Prep for the Pattern

Tri-color slouchy hatThe tallies are in and the tri-color slouchy hat received the most votes for the “Team Spirit” crochet along challenge. You can download this pattern from our Facebook group, or you can also find it along with the other contenders here on our website www.marymaxim.com, in the free patterns section. The tri-color slouchy hat is pattern FP0110.The tri-color slouchy hat pattern creates this wonderful plaid by repeating rounds in the 8th and 9th row. We are going to follow the pattern in our Crochet Along tutorial but this could also be easily be modified by switching every 4 rows instead of every 2 to create a more symmetrical plaid if desired. If you choose to do that plan accordingly because our instructions will differ. This pattern may also differ because of size, it needs to be sized for the wearer. The pattern is currently sized to child 4 or a child who is about 6-8 years of age.  To accomplish that you will need to add stitches in groups of 8 once you get to the 6th round.This pattern was written for Paton’s Classic Wool DK Superwash but we will be using Mary Maxim’s Maximum Value Yarn. It's Mary Maxim's newest yarn that has some great features, including a nice color range to choose from. The pattern has directions for 4, 6, and 8 yarn weights and Maximum Value Yarn is a worsted weight size 4 yarn. It also happens to be on sale for $2.99 for a 450yd 8oz skein (check our clearance yarn and crafts page for current discounts and deals).Maximum Value yarn is preferable over some of our other lines for this pattern because the fibers are more sturdy and have a rougher hand that stands up to everyday living. This yarn is recommended for afghans because of it’s yardage and wearability, but also for outerwear pieces like the tri-color slouchy hat. Maximum Value yarn is special because the dyes are designed in color families to create those nice gradients when creating ripples or fan effects, and it just so happens to be pretty great for this particular plaid look that we are going for. The best part of this yarn is that there is no loss of quality next to our signature Mary Maxim Starlette yarn. It is a value yarn with the value lying in the yardage, without compromising quality. It is built to last.For our Team Spirit Challenge, we happen to have some Michigan State Fan’s in the house so we are going to use Dark Green as our Contrast A, Medium Green as our Contrast B and White as our Contrast C. Please share your color inspirations or share which team you are going to support this fall, we are really excited to see what everyone has picked out.