Boxed Beads Hat with Bulky Weight Yarn

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 Yarnspirations recently sent me some of their new O'Go yarn to try out and with fall just around the corner, and hopefully some cooler weather, I thought it would be perfect to make a new hat pattern. 

O'Go is available in a variety of different yarns from Red Heart, Caron, and Bernat, but the one I got was Caron Colorama, in the Lippy color way. Colorama is a bulky weight, acrylic yarn, available in solid and self striping color ways. The new O'Go format is allows for a quick-start and tangle-free stitching. And one of my favorite parts is that you can easily separate the colors if you want to have more control over the color placement, without undoing the yarn. All you need to do is remove the packaging, then snip the plastic fastener, pull it out, and start stitching. Then if you want to separate the colors you just gently pull apart the colors where they change, and cut them apart. They hold their shape and continue to have the same tangle-free pull. 

As I was trying to decide what I was going to make I immediately decided I wanted to make a hat. I thought about taking one of my most popular hat patterns and just making a bulky weight version of that hat, but instead I took inspiration from that hat and created a new pattern using a variation of one of the main stitches that it uses. 

This new pattern uses a variation of the bead stitch called the boxed bead stitch. The difference between the 2 stitches is that with the boxed bead stitch there is a double crochet stitch in between each bead stitch. This, combined with the row of single crochet stitches between each bead stitch row, creates a little box that each bead stitch is contained within. 

I did separate my colors in this hat, so that I chose when to end one and when to start a new one. If you are using a self striping yarn you can let the yarn dictate when the colors change or you can cut the colors apart and decide when you want to change colors. I wanted to get all of the colors into the hat so I would do a few rows and then change to a different color. There isn't really any rhyme or reason to when I chose to change colors, I just wanted it to be a little bit random and fit all of the colors. 

I am also working on a worsted weight version of this hat pattern, just because that is the weight of yarn I tend to have the most of so I use it is kind of just the standard weight that I use for my hats. Working on this hat did make me wonder why I don't use more bulky weight yarn for hats though, it works up so much faster which is super awesome!

How to Crochet the Boxed Beads Hat with Bulky Weight Yarn

You will need:

• O'Go Caron Colorama (I used Lippy)
• J crochet hook
• scissors 
• yarn needle
• optional: faux fur pompom
• optional: button

Instructions:

Bead Stitch:  the Bead Stitch is basically a puff stitch worked around the post of the dc next to it, In this boxed version you will work a dc stitch before each Bead Stitch (separate from the dc post you work the puff stitch around)
dc in first stitch, yo, insert hook post of dc, pull up a loop, yo, insert hook around post, pull up a loop, yo, insert hook around post, pull up loop, yo, pull through all loops on hook, skip next stitch

I have a video tutorial of the Bead Stitch, but it is not the Boxed Bead Stitch so it does not include the extra double crochet stitch in between.  You can find that video tutorial HERE.

I chose to separate my colors and change colors every few rows. I wanted to use all of the colors and I didn't want the color changes happening in the middle of the rows. I changed colors every 2-4 rows. 

Boxed Beads Hat

Begin with Magic Ring, beginning ch does not count as a stitch

Round 1: in mr, ch 2, 10 dc, sl st to first dc to join (10 dc)

Round 2: ch 2, 2 dc in each st, sl st to first dc to join (20 dc)

Round 3: ch 2, [2 dc in first st, 1 dc in next st] repeat around, sl st to first dc to join (30 dc)

Round 4: ch 2, [2 dc in first st, 1 dc in next 2 sts] repeat around, sl st to first dc to join (40 dc)

Round 5: ch 2, [2 dc in first st, 1 dc in next 3 sts] repeat around, sl st to first dc to join (50 dc)

Round 6: ch 2, [2 dc in first st, 1 dc in next 12 sts, 2 dc in next, 1 dc in next 11 sts] repeat (54 dc)

Round 7: ch 2, [dc in first st, bead stitch in next (dc in first stitch, yo, insert hook post of dc, pull up a loop, yo, insert hook around post, pull up a loop, yo, insert hook around post, pull up loop, yo, pull through all loops on hook, skip next stitch)] repeat around, sl st to first dc to join (18 beads, 18 dc)

Round 8: ch 1, sc in each st, sl st to first sc to join (54 sc)

Round 9: [dc in first st, bead stitch in next] repeat around, sl st to first dc to join (18 beads, 18 dc)

Round 10: ch 1, sc in each st, sl st to first sc to join (54 sc)

Round 11: [dc in first st, bead stitch in next] repeat around, sl st to first dc to join (18 beads, 18 dc)

Round 12: ch 1, sc in each st, sl st to first sc to join (54 sc)

Round 13: ch 2, dc in each st, sl st to first dc to join (54 dc)

Round 14: ch 2, [fpdc, bpdc] repeat around, sl st to first dc to join (54 dc)

Finish off, weave in ends

Attach pompom if desired. I like to use the elastic loop pompoms and I sew a button on the inside of the hat, then pull the loop through and loop it around the button. This makes the button removable and holds it on securely.