Shell-V Slouchy Beanie Pattern

This hat is made to fit me loosely, after making the band you can decide on your own if you need it bigger or smaller before continuing on. I will explain sizing adjustments.

For a picture tutorial check out my Facebook Album.

Yarn used- medium worsted weight yarn
(I used just over one skein of Vanna's Choice in beige)
Hook size- J/10 6.00MM
Sewing needle
US terms used throughout
Hat is worked from the band up to the crown

Sts used:
Sl st= slip stitch
Ch= chain
Sc= single crochet
Dc= Double crochet

Special stitches for this pattern
V Stitch= DC, ch1, DC in same space
Shell= 5DC in same space
Chain space= gap under a chain

Starting with the band

Ch 6 (more if you want a thicker band, chain should be the width of the band plus 1 ch)

Row 1: Sc into 2nd ch from hook and into each ch to the end. Ch1 and turn. (5sc)

Row 2: Sc into the back loop only in each stitch. Ch1 and turn. (5sc)

Rows 3-60: Repeat row 2. The rows of the band need to be a multiple of 6 (ex: 48, 54, 60, or 66.)

When you reach your desired length fold the band in half and sl st the ends together. Stitch through the back loop of the side closer to you and the front loop of the other side.

Transition from band to body of hat

Ch1 and turn band so sl sts are in the center. We will be working this pattern around the outside of the hat.

Sc into every row. Count at the end to make sure you have the same number of sc's as the rows in the band.

Body of hat

Row 1: Ch4, dc in same space(counts as a v-stitch.) *Skip 2 stitches, shell, skip 2 stitches, v stitch.* Repeat * to * around. You will end with a skip 2 & shell. Join- sl st into 3rd ch of the starting chain.

Row 2: Ch3, dc in chain space, dc in next st(counts as first shell.) *V stitch in middle stitch of shell, shell in chain space of v stitch.* Repeat * to * around. You will end with a v stitch. Join- slip st into 3rd ch of the starting chain.

Row 3: Ch4, dc in same space (counts as v-stitch.) *Shell in ch space of v stitch, v stitch in middle stitch of shell.* Repeat * to * around. You will end with a shell. Join- slip st into 3rd ch of the starting chain.

Rows 4-18: Repeat Row 2 & Row 3 until you reach desired size.

Row 19: Ch 1, sc in every stitch. Join with sl st in first stich.

Fasten off leaving a very long tail. At least a foot.

Now you will have a large tube so it's time to sew up the top!

Turn your hat inside out.

Lay it flat so the tail is in the center. Sew a stitch through both sides of the hat in the center.

Fold it the other way so the opposite corners are in line with each other. (Should look sort of like a flattened hour glass.) Sew a stitch all the way through the middle.

Now you will have 4 corners pointing out. Pull opposite corners to the center and stitch in place.

You now have 8 corners.

Whip stitch each gap closed, weaving the yarn back to the center between each section.

Sew in your tails and turn your hat right side out:)

I get it from my mama;)

I've been thinking about this a lot lately and wanted to write about it:). I know so many people who don't really like exercising and it's almost like a chore for them to fit it into their day. I'm not like this at all, I LOVE exercising! In my ideal world I would stay a homemaker forever just to make sure I could easily fit in my workouts. (That doesn't really work for our long term plans, but I'll save that for another post.) I absolutely love when my muscles are sore, the feelings I get from working out just make me feel more alive!

I think I get a big part of my attitude toward exercising from my mom. I'm sure she had times where she got out of the habit of exercising for awhile, like we all do, but overall when I look back at my upbringing, I think of my mom as being a very active person. From step aerobics to Pilates, running, yoga, I think my mom has probably done it all:). And I have, too! Because of her. I can remember being very young and mimicking some of the exercises, a lot like how my daughter does now. As I got older, I would actually join her in some of her workouts. I have some fond memories of me, my mom, and Denise Austin; I still workout with Denise from time to time:). When I was in high school, we even went to the gym together frequently.

My mom never preached to me about the importance of exercise and staying active. She didn't have to, she modeled it for me. I think our actions speak so much louder than words, and actually seeing my mom stay active over the years has really been inspirational for me.

So mom, thank you! Because of you, it's easy for me to get and stay in the habit of exercising. Because of you, my girls will grow up knowing how important it is to stay active and healthy. I love you, mom!

Keep forgetting to update:).

It's been almost a month since my last post! I've sort of gotten into "vlogging" lately, so have been forgetting to update here. If you pay any attention to your YouTube subscriptions, you should subscribe to my channel:). I've posted at least once a week for the past three weeks and plan on keeping it up. Here's the link.

I've taken up crocheting, so a lot of the videos have been about what I've made, but I also post my monthly dreadlock progress updates and will probably start posting miscellaneous vlogs about life and some hooping videos once I pick the hoop up again. I haven't hooped in quite awhile! I miss it and definitely need to schedule regular hoop time:).

I've started so many new things in the last couple months... running, hooping, crocheting! It's hard to make time for everything, but I've recently started yoga, too and am hoping it will help me find balance in my life:). I think the main part of finding balance is going to be spending less time on the computer, so I've kept that in mind lately, and have been doing pretty well the last couple of days.

