As mentioned in my Holiday Happenings #1 post, I'm making other designers' patterns as part of the Indie Designer Gift-a-Long on Ravelry.

This fab hat is by Akua Lezli Hope, and it's called Ascendant Crown.  Crocheted in self-striping yarns, it's pure joy in hat form.

The pattern is available on Ravelry here.​

This is the second of my two craft-related holiday happenings.

This one's in downtown Providence where the Craftland 2018 Holiday Extravaganza is in full swing.

I'm pleased that my handmade hats are part of Craftland's Holiday Extravaganza for the second year.  The 2018 event features work by more than 160 artists from Rhode Island, Massachusetts and beyond.

Craftland is a juried, year-round boutique that features local art, handcrafted gifts and one-of-a-kind treasures.  The store is open 7 days a week at 212 Westminster St. in Providence and online at craftlandshop.com.

The fab illustration is by Jen Corace.

Head on over to Ravelry.com where the annual Indie Designers Gift-a-Long (GAL) starts at 8 tonight (Eastern Standard Time).

The gift-making fun includes six weeks of chat, contests and prizes -- ending at the stroke of midnight on Dec. 31.

My "GAL bundle" -- above -- includes my best-selling patterns as well as some recently published ones.  They'll be on sale for 25 percent off for a week.  Here's the link:
https://www.ravelry.com/bundles/indie-designer-gift-a-long-2018.  Use the code giftalong2018 at checkout.

This year, I'll be crocheting and knitting several of other's designers patterns.  Stay tuned for photos in the next few weeks!

Linwood is the latest in my collection of hat patterns with joined-and-turned construction.

I remember the first time I saw a crochet hat pattern that required turning after every round.  I thought, "I'm never doing that!"  It seemed like too much trouble.

But, now I'm a believer.  I love exploring the many possible textures that turned rounds create.

I've been experimenting with yarn mixes this month.  

This hat -- from an upcoming pattern -- uses three strands of worsted weight yarn.  I combined Vanna's Choice in Eggplant, Lion Brand Fishermen's Wool in Brown Heather and Plymouth Gina -- a self-striping yarn -- in Color 0001.

At a gauge of 7 sts = 4 in./10 cm, the fabric is thick, warm and bouncy.

Yesterday afternoon I received a lovely order from LoveCrochet: six skeins of worsted-weight yarn, shown here.

Shortly after receiving the yarn, I couldn't resist starting a hat with the Malabrigo Rios in Indiecita.  It's about 2/3 finished.

I'm stocking up to make the samples for my upcoming pattern releases.  Another order -- chunky and super bulky weight yarn -- is scheduled to arrive today, and I'm hoping to have a chance to order some sock-weight yarn this weekend.

TIP FOR INTERMEDIATE CROCHETERS: Sometimes when you go from a double-crochet fabric to double-crochet post-stitch ribbing, noticeable holes form at the transition.  Most unlovely!  

I've found that working a transition round of half double crochet creates a less holey fabric.

It's a refinement that works both before and after the ribbing rounds, as seen in this beanie called Tobey.  The pattern is currently being tested, and it will be available later this summer.

I'm working on a sock yarn version of my Wyder design.

Here's the start of the hat -- the ribbed cuff -- worked in Noro Silk Garden Sock Yarn.  I'm in love with this colorway -- 211. 

The yarn tends to be twisty -- it's a single ply -- but it smoothed out as I crocheted.

The texture of this shell stitch used in the vintage Flower Power pullover is so pretty.

Here's how to create it:

Make a chain the desired length (with the number of chains divisible by 3 plus 2).  Sc in second ch from hook, 2 dc in same space, *skip 2 ch, [sc, 2 dc] in next ch; repeat from * across.  Ch 1 and turn.

Pattern row: [Sc, 2 dc] in each sc across.  Ch 1 and turn.

​I think this would make a super hat.  The swatch has a lot of vertical and horizontal stretch.

Here's the swatch for one of the stitches mentioned in the previous post on Flower Power sweaters.

This one is simply alternating rows of double crochet and single crochet.

Both sides are attractive, but the 1960s Flower Power Flapover has the dc row as the right side.

In the Harmony Guide to Crochet Stitches, James Walters and Sylvia Cosh note: "This is one of the simplest and most effective combination stitch patterns.  It is also one of the easiest to get wrong!  Concentration is required as you work the ends of the rows to avoid increasing or decreasing, or working two rows of the same stitch running by mistake."