After a particularly trying crochet day this past week, I was feeling a bit dispirited. My crochet mojo had gone missing, and I wanted it back.

To that end, I thumbed through crochet books and magazines in search of something to get my crochet back on track, when I came across a hat pattern in the May/June 2010 issue of Crochet Today! In as much as I was slated to spend a good part of today in the afternoon sun, I decided that the “Blooming Sun Hat” designed by Linda Permann was just the thing to go with my Neutrogena Age Shield Face sunblock.

I did not have the Red Heart Eco-Cotton Blend that the pattern called for, so I grabbed what was handy: a 7 oz. skein of Red Heart Super Saver in the color Aran. Then I got out my 3.75 mm Etimo hook and made an adjustable ring.

I started on the hat last night around 6:30 and worked for two hours almost entirely uninterrupted; I was able to do the same this morning.

Here is the result:

The hat, along with the Neutrogena sunblock, did a good job keeping my face from getting burned, but more than that, this hat seems to have helped me get my crochet mojo back.

This was in no small part due to the fact that the directions were, in a word, excellent. This contributed to the ease with which I was able to start, continue, and complete the project. I will probably make this project again, but next time I will use a hot pink or bright orange.

So, thank you to Linda Permann for an excellent project that has helped me to get back on track.