I was very intrigued when I came across the “Chunky Pom Pom Beanie” on Tangled Happy as it uses a stitch that I had never encountered before: the “Herringbone Half Double Crochet” (Hhdc). It is a very simple stitch that only differs slightly from your typical half double crochet but results in the stitches slanting to the left as seen in the picture below. Moogly has a great video and written step-by-step instructions for the herringbone half double crochet that can be found HERE!
Here is my finished hat, and you can see that all the stitches are slanting to one side since they’re worked in a round! When worked row by row, the stitches take turns slanting in different directions, so a herringbone pattern is created. I have yet to try this out, but I’m excited to see what the results look like!
This hat worked up incredibly quickly and was actually the first project that I completed since crocheting Brielle’s newborn hat weeks ago! My hands were itching to crochet again, and this project was perfect since it was so quick and easy. And as you know, I love learning new techniques and stitches!
The pattern calls for Woolspun yarn and an 11.5 mm hook- the largest hook I currently own is a 10 mm, so I used that instead. Crocheting this hat definitely reminded me of my “Triple Luxe Cowl” since I was using my trusty 10 mm hook with Woolspun yarn and doing half double crochets. You could make a lovely matching hat and cowl set with your favourite colour of Woolspun yarn! And for those wondering, I used less than one skein of Woolspun yarn for this hat!
The only changes I made to the pattern were doing the last row as slip stitches instead of single crochets and omitting the pom pom. I love the slight slouch, softness, and stretchiness of this beautifully textured beanie!
Thank you to Sara of Tangled Happy for this free pattern which can be found HERE! I always enjoy perusing Sara’s blog and discovering beautiful new patterns that she’s compiled together. If you’re looking for a quick and easy hat or wanting to learn a new stitch, give this free pattern a try!
