For reasons I don’t understand, I had a very difficult time getting started on my work today, but eventually, I did. I began with something ver small: I crocheted the last three rounds of this striped munchkin hat, and I wove in the ends–all of this in preparation to make another crochet hat:

With the striped munchkin crochet hat done, continuing in the “think small” vein, I finish weaving in (and trimming) the ends of this rainbow-inspired llama hat:

Which in turn jump started my effort to work on the “another crochet hat” was waiting in the wings and which required that I crochet a swatch.

It often seems to me that there are two types of people in the world: those who swatch and those who don’t. Normally, I fall into the latter camp, and I find myself having to adjust things at the end so that they fit.

But I am finding that by swatching, even if I can’t exactly duplicate the gauge, I can get a head start on adjusting the pattern so that it fits both my natural gauge and the intended recipient of whatever crochet object I am making.

Having just finished work on the munchkin hat and having made two llama hats in quick succession along with an earflap hat that was similar if not exactly the same, I was ready to do something a little different, so I searched my computer for a Viking helmet pattern that I purchased several years ago when my youngest son and a friend of his requested crochet Viking helmets with coordinating beards for Halloween.

A quick search of my computer turned up the pattern, and since the intended recipient is not near enough for me to able to check the fit this time around, I decided I would go with the next best thing: a gauge swatch:

The gauge swatch gave me enough information to figure out which hook and which size hat (there are eight to choose from) I would crochet, and in short enough order, I had the hat base done:

I feel very fortunate to have so many friends who let me be a part of their lives, one stitch and one crochet hat at a time.