The Trinity Stitch Slouch Hat ~ FREE PATTERN

Trinity Stitch Slouch Hat

Materials Needed:

*1 Skein worsted weight yarn (I use I Love This Yarn! By Hobby Lobby)

*K(6.5) hook and an I(5.5) hook

*Yarn needles for weaving in ends

*scissors

*A smile

Stitch Explanation:

Sc: Single crochet

Ts: Trinity stitch as follows...chain 1, insert hook into same stitch and pull up a loop, insert hook into next stitch and pull up a loop x2, yarn over and pull through all 4 loops on the hook

Lets dive in! :)

Leaving a long tail, with your I hook chain 9

Row 1: Sc in 2nd chain from the hook and all the way across, chain 1, turn (8 sc total)

Row 2: Sc in the back loops only across the row, chain 1, turn (8 sc total)

Repeat row 2 for 64 more rows (total of 66 ribbed crochet rows)

*When I turn the row I don't go into the first stitch from the hook, I go in the second like the picture at the left.

 

 

 

At the end of the row, I go into those two lil side stitches there. I find that doing this method gives the band a neater finished edge.

 

When the band is at 66 sc ribbed rows chain 1 (this counts as the first stitch across the band) and turn on its side. Working in the length of the band across the tops of the rows, sc in each until you come to the last row.

Fold the band around to form a circle, being careful not to twist the band and insert hook as if to single chain going through the last stitch on the band and the FIRST stitch at the same time, yarn over as if to simply sc and pull through both spaces joining the band together.

Smile :) The band is complete..... Let's move on to the body of the slouchy.

Body: Switch to the K hook
Round 1: Chain 1, trinity stitch using the next 3 stitches.....and in each stitch around. (according to the pictures and written special stitch instruction at the beginning of the pattern)






*here you can see the hook goes in 3 separate sc, drawing up a loop at each.

*yarn over, draw through all 4 loops on hook.













*chain 1 and your trinity stitch is complete

Continue in the round, joining and working your trinity stitch back to the beginning of the sc in the first round. Begin round 2 trinity in this sc stitch. Continue working in the round until piece measures 10 inches from bottom of band to the top.

 

 

*Hint: the cluster of the previous rows trinity stitch is where the second loop is pulled up for the round above it. This way they all stay aligned....

Decreasing the hat:

When you reach ten inches (or desired length) begin to decrease the trinity stitch 4 stitches at a time. Do four normal trinities, then work a decrease as follows: Begin stitch as normal going into stitch just worked, skip next two stitches and go into 3^rdst (this will be the top of a trinity cluster)and continue to work the stitch as normal pulling up a loop, inserting into the next stitch and pulling up a loop, yarn over and pull through all 4 loops, chain 1. Continue with 4 normal trinities, one decrease trinity stitch until you have roughly 35 or so chain spaces left , or about a palm sized opening left in the top of the hat. Sc in each stitch around, fasten off with an 8 inch tail for closing the hole.

Weave in and out of the sc in the top of the hat with your yarn needle, draw up tight with needle on the inside of the hat and tie off snugly weaving in end.

Use long tail left on the band of the hat to join the seam from the inside of the hat. Tie off snugly, weave in ends.

There you have your super fun new slouchy <3

Any questions please let me know as I am new to writing patterns. You can find me here at Strings and Things on Facebook. Id love to be helpful in any way I can :) Have a beautiful day, and in all things....love.

P.S. This is a quickie after thought shot just so you could see that hat better as per request in the comments. I usually use my older daughter as my model but she has been literally gone on the go with her own things these last 24 hours. In my attempt to get the pattern out quickly, as there was a lot of interest, I only had the one shot of me wearing it...as you can imagine its kinda hard to capture the "slouch" part of the hat by myself :P Excuse the color :) Meet Ouriyonna, my wee one stepping in for her older sister to save the night, sporting the hat.

*Flash is not a photogs friend, but this is the best I could do with no light to give you a better picture of the full hat*....
 



Magic, Crochet and The Girl

  Shes always had this smile...since the day she first could. Its an uncommon sort of bright that makes you grin too in spite of yourself, simply because. My oldest daughter came into this world in three or so pushes, nice and easy as far as the business of being born goes....an uneventful pregnancy they would call it. Life changing I would say. Desperately wanted, so needed and much loved. She is my first girl of seven kidlets. Shes my right hand man, my second in command...the little mother.

Youd never know by looking at her, never know by the musical sound of her laughter or her determined spirit that shes not well.

