by Dolly DeVonderland

Created on: February 28, 2009

Half Double Crochet is abbreviated HDC, and makes a sturdy, solid cloth when worked up. It's just what you'd expect to fall between single and double crochet stitches.

Let's try this:

First make your starting chain to make a swatch, roughly three inches is usually enough to get the feel for a new stitch.

To start a row of HDC, begin by putting your hook through both loops of the nearest starting chain and make a single crochet into that stitch. Chain one to equal the height of your next stitch, the HDC.

1) To HDC, yarn over once (wrap the yarn around your hook)
2) put the hook through both loops of the next chain stitch.
3) Yarn over again,
4) lift both of the lower loops over the last yarn over.
You've just made a Half Double Crochet!

Now, knowing that simple stitch, you can make a beret. Gather up:

~A good sized ball of worsted weight yarn

~ a medium sized hook, a big hook makes a lacier looking hat, a smaller one will make it more solid.

Start by chaining three.

1) Into the start of your chain (the far end from your hook), work nine HDC, join together first and last stitches with a slip stitch.

2) One single crochet into the joining stitch, and chain one (counts as 1 hdc). Make one HDC into same stitch. Work two HDC in each stitch all the way around and join with a slip stitch, total of 18 stitches around.

3) One single crochet into the joining stitch, and chain one. Make one HDC into same stitch. Work one HDC in next stitch, two HDC in next, alternating all the way around- 27 stitches

4) One single crochet into the joining stitch, and chain one. Make one HDC into same stitch. Work 1 hdc in each of the next two stitches, 2 hdc in the next stitch and repeat pattern for 36 stitches all the way around.

5) One single crochet into the joining stitch, and chain one. Make one HDC into same stitch. Work 1 hdc into each of the next three stitches, 2 hdc into the next, repeating for a total of 45 stitches.

Notice how the stitch count goes up by 9 every time? Each row, you'll add one to the number of HDC between 2 HCD in the same stitch (also known as an increase). Continue working this simple counting rhythm until you've got a circle roughly the size you'd like the beret to be, a dinner plate is a good size for most heads.

Do one or two rows of 1 HDC in every stitch, slip stitch to join between rows.

To begin decreasing and making your hat go in so as to fit around your head, start by:

Work 1 single crochet into the joining stitch, chain one, HDC in each of the next stitch. Work a decrease,

Decrease in HDC:

1) Put hook through both loops of stitch below
2) yarn over and pull through, leaving one loop on the hook.

3) Yarn over

4) put the hook through both loops of the next stitch
5) yarn over and pull through, leaving three loops on hook
6) yarn over and pull through all three loops on hook.
You've just decreased in Half Double Crochet!

Work around the hat decreasing every third stitch will make the piece get smaller. When you've worked enough decreases to make it the size you like your hat brim to be, stop decreasing.

Working a row or two of 1 HDC in each stitch will make for a nice band type of brim to your beret or tam as they're sometimes called.

Enjoy your great new hat!

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