Crocheting Jayne hats for Mugua (Dummies)

Okay, first off, if you can crochet, your fingers are clever enough to knit.  However, if you crochet, you probably like going really fast and hate how learning to knit is really obnoxious and slow at first.  I feel your pain.  While I recommend just learning to knit (this hat is a great first project), here's a mock-up pattern for making a Jayne hat by crochet:

Materials: orange yarn, yellow yarn, and red yarn,

about 150 grams total (about one skein each for most yarns).   Thick, virgin wool is the best. 4” of cardboard or sheet of plastic or a 2” pom-pom mold. 8 ringed things to mark your place (optional; you Can also just keep track in your head).

Gauge: 3 stitches per inch.

Recommended Needle size: This depends on your yarn and your own style of crocheting. I used a size 10, but yours may be different.  If you can’t get the gauge above no matter what you try (the stitches are very big), try knitting two strands of yarn together as if they were one—this will increase the bulk.  You can also do an entirely different gauge if it looks okay, but you will need to change the number of stitches listed in the instructions below—please email me if you need help.

The basic hat.

1. Chain 56 stitches (if your gauge is different, make sure the number of stitches you end up using is divisible by 7).  Please note the hat will look unbelievably big at this stage, but be assured that it will tighten up as you go on.

2.  Join the chain to make a circle, being careful not to end up with a Moebius strip.   

3. Crochet in rounds until the hat is about 3 or 3.5 inches from the brim. 

4. Cut off the orange yarn, leaving a tail of about 5 inches.   

5. Pick up your yellow yarn, leaving a tail of about 5 inches.

6. Tie the two ends together loosely on the inside of the hat and weave in the ends.  (You can also leave this step to do once you’ve finished the hat.  Until you do it you’ll have a hole here, but don’t let it worry you.)   

7. Crochet another 3 or 3.5 inches with the yellow in rounds.   

8. Decreasing: crochet one round, counting as you go.  Place a marker every eighth stitch (If you have a different number of stitches than given here, just divide by seven and place the markers at those points). Crochet another round.  This time, crochet two stitches together before each marker.  Continue to crochet two together before each marker until you have seven stitches left.  Remove the markers.

9. Bind off: pull one stitch over the other, taking it off the needle.  Do this to every stitch until one remains.  Cut your yarn, leaving a tail of about seven inches or so, and pull it through this stitch.   

Earflaps

1. Lay the hat flat.  Measure it, and divide that measurement by two. (You can also just eyeball it.)  This will give you the width of each earflap.  For mine, it was five inches—fifteen stitches per earflap.  (Best to mark them both out now so that they line up right.)

2. With the red yarn, do a single crochet onto your marked stitches on one side.   

3. Continue in single crochet going downward for four inches—or to the bottom of the wearer’s nose. 

4. Decrease: crochet two stitches together on each side of the earflap, each row.  Leave some strings dangling, about two or three inches each. 

Pom-Pom

If you know how to do a pom-pom, just skip this—I have nothing new to report.  You can also buy a pom-pom maker in most craft stores.

1. Use a glass or compass or whatever to make two cardboard (or plastic) circles of 2 inches in diameter.  Then make a one inch hole in the center of each. 

2.  Measure out about three yards of each color.  Thread all three through a tapestry needle.  (This is optional—it is possible to use only your fingers in the steps below, but it is easier with a tapestry needle.)

Put the two pieces of the pom-pom together, then wind the three colors around them (through the hole and around the outside of the cardboard pieces) until the hole is full.  Cut the yarn between the two cardboard pieces.  Wrap a piece of yarn between the pieces, making a firm knot—leave a long tail.  Pull out the cardboard pieces, fluff the pom-pom, and attach it securely to the hat.  (You may want to wobble the hat a bit to make sure the pom-pom is on tight.)

Finishing Up

Using a tapestry needle or a crochet needle (or your fingers if you’re really good), weave in all the ends and try on the hat.  Cunnin’, ain’t it?

Comments

[Paula N.]

Hey, thanks SO much for doing a crochet version of Jayne's hat! The Firefly list I'm on was talking about the hats and I complained (LOL) that I hate knitting but love to crochet. So a nice person referred me to your blog! Thanks so much, again! You're right, I technically *can* knit, it just goes SO slowly that I much prefer crocheting!

[Brenda Jones]

Hi I am crochet hats for the homeless and really need to know how to go about making hats for children. I can make adult hats and baby hats but need to make some for older children toddler thru teens. Can you help me out. Don't want to sound dumb but everything that I have tried makes the hats way too small or way too large. Do you measure the circumference to get the right size? I want to make skull caps for the boys and am having a hard time finding one that will fit the small boys. I really would appreciate any help you can give me.
Thanks
Brenda Jones

[K`shandra]

Thanks for putting this up! I see that you don't specify what stitch to use in the pattern; I thought I'd mention that front-post double-crochet works well. I used it in my own crocheted Jayne hats, and it looks like stockinette stitch until you get fairly close to the work.

[Eva]

How cool is this? A web comic about librarians, featuring the crocheted cunning hat!

http://www.unshelved.com/archive.aspx?strip=20070820
http://www.unshelved.com/archive.aspx?strip=20070821
http://www.unshelved.com/archive.aspx?strip=20070822
http://www.unshelved.com/archive.aspx?strip=20070823

thank you so much. This is my plan for my Firefly loving friends for X-mas this year, as we've spent hte last 2 years trying to find a Jayne hat. :)

[mideastmom]

Much obliged. I live overseas currently and don't have circular needles, so I was very pleased to find a crochet pattern. My husband will be pleased and surprised by this as a Christmas present.

[Shanon]

So how big is this pattern? I asked my sister to make a hat for me, and I have about a 24" head, will this fit me?

[boutique de laine]

thank you so much :) crochet hats look good.in people of all ages can wear.thank you very much for informing to me .good work :)