I got to spend the whole day with her yesterday laughing, talking just having fun. Well, almost the whole day. The first half was spent at the hospital getting yet another set of scans complete, a high contrast MRI this time...stuck with more needles yet she was still smilin'. Whats wrong with her??? That's the $64,000 question isn't it? I wish I knew....wish they knew.... Falling. Headaches. Twitches. Confusion. Loss of her sense of smell/taste. Female issues. Fatigue. Extreme bloating. Vomiting. Vision difficulty. And so on and so on and so on........ and still SHE SMILEeeeeEEEes :)

Im gonna brag on her for a second so just bare with me :P That girl right there playin in the leaves? Shes my alien baby....why, you ask? Well, truth be told she just couldn't have come from me. Some bigger, brighter life form from some far off shining star for some reason unknown decided to drop her off on loan.... to me of all people...to teach, Im sure. Cuz oh my is this girl full of lessons.

At 15 shes got years of life under her belt that 30 year olds would struggle with. She can cloth diaper a bebe` near blindfolded, run a household as smooth as silk and with the type of grace a grown woman would wrestle to muster up. She is a National Honor Society member. Shes known in town as "The Valedictorian Girl". She plays the flute, the saxophone, the drums, the clarinet and just started to strum her new Fender. Shes a compulsive serial volunteer. Shes the youngest employee at our local ice cream joint (that usually has a waiting list for hire). She sings. She writes. Shes beautiful and hasn't a clue. Shes generous. She loves children and they love her. She is responsible. Shes a great friend. Shes a great student. Shes self motivated. She can cook, sew, bead, crochet, knit, embroider. Shes a blossoming photographer with a great eye.

She can forgive. She is humble.

SHE. IS. MAGIC.

After our trip to be poked and prodded we had the whole wonderful fall day to ourselves. One of the things weve always shared is a passion of photography. Shes most often been the one patiently in front of the camera waiting for me to finish playing with her like a dress up doll but lately shes been behind the lens too. So off we went to find "the perfect shots". We drove around and found a few lil places we thought were cool until yuck n yack after some unfruitful pics we discovered our minds eyes were wayyyy better than what we were getting. We came home. And home seems to always be exactly where the magic happens. I grabbed some crochet, dressed up my dolly *oops, daughter :P* and away we went. Clicking. Giggling. Acting like girls. Creating.

She even gave me some serious faces....which can be hard for such a giggly butt...

Ok, maybe shes not exactly serious....

and maybe even she just had to turn around....

But still.....

I had a scarf {pattern here} that I wanted *needed* her to wear, cuz well she just simply rocks it like that. So we stepped out onto the dirt road in front of our house to see what we could see and..... wow......did

I. EVER. SEE.

BEAUTY.

And POWER.

and JOY.

It all came together to create magic. In the background shot here, the grey cloudy sky opened up with a  sliver of sunshine....right on her....and she looked up....and she stole my breath....again.

In the end though despite the doctors or the clouds, or the camera or the crochet it all came right back to just this...her smile...me catching my breath, savoring these times. Hearing her. Being with her and really, at the end of the day, there just isn't anything else <3

     

Golden Days

There's a crispness in the air and the woods are thick with the smell of golden days.... fall days. Living in northern Minnesota we experience seasons. I mean S-E-A-S-O-N-S. Its not unheard of to think you have lived them all in one day. Waking up in the feels like winter! morning to below *32F and feeling the glass like crunch of the heavily frosted grass under foot and just one hour later brings April November showers that are quickly here and quickly gone. Its nothing to leave the house with a winter coat and by mid day be barefoot in what seems like the summer sun.

And then there's this:

 

 

 

Colors I cant quite capture, a feeling I cant quite explain.

 

 

 These are days we in the northland try desperately to hold onto. As the colors get brighter and brighter and as each leaf falls to the ground we gird ourselves a just a lil more for the winter to come. There's frantic harvesting and copious canning, wood stacking and fall cleaning. A sense of "putting" up the larder and battening down the hatches before old man winter decides he's moving in for an extended visit. Last year he hung out at our place for a full 7 months of snow and at times the wind chill that came bearing down across the lake was at a blustery *-50F. One week in March alone brought us nearly 30 inches of the white stuff. So in this season we quicken the pace and get ready to combat cabin fever....

 

But not today. Today we play.....

 

 

and we discover....

 

 

and appreciate.

 

 

and sit in the sun and create....

 

 

and spend time walking in the fading afternoon light through golden leaves.

