Urban Slouch Hats – Crochet Pattern Book Review
I have received a sample copy of this book for review from Leisure Arts. I am not financially compensated for my blog post and am under no obligation to give a favorable review. Any conclusions and statements about the book are my own. If you do choose to purchase the book, I receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you), and you are helping support Goddess Crochet, allowing me to create more free crochet patterns for you. It’s a win-win!
Urban Slouch Hats – Book Review
“Urban Slouch Hats” is a 32 page crochet pattern book with 10 fashionable slouchy beanies, including “Carefree”, “Daydream”, “Intrigue”, “Captivating Cable”, “Vintage Lace”, “Casual Chic”, “Trendsetter”, “Time Traveler”, “Pinstripes”, and “Cobblestones”. Included in the back is a “General Instructions” section, with all the abbreviations and terms used in the book, as well as diagrams with written instructions for some special stitches. All projects are made from standard worsted weight yarn, so you probably won’t need to buy new yarn (yeah, right, lol). Hats are all marked “easy” and accessible for all levels of crocheters. All designs are by Kristi Simpson.
The first hat in the book, “Carefree”, looked like a quick, fun pattern, so that was my first pick to make. A harvest orange color seemed just right for this time of year. If you are fairly new to crochet, this would be a great first hat to make, as it has no increases or decreases. I did alter the pattern a little bit and included some decreases to give it a bit of shaping. My daughter asked me to make a matching hat for her, which I did, and it was super easy to alter the pattern to fit. All you have to do is start with a chain long enough to fit around the head. Then just follow the rest of the pattern as written. You can’t go wrong! I omitted the button, because I just couldn’t find the perfect one to go with the hat. Can always add that later though! How great does it look anyway?! Simple but fun.
Next I decided to make “Pinstripes”, a striped, wide brim beanie. This one is worked from the top down, and the colors are carried along so there’s less tails to weave in. It does leave a tiny color “jog” at the seam, but it’s not very noticeable, and totally worth not having to cut and weave in a bunch of tails. Let’s see…if you cut and wove in at every color change, that would be a total of 36 tails. As written, you only have to weave in 5. I’ll take it! I love me some neon, so I went hi-vis with this hat, using a teal and neon yellow. I love the way those two colors look together! With carrying the tails, I was able to finish the hat in just over an hour. That’s almost instant gratification!
I decided to make a “Pinstripes” hat for my daughter too, since the first one worked up so quickly. She picked out the colors, neon orange and sparkly purple. She’s got a good eye for color! Plus, I love brightly colored hats for children, makes them easier to keep track of! Again, it was really easy to alter the pattern to fit my 4 year old. All I did was stopped increasing after round 6, and then followed the pattern as written, shortening it by a couple rounds. Easy peasy!
This book has some really fun designs in it, I couldn’t stop myself from making another, the cover image hat “Casual Chic”. It turned out just a little tight (fine for a size small or teen), so you may want to go up a hook size if you have an average adult size head. You could also use the designated hook size, but increase the starting chain by 3, then follow the pattern as written (just remember your stitch count will be different so don’t freak out and think you did something wrong). The hat is worked bottom up, and does not have any decreases, so if you’re a beginner, you may find this hat to your liking. I included some decreases towards the crown to give it a little bit of shaping. Unlike “Pinstripes”, this design does not have you carry the yarn, you have to cut and fasten off after each round. This does mean more weaving in of tails, but it’s worth it to make such a fun hat.
“Urban Slouch Hats” is filled with hip slouchy beanie patterns, fun for all levels of crocheters. The crochet patterns in this book are a great way to gear up for the holiday season. Hats make really nice gifts and work up quickly. So instead of spending money on gifts, spend money on yarn and make your gifts instead!
You can purchase “Urban Slouch Hats” in paperback or instant download PDF, so you could be crocheting these hats right now!
Have you made any of the awesome hats in this book? Did you enjoy making it? I’d love to hear about your experience and see pictures! Comment below or share pictures via Facebook, Twitter, or Ravelry. Happy hooking!
