Shaped Crochet Hood
December 13, 2017 7:18 AM Subscribe
I'm making this sweater but I don't like the pointy hood. Is it possible to add a more normal shaped hood to the sweater?
Most hood patterns I can find are fashioned in the same way - a rectangle that is then folded in half and sewn down the seam. This makes a very pointy hood rather than a normal hood shape. I've only found 1 pattern that seems different but there's no photo of the finished hood and its hard to visualise how it will look from reading the pattern
Most hood patterns I can find are fashioned in the same way - a rectangle that is then folded in half and sewn down the seam. This makes a very pointy hood rather than a normal hood shape. I've only found 1 pattern that seems different but there's no photo of the finished hood and its hard to visualise how it will look from reading the pattern
Melismata is correct, the only way to create a different shape is to gradually bind off, or decrease, the stitches along the edges that you join to create a curved shape that you then sew together instead of the straight seem. So for this pattern, it says to crochet 30 rounds before you fold the square you crochet at the top and sew the seam to create the hood. So for at least the last 10 or so rows, maybe more, if you decrease one or two stitches on both ends of each round/row to get to 30 rounds and the fold and sew together, it should create a curved along the top of the hood. It will take a little experimenting, but you should be able to figure it out!
posted by blacktshirtandjeans at 8:02 AM on December 13, 2017
posted by blacktshirtandjeans at 8:02 AM on December 13, 2017
If you are crocheting the hood in one piece, and you decrease toward the end so it is dome-shaped, when you sew the seam, the slope is going to be facing the wrong way, toward the back of your head instead of the forehead.
The shaping is more like the dip in a whale's tail: if you look at this pattern and you imagine a second one mirrored at the seam, the part that shapes the head would be a curvy v in the center.
So you could make a paper template, crochet one side of the top part then the other. Or just do the whole hood in two parts with a long seam.
posted by Rube R. Nekker at 8:36 AM on December 13, 2017 [2 favorites]
The shaping is more like the dip in a whale's tail: if you look at this pattern and you imagine a second one mirrored at the seam, the part that shapes the head would be a curvy v in the center.
So you could make a paper template, crochet one side of the top part then the other. Or just do the whole hood in two parts with a long seam.
posted by Rube R. Nekker at 8:36 AM on December 13, 2017 [2 favorites]
This free pattern looks like it's got a hood shape closer to what you want.
posted by clavicle at 8:59 AM on December 13, 2017
posted by clavicle at 8:59 AM on December 13, 2017
Best answer: When you've got the rectangle at about the height of the top of your ears, start decreasing in the center of the row. You might find that you only need to decrease on every other row, or depending on the stitch pattern you'll like some other way of decreasing, but you want to decrease in the center to bring the sides together and forward. It will involve a whole lot of trying on, unraveling and redoing to get the fit how you want it, but it's not complicated unless you're trying to preserve a motif or something. Soon enough you'll have made a shape that fits over your head without the pointy bit, but it won't come quite as forward as you probably want it. Continue with the shorter rows for a few inches and fold that in half and sew up the center.
The other way to do this is to basically create a gusset up along the back of the neck and over the top of your head. Take the rectangle and divide it by three horizontally and place a stitch marker between each of those three sections (two stitch markers, one on either side of your neck, basically). At those points, increase so it bows out and fits the back your head (it looks like you don't need to do this on your pattern though since it starts so wide). Then you'll do up to where your head curves in as even rows, but keep the markers in. At that point, do two decreases on each row (or each row that you're doing decreases on) where those markers are. That will make it fit kind of flat over the top of your head and curve in over your ears. You can either do the decreases increasingly outward towards the ends of the rows so each third remains equal, or you can place them toward the center so the gusset part gets thinner and thinner while the sides remain the same. It will change the shaping of the hood but it's kind of subtle and might not matter to you.
posted by Mizu at 2:30 PM on December 13, 2017 [1 favorite]
The other way to do this is to basically create a gusset up along the back of the neck and over the top of your head. Take the rectangle and divide it by three horizontally and place a stitch marker between each of those three sections (two stitch markers, one on either side of your neck, basically). At those points, increase so it bows out and fits the back your head (it looks like you don't need to do this on your pattern though since it starts so wide). Then you'll do up to where your head curves in as even rows, but keep the markers in. At that point, do two decreases on each row (or each row that you're doing decreases on) where those markers are. That will make it fit kind of flat over the top of your head and curve in over your ears. You can either do the decreases increasingly outward towards the ends of the rows so each third remains equal, or you can place them toward the center so the gusset part gets thinner and thinner while the sides remain the same. It will change the shaping of the hood but it's kind of subtle and might not matter to you.
posted by Mizu at 2:30 PM on December 13, 2017 [1 favorite]
Hood:
Work R1 to R15 in double crochet as indicated. Try on and see if "large collar" is reaching ear level yet.
R16: Count stitches in row and mark center with a safety pin. Work dc to center and work invisible decrease (dc2tog), work dc to end of row, turn.
I like HappyBerry's way of explaining the invisible methods. Note that you can choose to insert hook in front loops or back loops, leaving the empty loops on the inside of the hood.
R17 to R30: Work dc across and turn. On every other row, work (dc2tog) at center of row.
This should give a subtle curve to back of hood. You may need to experiment to see if more (dc2tog) is needed to remove the extra bulk at the peak.
Hood seam: from the wrong side, fold in half and seam the top with sc as indicated. I would work from front to back along top seam.
posted by TrishaU at 4:02 PM on December 13, 2017
Work R1 to R15 in double crochet as indicated. Try on and see if "large collar" is reaching ear level yet.
R16: Count stitches in row and mark center with a safety pin. Work dc to center and work invisible decrease (dc2tog), work dc to end of row, turn.
I like HappyBerry's way of explaining the invisible methods. Note that you can choose to insert hook in front loops or back loops, leaving the empty loops on the inside of the hood.
R17 to R30: Work dc across and turn. On every other row, work (dc2tog) at center of row.
This should give a subtle curve to back of hood. You may need to experiment to see if more (dc2tog) is needed to remove the extra bulk at the peak.
Hood seam: from the wrong side, fold in half and seam the top with sc as indicated. I would work from front to back along top seam.
posted by TrishaU at 4:02 PM on December 13, 2017
And for your crocheting pleasure, the linked double crochet stitch. I will never do a standard double crochet at the beginning of the row again. Game-changer!
posted by TrishaU at 4:40 PM on December 13, 2017
posted by TrishaU at 4:40 PM on December 13, 2017
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That is an AWESOME sweater. I love hoods!
posted by Melismata at 7:24 AM on December 13, 2017