A couple years ago I got some
baby alpaca yarn for my birthday. I used a good chunk of it on a
hat and
scarf, but the rest I've been hoarding. I had one ball of cream left that is a great match for a scarf I have, so I decided to make a matching hat.
I started with the
Pretty Puffs Slouchy Hat pattern. Just like
last time, I ended up with a teeny tiny hat, so I had to rip most of it out.
Then, on the second go, when I got to the puffs part, I realized that the fluffy yarn totally obscured the puffs. You really couldn't see the puffs at all. More ripping. The fluffy yarn makes ripping out very difficult. It gets stuck and the yarn breaks or I have to clip it to untangle it. Such a pain!
On the third try I had to add some double crochet rows to accommodate my huge head. Then, instead of the puffs, I skipped a stitch to create a mesh-looking row. I did three mesh rows, three double crochet rows, then a single crochet band.
I actually ripped out the original band because I tried doing a *sc ch* band where the next row's sc is in the chain space, but it was too loose and didn't grip the giant-head. So this hat is version 3.5.
Truth be told, I'd rip this whole thing out and redo it again if the yarn wasn't so finicky. I'd make the round-flat part bigger, do more mesh rows throughout the hat, and make a slightly tighter band. But as it is, I like the hat and it totally works to keep my head and ears warm on chilly nights.