Question from Reader: Going in Circles

Dee- I am a new crocheter. I followed the pattern you set, but instead of a hat, my piece looks like a  doily. There's no form to it. Can you tell me what I did wrong? I followed the toddler directions.
Thanks so much.
Tiffany

Hi Tiffany, thank you for such a great question!  You're not alone, many new crocheters get a little confused when learning how to crochet in rounds.

 

Let's look at my pattern instructions for the Textured Child's Spiral Hat here.  In reading my pattern we notice that the first six rounds are created with increases evenly spaced out.  This means that if done correctly, yes, your crochet work will lay flat and take on the beginning appearance of a doily (in the picture below I have 4 rounds completed; the illustration shows where I've placed my increases for each round.):

Once the increase rounds are complete, each round thereafter is created stitch for stitch.  So if you ended with 60 stitches in Round 5 for the Toddler Hat, every round there after will have 60 stitches in it.  This will cause the work to "cup," building up the sides of the hat.  If you completed Round 6 for the larger sized hat, then after round 6 every round will have 72 stitches in it, again, causing the work to "cup."  If you have exceeded, say, Round 10 and your work still looks flat like a doily, then there is a good chance you're still increasing AND that there may be a tension issue.  Note that Round 7 says no more increases.  (Since you're doing the smaller size, your stitch count for Round 7 and on should be 60, not 72.)  Count your stitches, and if need be, check that your tension is under control.

There are other hat patterns available on the Internet, in magazines, and in books that will have different shaping as you go round by round.  The Spiral Hat Pattern we are discussing here is very basic in shaping to aid in learning how to crochet in circles.

Keep in mind, as you crochet, counting your stitches is very important.  Failure to do so will result with fabric that ripples (too many stitches) or buckles (too few stitches.)

I hope this helps, and that when you're hat is done you'll share a picture  :)

Sincerely,
~Dee

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