 

 

 

Easy Peasy Boot Cuffs

 

Materials: Any worsted weight yarn

I hook

*stitch marker, a length of yarn or just wing it ;)

2 buttons of your choice

yarn needle for weaving in ends

scissors

needle and thread for sewing on buttons

 

Leave long 18 inch tail for sewing cuff

Row 1: ch 11

Row 2: sc in each st across

Row 3: ch 1 and turn. sc ch in back loops only across (10 sc)

Repeat row 3 for 43 more rows (46 rows total of rib stitch)

 

Joining the cuff:

Measure the cuff to mark how much over lap you would like for your faux flap or simply mark with st marker, yarn or eye 6 rib rows in (of course adjust if 6 is too small or big)

 

sc in each end of rib (NOT turning work to back side but instead working across and down the top length of the previously crocheted rib) following instructions of round 1

 

Round 1: ch 1 turn. sc in each st to your marker (aprox 6 rib rows from end) yarn over as if to sc in next st but instead go through marked st and current st together joining the cuff in the round...continue sc through BOTH parts of the cuff until you are at the beginning of the round. Mark with st marker, yarn or simply eyeball :)

Round 2: Hdc decrease over next 2 st, hdc in next 4, repeat until end of round

Round 3-6: Hdc in each st in round

Round 7: Sc in each st in round, fasten off, weave in ends

 

At the cuff, fold over faux opening half way down and use long tail to secure upper edge of cuff together at the top and the fold flap down. Continue to stitch down the cuff so there are no gaps, fasten off weave in ends. Sew on two buttons; one on the open faux flap, and the other directly below it.

 

Slide your ultra-easy-peasy-super-duper-made-by-you-who-rocks boot covers over your bare leg, or your pant leg, tuck your cuff into your favorite boots and enjoy <3

 

 

The Beginning Of Something

Theres an internal dialogue I think most people have with themselves when they make the decision to reach out blindly into the world hoping to connect to others in a meaningful way. There are fears for sure. I mean come on lets get real, we all have them. Like social fears that can sometimes bring us right back to the elementary school playground during recess when kids were lined up like cattle on the auction block sweating it out waiting to be divvied up by two "captains of cool". I remember myself  kids fervently praying to the school yard gods to just please, please not be picked last...

Then there's the excitement of a new adventure. Of going where no man  woman has gone before. Maybe stretching your circle beyond your personal norm and really being heard (or if you're like me, heard by someone whose bum I don't actually wipe on a daily basis). This point can be stickler for us anxiety prone types. It may in fact be where the reaching out comes to a screeching halt or, like as in my case, where copious amounts hand wringing, second guessing and chocolate are consumed. But here I sit. Striking the keyboard. Picking my words up and plunking them down in hopes to make that connection. That personal spark that we all, across every age group and every demographic, crave.

Finally settles in the bewilderment that comes with a personal blog. What do I have to say? Is it relevant? What if what I want to say isn't popular? Can I take the heat? Can I really put myself out there and trust that I'll be ok? I think so..... no, I'm pretty certain so.... *deeeep breaths* cuz here we go hunting and pecking away into uncharted territory.

I've been getting pretty obsessed involved with crafting lately. Honestly...I'm  truly, up to my eyeballs in yarn. Literally. Let me fill you in....

The crochet world has been taken over by minion fever. They are E-V-E-R-Y-W-H-E-R-E. Hats, tutu's, outfits etc... if it's Despicable Me minions you seek it's minions ye shall find out there at the moment and the fiber artist in me couldn't resist. But I didn't want to just do the same ole patterns I had seen... in fact, I don't really like patterns at all truth be told. So I decided to make one of my own instead. I know, I know... Does the world really need another minion? Ummmmmm....yuhhhhhh!!!! *well not really but you know they are kinda cute and if you put one on your kid they just might be more compelled to follow your every command, or at least that's what I tried to desperately to convince my four year old of when I slipped this bad boy on her wee lil noggin*

 

All in all it was a kind of crochet success and a very fun project to dig into. I'm working on turning my chicken scratch into something that resembles a readable pattern for other character hat lovin' crocheters to play with but in the meantime he sits alone. One solitary minion is kind of a sad minion though and since I have seven (yes, I did. I said seven) lil noggins to make into my very own personal minions, I may actually have to crochet some more. But I've heard that having "yes" men can get lonely sooooooo....

    

        

 

Recently I've met some really outstanding women in a crochet group on FaceBook and I'm so very thankful for them. Its nice to have minions and all but much, much nicer to have friends. Like in the beginning of this lil story its about connections. Its about taking risks and being vulnerable. Being willing to maybe lose something *security* to gain something better. It's about life and love and spark and fire. It's about this moment right here where we see each other and say:

 Hi. My name is Hanna. I'm so glad you stopped by.... come in and get comfy... sit a while....lets chat.