It's Official..I'm a hooker

A crochet hooker, that is ~ (gotcha!)
A dear friend from my past taught me the art of basic crochet...and I've been hooked ever since.
During dry friendship seasons, periods of personal challenge, whatever..it makes for a great companion. My little part-time hobby, my little secret.
Over the years, I've managed to keep my interest in crochet alive - a project here and there - just enough to keep my fingers from rusting!
It seems that overnight, my overly protected, sheltered baby boys became Mr. Cool #1 and Mr. Cool #2 this past month. And what did #1 ask for last week? A skull cap...skater beanie, dude.
"Mom, I really want one of those cool hats that look like yarn? You know, the ones that I've seen the big kids wear?"
Oh-my-Gawd - little did he know he was barking up the right tree.......

Two hours after he went to bed - Mom made it happen, and his beanie was finished! You should of heard him squeal in the morning....for a brief glimmering moment, he couldn't believe how RAD I was. :)
Make your own - it's easy. Below I pasted the article/pattern that I used:

Boys Beanie / Skull Cap
This striped beanie hat is based off of the free crochet pattern that was originally published in Stitch N Bitch Crochet - The Happy Hooker, March 2006. (p.s. -I made a couple of changes near the end)
I like it because it's the answer to one of those tricky questions that crafters often face: What can I make for the men (or boys) in my life?
While this pattern is suitable in size for men and women, from teen to adult, it is particularly popular for young men in their late teens or early twenties (one of the hardest age groups to make things for, imho!) You can use up your scrap yarn for this pattern, or pick up some yarn in your son's team colors. If the hat will be worn for hunting or fishing trips, don't forget to add bright orange stripes for safety.
Materials: - #1 Red Heart Super Saver yarn (MC) / #2 Red Heart Super Saver contrast color (CC).
Finished measurements: length = 8”, circumference = approx 20” unstretched. one size fits most ages teen to adult. Repeat round 9 for a longer hat, skip round 9 for a shorter skull cap.
Gauge: using 5.5mm (US size I) hook, after round 4 your swatch should measure 5” in diameter. Adjust hook size to obtain correct gauge.
Stitches: sl st - slip stitch, sc - single crochet, dc - double crochet, sc tbl - single crochet through the back loop only, dc tbl - double crochet through the back loop only.
Pattern notes: this hat design is made crocheting in rounds, each round will begin with a number of chains which will count as the first stitch, and is ended by joining the last stitch with the top of the beginning chain creating concentric circles. “st” denotes the stitch of the previous round.
Begin - with MC ch 3, join with a slip st to first chain to form a ring.
Round 1 - ch 3, 9 dc into ring, join with sl st to top of ch 3. 10 sts. (I actually did a Magic Loop on this).
Round 2 - ch 2, dc into same st, 2 dc in each st around, join with sl st to top of ch 2. 20 sts.
Round 3 - ch 2, dc into same st, dc in next st, *(2 dc in next st, dc in next st), repeat from * 8 more times, join with sl st to top of ch 2. 30 sts.
Round 4 – sl st into back loop of same stitch, ch 2, dc in next st, 2 dc in next st, *(dc in next 2 sts, 2 dc in next st), repeat from * 8 more times, join with sl st to top of ch 2. 40 sts.
Round 5 - ch 2, dc into same st, dc in next 3 sts, *(2 dc in next st, dc in next 3 sts), repeat from * 8 more times, join with sl st to top of ch 2. 50 sts.
Round 6 - sl st into back loop of same stitch, ch 2, dc in next st, 2 dc in next st, *(dc in next 9 sts, 2 dc in next st), repeat from * 3 more times, dc in last 7 sts, join with sl st to top of ch 2. 55 sts.
Rounds 7, 8, 9 - sl st into back loop of same stitch, ch 2, dc in each st around, join with sl st to top of ch 2. hold MC to back of work.
Round 10 - join CC, ch 1, sc in each st around, join with sl st to beg ch.
Round 11 - with MC, ch 2, dc tbl in each st around, join with sl st to top of ch 2.
Round 12 - with CC, ch 1, sc in each st around, join with sl st to beg ch.
Round 13 - with CC, ch 2, dc tbl in each st around, join with sl st to top of ch 2. Tie off CC color.
Round 14 - with MC, ch 1, sc in each st around, join with sl st to beg ch.
Round 15 - with MC ch 1, sc tbl in each st around, join with sl st to beg ch.
Round 16 - ch 1, sc in each st around, join with sl st to top of ch. Tie off MC and weave in yarn ends with a tapestry needle.

Just to give you an idea - the above pattern fit my 9 year old wonderfully. Have fun and keep your babies (no matter how old they are!) and loved ones warm!!

..::Sandy::..