Ad-OWL-rable HAT for the wee-ones - CROCHET HAT TUTORIAL

Inspired by a picture my friend Stefanie has sent me (THANKS AGAIN!), I dropped EVERYTHING to re-create this as-wol-rable hat with leftover yarns I found around the house. I ended up using from Nation's Washable EWE made in Australia; it is part of the Coats and Clark Company.

It is 100% superwash wool without the scratch-factor; ideal for kids since it won't scratch, which makes baby happy but it will keep lil heads nice and toasty. The label reads you can machine wash it on old, gentle cycle: So, mom likes this yarn, too.

I really think they should send a bunch of yarn balls my way ;-).

As I said, I used leftovers, so you may only need one third or at max half of a ball of yarn. This particular yarn comes in 100g balls. I would guess that you need less than 40g of each color: purple, green and less than 20g of yellow and white. Aah yes, and I used a 4mm crochet hook.

The circumference of this finished hat is approx. 19 inches or 48cm.

Anyhoohooot, here is how I did it: 

With purple yarn, I cast on 5 loops and close to a circle; you should have 6 loops now.

In each of these 6 loops, double-crochet 2.

In each of these 12, double-crochet 2.

Now, *double-crochet one, double-crochet two per loop*. Repeat between *. Now, you should have 36 loops.

Next, *double-crochet one, double-crochet one, double-crochet one, double-crochet two per loop*. Repeat between *. Now, you should have 48 loops.

Then, *double-crochet one, double-crochet one, double-crochet one, double-crochet one, double-crochet one, double-crochet two per loop*. Repeat between *. Now, you should have 64 loops.

Change to green color and double-crochet each loop for the next three rows.

In the next row, reduce loops to 60.

Double-crochet another row with 60 loops.

Next, to make the ears, single-crochet 30 loops, turn the whole project around, single-crochet back 5 loops, turn again.

Cast one, single-crochet 3, turn.

Chain one, single-crochet two, turn.

This is ear #1. Single-crochet down the ear to get back to the main line of the hat, single-crochet 30 and make the second ear. Cast off. 

To make the eyes, I used purple yarn, cast on 4 loops and closed them to a circle. The eyes are single-crochet in circles. 

Next, in each loop, of previous row, single-crochet two in purple. Switch color to white. 

Then, in each loop, of previous row, single-crochet two in white. 

After that, in each loop, of previous row, single-crochet two in white. Cast off.

Repeat for eye #2 and stitch them on hat.

For the beak, I used yellow yarn, cast on one and single-crochet in rows. In first row, single-crochet 3 in first row's loop. Turn.

Cast one, 4 single-crochet. Turn.

Cast one, 6 single-crochet. Turn.

Cast one, 6 single-crochet. Turn.

Cast one, 6 single-crochet. Cast off. Stitch to hat.

For the pom-ears, I used several threads of about 3 inches length (8cm) of purple, yellow and green and knotted them on top of the owl's head.

To make the braids, I used the same technic as for the ear-poms, however the thread was much longer and connected them to the ears and braided them. 

So, now the owl in our backyard has some SERIOUS competition. . . 

"Nature never says one thing and wisdom another." Decimus Junius Juvenalis