Meredith - The Angry Tiger Earflap Hat

This is my first crochet pattern. I normally follow others’ patterns but this is my own. The resulting hat may not look like much, but it WILL keep your head warm!

The Angry Tiger Earflap Hat*

Time Required: 6 hrs

Materials:

• 1 ball Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick and Quick in color A (sample uses charcoal)
• 1 ball Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick and Quick in color B (sample uses cranberry)
• Hooks: I, N, Q
• Television or book for while you work

To begin, find “Aaron’s Hat Trick #2″ in the free patterns at LionBrand.com. Complete rounds 1-6 of the medium-sized hat in color A, using I hook.

Frog what you have just done, because it has a weird shape at the top. Switch to N hook.

Redo the hat through earflap #1, without switching to color B at the earflap. Try the hat on. It is too small in every possible way. Admire its density and sturdiness; consider its use as a bowl.

Frog your work, winding the yarn back onto the unused portion of the skein.

Locate “Family of Beanies” on the LionBrand.com site. Complete rounds 1-3 in both loops. Frog it, leaving only the initial sc ring. Work in back loops only (blo) through round 7. Frog back to the chain, work in blo of the chain, following pattern in blo until the hat is 4″ from crown. Switch to dc at some point if you wish.

Try the hat on, discover it is too small. Frog everything. Switch to Q hook.

Ch 5. Join to 1st chain with sl st.
Ch 3, work 9 dc in ring, do not join; place marker for beginning of round.
Round 1: Work 2 dc in each st around.
Round 2: Work (1 dc in next st, 2 dc in next st) around.
Round 2: Work (1 dc in next 2 sts, 2 dc in next st) around.
Round 3: Work (1 dc in next 3 sts, 2 dc in next st) around.
Round 4: Work (1 dc in next 4 sts, 2 DC in next st) around.
Work even rounds until hat is desired length, not more than 1-2 rows past top of ears.

Earflap
Work sc in next 6 sts.
Ch 1, turn. Skip 1st st, work sc in next 5 sts.
Ch1, turn. Skip 1st st, work sc in next 4 sts.
Proceed until 1 st is left.
Ch 13. Sl st in each ch back up to earflap base.

Sl st up earflap and around back of hat to desired starting point of opposite earflap. Complete earflap #2 as you did the first one. Sl st around front of hat to top of first earflap. End off.

Edging
Switch to N hook. Join color B with sc at end off point of color A.
Work sc around edges of hat, filling all available sts and sps. For earflaps, continue working sc on outside of earflap so edging is visible. Continue around; join with sl st to starting sc of color B. End off.

Throw the hat down with glee. You’re done! Put away the hooks and vow not to crochet at all the next day.

* - This is a bit of crochet humor. If you take this pattern seriously, you WILL get a warm earflap hat in the end, but you will have wasted about 5 hours of your life.