Your Toasty Heart Beanie will relax a bit once you start wearing it – this is one of the beautiful properties of wool. If it’s a bit small to start with don’t worry – give it a good tug and see how it feels after you wear it a couple of times.
I’ve found that when I crochet with chunky yarn and a huge hook I hold the yarn and hook differently to when I’m using “normal” sized yarn because of the extra size and weight. To avoid discomfort in my arms and hands I share the crocheting movements between both arms and it becomes a full upper body workout! I also try to be aware of my posture as I’m crocheting.
This beanie is made using slip stitches through the back loop. Some people find this a tad tricky to do, but I’ve discovered the secret is to keep your tension nice and loose, and to take your time.
To ensure the edges of your crochet are nice and strong (and to make sure the brim doesn’t stretch uncontrollably) we’ll do the slip stitches at each edge through both loops.
To keep your edges looking neat make sure you turn the same way at the end of each row.
We’re going to put a stitch marker on the first stitch of each row to be able to easily count the number of rows – I find counting slip stitch rows really difficult! We’ll then use the stitch markers to help create a neat join along the back of your beanie.
