A crochet snood and other things.

I used this pattern with a bit of an alteration. Using thread weight crochet cotton and a size 'H' hook, I made my starting loop with the magic ring method. My first round was to crochet six stitches (single crochet) into the ring. When I came back to my first stitch, I pulled the tail and snugged the ring up tight. Round two had me crocheting two stitches into each stitch until I came back to the beginning of my round. I then put a marker at the beginning of the round. Round three I crochet two stitches into the first stitch and one into the second. I continued this around the round. (All of this was in single crochet.) Round four, I crochet two stitches into the first stitch and then one stitch into the next two stitches. I repeated this until I came back to the beginning of the round. I continued on in this fashion - adding one single crochet stitch for each round after the two stitches in the first (which turns out to be the first of the two stitches done together, so you can make sure that things line up properly that way).

When it became difficult for me to tell where to do two stitches together, I put markers at each increase. You should have six markers (including the one at the beginning of the round). Increase at each marker and then do one stitch for each stitch following until you come to the next marker. Do this until your circle is big enough to fit comfortably on the crown of your head. If you want it a little larger, that works well too. The way I checked to make sure it was the right size was to just set it on my head. When it covered the back of my head and the crown, I started on making the 'bag' portion.

This is where you chain two at the beginning of the round. This counts as your first half double crochet (hdc). Then do one hdc per stitch. As you work around the round, remove the markers, except for the one that marks the first stitch. Continue to work one hdc per stitch until the snood is long enough to be comfortable. Put it on your head from time to time to make sure that it is a comfortable length. When you have it just right, at the first stitch of your second to last round, chain four. This will be your first double crochet and chain. In the third stitch from the hook, do a double crochet. Chain one. Do another double crochet into the second stitch from the hook. Chain one. Continue in this fashion around the round. When you reach the beginning of the round, single crochet in that stitch. Then single crochet around the round into each stitch. Slip stitch the last stitch of this final round together with the first stitch and tie off. Weave in the ends.

Weave a ribbon through the gaps in the second to last round. When you wish to wear it, just tighten the ribbon by tying a bow. I secure it with a few bobby pins for a little extra insurance against slipping on my fine hair. If you wish, you can weave elastic through. Either way, make sure that your ribbon is long enough that you can tie around your head comfortably. Or your elastic is comfortably snug on your head before you sew the ends together. there will be some bunching of the snood. Don't let this trouble you. It is supposed to do this and adds to the charm.

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Today has been a pretty good day so far. I feel a bit guilty that this is the first time I have had the opportunity to blog in here for a little while. And that I am letting housework go for a little longer while I do this. I am, however, resolute not to wallow in guilt. Blogging in here is as important as my daily journaling (which I will be doing next). It feeds my soul.

Snuggle Bug and I got our first real walk of the season in. I popped him into the stroller and we walked two miles today. On the way home, we stopped at the park. I let him run around and all over the playground. As he was going to town on the slide and teeter-totter, I was doing a little bit of spinning. We admired the flowers popping up in the butterfly garden over there and he had fun watching the ducks swimming in the lake.

I was hoping we'd get to see the albino duck that was here last year, but I saw no evidence of it. I did see a few juvenile ducks swimming on the stream that is the outlet from the lake when we crossed over it earlier in our walk. Snuggle Bug was more interested in watching the crows flying overhead then looking at the ducks then. There weren't any geese about, but I suspect there may be a few when we return over there in the late afternoon after Cuddle Bear gets home from preschool.

I think dinner for the kids tonight is going to be sandwiches. Something simple and not going to really heat the kitchen up. Because in the afternoon, it gets sweltering in here. The sun beats on the western side of the building for most of the afternoon. Beloved says that we'll be putting in the air conditioner in a little while if this heat wave keeps up. I suspect that may happen this weekend if the weather permits.