Fitting in all my new hobbies, along with school work, housework, and just generally being a mom is tough, but I'm managing! I much prefer squeezing things into a tight schedule rather than feeling like I never do anything. For the longest time it just felt like I was just on the computer and being a mom, with the occasional spurts of housework which seemed to always overwhelm me. Being busy and trying to fit things all into one day actually seems to make me get more done when it comes to everyday tasks and I don't get as overwhelmed. Funny how that works out:).

Life is great!

I can't believe how much time has passed since my last post! Normally when I don't post it means that I'm depressed and just don't have much to say. Well, not this time! I haven't been posting because I've been busy and have tons to say! Let's see if I can get it all out into some sort of organized chaos:).

In the exercise/fitness area of my life, I have become really active! I workout 6 days a week, Friday is my rest day. I run on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday; six workouts left for Couch to 5k! On Monday and Wednesday I do a Zumba workout with the Kinect and whatever else I feel like doing on those days. On Thursdays I not only run, but also go to a fitness class at the gym on post. And starting this coming Saturday I'm going to be going to a belly dancing class, as well! If you've heard the phrase "a body in motion, stays in motion," that is totally what is going on with me! I started with just a couple workouts a week, but before I knew it I was trying to plan something for everyday. I actually have to force myself to rest on Fridays! I think I'm going to start doing yoga on my run days, too. I did it today and it just felt so great to stretch out my legs and just relax.

Moving on to my dreads... They are really coming along! Everyday I wake up and my hair looks different than it did the day before. I made a video a few days ago, so I'll just post that. I love my hair, hehe:). Oh and sorry in advanced for all the noise in the background, lol. That's Adelaide playing in the little kitchen.

I also made a video earlier this month of me hooping. It had been a month since I started hooping.

Earlier this month Adelaide turned a year old! Can't believe how fast the time has gone by. For fun here's a link to my birth story with Adelaide:) I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but Adelaide started walking right around 10 months. She's growing up to be such a funny and friendly little girl:). McKaleigh is going to be 3 years old soon, so hard to believe. She recently has become hooked on playing on the computer. Every time I step away even for a minute, she'll get on the computer and navigate her way to webpages she thinks are interesting. It amazes me how well she can use the computer!

So overall, life has been great! There's probably more I could find to talk about, but this post covers too many topics as it is:).

C25K is back on! Plus dread update:).

I'm back at it! While my mom and sister were here, I got into the habit of walking or running everyday, and I've really stuck to it! Tomorrow I start week 4 of the Couch to 5k plan and there's a 5k in early November that I'm planning on actually signing up for:). It feels so great to get outside every morning and I'm even starting to get a bit of a tan. I normally am more about safe sun than I am about being tan, but I have to admit, I look better with a little bit of a tan:P.

Got off track, lol, oh well, I don't claim to be a pro at this blogging stuff or anything. I just sort of write whatever comes to my head. It's my "secret public journal," as Mike Birbiglia would say;).

So anyways, in a pathetic attempt to stream this all together, you can see how tan I've gotten from all my running and walking in these pictures I took to show the change in my hair! It's been almost 8 months since I stopped brushing:).

I love this little squiggly one in the front.

Baby dreads:).

Back view, under the first layer of dreads.

That's really all I had to say... Things are going great in my life, overall! I hoop almost everyday and have been having SO much fun learning and perfecting new tricks. Once I hit the one month mark since I got my hoop, I'll be posting another video:).

My First Hooping Video

I made my first hooping video today! I mostly made it for my own benefit, so that a few months from now I'll be able to see where I started. I've had my hoop for less than two weeks, and honestly I'm really proud of how much I've learned in this short time! And tonight I tried two more tricks that I got almost right away!

So here is my video:)



Hooping is so great for me in so many ways. Before having kids I used to smoke, and every so often I would miss smoking. I didn't really miss cigarettes, but I missed those quiet moments outside, all by myself. So now I have that with hooping! And it won't kill me;). I'm so glad I've found hooping, I think it's just what I needed. It's something that is all mine, not related to being a mom or wife, it's just something that is all mine. I think everyone needs something like that.

I LOVE my hula hoop!

I got my hoop today and already love it! Before, I could never even get a hoop to stay up around my waist, but having a good quality hoop makes a huge difference! I can keep it up for a pretty long time now and have started to attempt some tricks. Two tricks I got today really gave me a hard time, I did each of them really well once, but definitely am no where near mastering them, haha. I feel so happy, hooping really does lift my spirits in a way nothing else has. There's just this feeling of elation:). When I get some tricks down I'll have to make a little video to post. I definitely want to record my progress so in a few months I can look back and really see how much better I get.

Here's a close up of the prettiness:)

Also, my mom, brother, and sister are here! They're just visiting for a little while, but it is SO nice having them here. I love having the extra hands with the girls and just having more big people to talk to, lol. I hope this time doesn't go by too quickly, but only a few months and we'll be living in the same town. I'm definitely looking forward to that.