Happy New Year!

Pretty Maiden Brim Bonnet from Bangle Hats, 1962

This pretty girl may be a maiden, but this hat is certainly not a Brim Bonnet!

This is a Brim Bonnet, AKA a bonnet with a brim. You could also call it a Prim Bonnet, as it’s suitable for romantic-yet-chaperoned liaisons and church socials.

What our pretty hat model has perched on her head is not a Brim Bonnet, it’s a Bangle Bedecked Top Hat. It’s not prim, either, as Top Hats are suitable for dancing, debauchery, and drinking buckets of champagne.

That’s right, Mothers lock up your daughters! This Dapper Dancer is not taking your Bangled Baby on a chaperoned date!

For the complete pattern (and more snark!):

Lois Ann Endres was only a baby, but Miss 1935 still knew how to get properly decked out to celebrate the arrival of a brand new year.

True, Little Lois didn’t crochet her own top hat. But I think we can cut her some slack, considering her tender years.

Plus she also appears to have been safety pinned to the back of that chair.

PRETTY MAIDEN BRIM BONNET

AKA “Pretty Party Girl Top Hat”

MATERIALS REQUIRED:
Knitting Worsted: 4 oz.
100 WALCO Bangles
Crochet Hook, Size G (5)
Elastic (round)
Wire

As noted previously, WALCO Bangles no longer exist. You will just have to make your own out of used plastic bottle caps and tin foil.

With luck, you’ll have all 100 completed in time for your Green New Year’s Celebration in 2011.

GAUGE: 7 sc = 2’’

Round 1: Ch 3, join with a sl st to form a ring, ch 1, work 6 sc into ring. Mark ends of rounds but do not join.
Round 2: Work 2 sc in each sc around – 12 sc.
Round 3: *Work 2 sc in next sc, 1 sc in next sc: repeat from * – 18 sc.
Round 4: Work 2 hdc in each st around ( to make a hdc – yarn over hook, draw up a loop in st, yarn over hook and draw thru all loops on hook) – 36 sc.
Round 5: Work 1 sc in each st around.

Just don’t reuse previous Baby New Years at your party.

Round 6: *Work 2 hdc in next st, 1 hdc in each of next 2 sts: repeat from * – 48 sts.
Round 7: Work 1 sc in each st around.
Round 8: *Work 2 hdc in next st, 1 hdc in each of next 3 sts: repeat from * – 60 sts.
Round 9: Work 1 sc in each st around.
Round 10: *Work 2 hdc in next st, 1 hdc in each of next 4 sts: repeat from * – 72 sts.
Make a circle to wire and working over wire PICKING UP BACK LOOP OF ST, work 1 sc in each st around. This round remains on inside of hat.
Round 11: WORKING IN FRONT LOOP OF ST of same round, work 1 sc in each st around. FROM NOW ON WORK THRU BOTH LOOPS OF ST.

WHY ARE YOU SHOUTING AT ME?

Too much pressure! I need a break.

Er... I’m not sure if that’s adorable or disturbing. Hopefully it’s not an omen for the next decade, as we’ve all had more than enough “presents” from big financial companies.

Round 12: Work 1 hdc in each st around.
Round 13: BANGLE ROUND: Pick up a BANGLE, insert hook in BANGLE and next st at same time, *work 1 sc thru BANGLE, work 1 sc in each of next 2 sts without bangle : repeat from * around – 24 sc with bangles, 48 sc without. Repeat last 2 rounds – 7 more times – 8 Bangle rounds. Make a circle of Elastic to fit headsize and working over elastic, work 1 sc in each st around, a sl st in first sc.

Hang on, we’ve got BANGLES, Bangles and bangles! I could get annoyed at all this randomness, but it’s kind of fun to read aloud using a BIG voice for the ALL-CAPS WORDS, a Medium voice for the Capitalized Words, and a small voice for lowercase words.

I bet this would make a fun party game after a glass (or three) of champagne.

BRIM:
Round 1: Work (2 sc in next st, 1 sc in each of next 2 sts) 10 times, ch 6, work (2 sc in next st, 1 sc in each of next 2 sts) 4 times, ch 6, work (2 sc in next st, 1 sc in each of next 2 sts) to end of round.
Round 2: *Work 1 hdc in each st to ch 6 loop, work 1 hdc in each of 6 ch sts: repeat from * once, work 1 hdc in each st to end of round.
Round 3: BANGLE ROUND: *Work 1 Bangle sc, work 1 sc in each of next 2 sc without bangle: repeat from * around.
Round 4: Work 1 hdc in each st around.
Repeat Rounds 3 and 4 once, repeat Round 3 once.
LAST ROUND: Ch 3, TURN. Picking up FRONT loop of st only, work 1 dc in each st around, join with sl st in top of ch 3, break off. Sew this round to left side of brim. Sew chain 6 opening closed, and sew to first round of brim forming pleat. Sew other chain 6 opening the same way.

And if your finished Top Hat doesn’t fit, you can always give it to another member of the family.

Happy Handmade New Year, and Happy Mother of a New Decade!

Click here for the printable pattern.