height to help you find the best fit. This hat will certainly stretch too, especially if you have a little one like mine who enjoys tugging on the earflaps. I think it's cute fitted as well as a bit oversized. 

I've also included several options for embellishing these hats. You can make a basic earflap hat or add:

• contrasting edging
• tassels
• pom-poms
• braids
• a flower embellishment such as a felted crochet flower or a Ruffled Rose (pictured above), which is included in the pattern.

Pair it with an Arm Knit Infinity Cowl, or a matching crochet scarf. You could gift it as a set with an Easy Baby Afghan too. (The afghan calls for a bulky yarn but you could substitute the yarn you used for the hat and follow the same instructions.)

To make an earflap hat you'll need:

• 3 skeins of worsted weight (category 4/medium) yarn. (I like to use a mix of different fibers because I love the texture it creates and the mix of hues.)
• A size "Q" 15.74 mm crochet hook
• An evening!

The pattern has concise instructions to print for each size as well as full-color photo tutorials for the construction techniques and embellishments.

Lots of gift ideas coming your way. This could be the year you and I are ahead of schedule. For once!

You can purchase the Triple-Strand Earflap Hat Pattern in my Etsy Shop.

Crochet: Easy Baby Afghan Again

Crochet? I can hardly believe it. It seems like forever since I've managed to finish a yarn project and post about. But it's been on the brain. I've been working on this blanket for some time. That's the nice thing about crochet for me--I can roll up the project and drop it into a bag and pull it out again when I have a few minutes. It's forgiving that way.

I started this blanket when I heard a new nephew was on his way and finished it for him to practice sitting on. I guess that's not too late. This Easy Baby Afghan is too heavy for swaddling. It's exaggerated stitches make it perfect as a stroller blanket, play mat, or nap blanket. Not to mention nursery accessory!

I made a couple blankets for this boy's older brother when he was born (this one and this one) and I wanted little brother to have a handmade one of his own. Since the weather is now chilly I decided to add a little something extra to this gift: a coordinating ear flap hat.

I made some of these in adult sizes for my entire family a few years ago for Christmas but can't find my notes. Hmpf. But I'm starting with an infant size with plans to go all the way up. A family of ear flap hats. Pattern soon. Hopefully in time for the holidays. Fingers crossed.

This blanket and hat were made with Berroco Comfort Chunky (Cadet, Dusk and Barley), just like the original. I love this yarn. I just stocked up on some for two more blankets for my girls. It's a bit of an investment, but hopefully these blankets will be around a long time.

You can find the tutorial for this Easy Baby Afghan here.