Chelle-Chelle.com is many things; a collection of crocheted goodness, a series of crafting articles, a smattering of knitting projects from a very challenged knitter and a showcase of original jewellery designed and created by me, Michelle.
Ruse – A Cloche-Inspired Crochet Hat
Written on January 9, 2010 at 11:15 pmFiled under: Crafting,Free Pattern with tags: crochet, hat
The Cloche originates from the 1920s and was made of felt for a form-fitting bell-shaped hat. While I was looking for a new hat pattern to try out, I couldn’t find one for a cloche that I particularly liked. They were either too bell-shaped or not bell-shaped enough, so I decided to try my hand at making a cloche-inspired hat with just a subtle bell-shape that I wouldn’t mind wearing.
I tried out, for the first time, Nashua Handknits Creative Focus Superwash (50% merino, 50% wool). The yarn felt a little stiff when it was in the ball, but once it was crocheted up into the hat, it felt nice and soft. My only complaint about the yarn is that it splits easily when crocheting – this is a common issue with superwash yarns.
The pattern for this hat has been written up and has three different sizes available (21.25″, 22″ and 24″ for head circumference). The name of the pattern is Ruse, there’s no real story about where the name of the hat came from.
Want to make your own hat? The pattern is free! Click to download a PDF copy of the Ruse hat pattern.
Difficulty Level: Easy
Update August 21 2010: Due to some questions regarding how to proceed with Round 1 of the Ruse hat pattern, I’ve updated the pdf file with the second revision and it is now available for download.
I really like the hat! Thank you for sharing the pattern.
I too have been looking for a pattern for a nice cloche and haven’t found anything I liked until yours. Thanks so much for posting!
I am new to crochetting. On rounds 8-23 the pattern states to “work even in . . . “.
I don’t understand this. Could you explain further?
Thanks
Hi Tina,
“Work even in (stitch name)” means to keep to the same amount of stitches as the previous row (no increases, no decreases), so at the end of the round, you should have the same number of stitches.
Hope that helps!
I like your pattern and appreciate the effort it took to develop and write it. Thanks!
I don’t understand how you do 10 hdcs in a ring without a foundation ring. Do you first make a ring with chain stitches? If so, how many did you use for the ring?
At the end of each round, join with sl st before beginning next round.
Round 1: ch 1, 10 hdc in ring (10)
Hi Colleen!
What I did was chain 1 and then chain 2 for the ‘first’ hdc and then do the next hdc into the very first chain that you did.
I used a Plymouth Yarn blend of 52% silk and 48% merino wool. Total yardage was 170.
The yarn comes in 99 yard skeins. I love the design: it is a deep hat and the brim can be arranged in different ways. HOWEVER, my head measures 22.5 so I first tried the increase after row 7 adding two extra rows (to come between 22 and 24 inch sizes). It was way too big and I had to go back to row 7 and continue as for the small size of 21.25 inches. The hat fits fine and could even stretch to fit a 24 inch head, as far as I can tell. My gauge was perfect so I am not sure why the discrepancy. I measured my head just above the eyebrows.
Now that I know the sizing, I will make more of these because I love the fact that it covers the ears and is so versatile. Thanks!
Hello Karen,
Thanks for sharing your experience! My sister tried out the pattern in a 50/50 merino and wool blend and she had to go for a smaller size than her head measured out to be – our assumption for that is that the yarn allows for some stretch (if she made it the next size up, it would have been too big and not been ‘snug’ enough to stay on).
I’m glad you like it and happy crocheting
Could you email me with your policy on selling items made from your pattern at craft sales and online. Thanks
[...] is the second copy of the pattern) and it has now been uploaded onto my website. You can find the Ruse pattern by clicking here to see the revisions [...]