Crocheting, Like a Boss

When I got pregnant last year, I decided I needed to learn to crochet.  It was probably all those motherly hormones telling me I needed to make cute little things to keep my baby snug and warm.  After practicing the stitches on a few washcloths, I decided to up my game.  My baby needed an aviator style steampunk hat.  Not to mention, I was taking my new baby to a steampunk convention the following April, and she needed to be the cutest steampunk baby ever!  I found a really cute pattern for free (yay Pinterest!) and decided to attempt it.  The original pattern I used is not online anymore but here is a link to a similar pattern.

I had never done anything this complex before, but the pattern was super easy to follow.  I'll admit, I did rip everything out and start over once or twice, but it was all user error.  Anyone that knows how to crochet will find it easy.  The pattern said it was for 0-3 months which I thought would be perfect, but I was wrong on several accounts.  I think my stitches are a little bigger than the author's for one.  Two, my baby is very petite.  She was born full-term, but has always been on the smaller side.  Three, it's pretty warm in April, and crocheted hats are a little hot.  So when the convention rolled around, the hat was too big, and it was too hot anyway, so she didn't get to wear it.

Now that it is winter, I thought I would try the hat on again.  It's just a smidge too small, but it looks adorable.  I snapped a couple photos (which was the whole point), so I could still show everyone the cutest steampunk baby ever.

The original pattern had all the trim in tan, but since I knew I was having a girl, I decided to pink it up.  In retrospect, I wish I had put the lenses closer together, but I'm pretty proud of my first non-washcloth.  I've made several items since then, and I keep getting better.  And, I don't have to look up what a double crochet is every time anymore.  Practice makes perfect, and you would not believe how many steampunk crochet patterns are out there.  I will attempt to make them all!  Well, maybe not all, but most.  Definitely most.