Friday Five: 5 Hats to Make with Variegated Yarn

 

This fall/winter season has been unusually warm where I live so I haven't had many opportunities to pull out hats and scarves and all of the other winter gear, but it is that time of year. Crocheted hats are probably my favorite wearable to crochet, so I have quite a few hat patterns on my blog. I will probably share a lot of different hats in my Friday Five roundups over the next couple of months, but today I thought I would focus specifically on hat patterns that work well with variegated yarn. 

Hats to Make with Variegated Yarn

Variegated yarn can look super pretty in the skein, but be really tricky to work with and make it look cute in a finished project. I think every crocheter has probably fallen victim to buying a skein of variegated yarn because the colors are pretty, only to bring it home and try making something and have it look absolutely horrible. Then maybe you rip it out and try a different stitch to see if it looks better but it doesn't and you repeat that same process a frustrating amount of times without success. I know I have felt that way, but I have some ways that I like to incorporate variegated yarns that I think work well and highlight the fun colors in the yarn while also showcasing the stitches. My number one way to do this is to use them as an accent, not as the only color, or really even the main color in a project. Combining them with contrasting solids keeps them from getting too busy and shows off the colors and the patterns. All of the hats on this list use this technique of using 2 alternating colors. The accent color does not have to be a variegated yarn, it could just be a contrasting solid, or you could even make them in all one color (both of these options are shown in some of the pattern examples), but they are patterns that work well with variegated yarns. So if you have some crazy colorful yarn in your stash that you have been looking for a way to use, give some of these hats a try!

1- Polka Dot Puffs Hat

For the first hat on this list I have the Polka Dot Puffs Hat. This hat is available in a child and adult size. It is made with little puff stitch polka dots in a contrasting color. One example hat is made with 2 solid colors and the other is made with a solid and a variegated yarn. Either way you make it the little contrasting puff stitches add a fun element to this hat. 

2- Thick and Thin Striped Hat

This next hat is a fun one to play around with different color placements and order. It is made up of alternating thick and thin stripes, created by alternating single and double crochet rounds. The hat pattern comes in 5 sizes from baby to adult. In the samples you can see hats that have all different color placements. One is made in two solid colors not using any variegated yarn, one uses the variegated for the thick stripes, the others use it for the thin stripes, and some use it for the ribbing and others use a solid for the ribbing. You can choose whichever placement you like the best!

3- Puff Stitch Stripes Hat

This next hat might be my favorite one on this list. I love the texture of this hat and I think it looks really good in both one solid color or in two contrasting colors. The texture really shines in the solid color version, but the pop of color in the 2 color version is fun. This hat pattern also comes in 5 sizes from baby to adult. 

4- Pumpkin Spice Hat

Apparently I use a lot of puff stitches in these hats, this is the third one on the list that uses puff stitches in some way. This time they are separated by rounds of stitches worked between the puffs to make each little puff pop out on its own. This particular pattern was inspired by fall colored variegated yarn and I combined it with solid yarns in fall colors, but you could do it in any color/combination of colors. 

5- V-Stitch Stripes Hat

The last hat on this list is the V-Stitch Stripes Hat. Like several of the other hats on this list this hat uses stripes to separate the colors, but this time the stripes are made using the v-stitch. This hat pattern is available in child and adult sizes. 

Whether you use variegated yarn to make them or not, I hope you enjoy this roundup of hat patterns. Be sure to check back next week for a new Friday Five Roundup.