Cool Crocheted Hats: 40 Contemporary Designs [Hardcover]

Linda Kopp (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 28, 2006

Crocheted accessories are all the rage—and these stylish hats, created by top-notch designers, will appeal to readers of all skill levels. Even the simplest ones feature great color combinations and irresistibly textured yarns. Not only that: the stunning photography and unique presentation will enhance their appeal. All the backgrounds, from a Paris train station to an art deco building, are in evocative black and white, while the models appear in full color. The hats live up to their settings, too! A Kufi-styled crown cap captures the exotic magic of 1920’s Morocco. A houndstooth lidcap features a bold, two-colored design. In addition to the 40 patterns, there’s advice on felting, which results in a denser, warmer hat, and on a range of fashionable embellishments.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Linda Kopp is an editor at Lark and the author of several books, including Jewelry Design Challenge (9781600596025) and Plush-O-Rama (9781579908782). She lives in Asheville, North Carolina. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Lark Books (September 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157990839X
• ISBN-13: 978-1579908393
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #322,949 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars OK, yes, there are some hideous designs, but look twice., September 28, 2007

By 

A. Niebruegge "Selune" (Troy, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cool Crocheted Hats: 40 Contemporary Designs (Hardcover)

Sure, you'd never in a million years crochet the Mr. Wander's Top Hat, let alone wear it, but there are quite a few designs in this book that make it worth a look.

First off, the picture on the front doesn't really do that particular hat justice. In this picture, it looks goofy, but in the other picture, where the brim is straight, you see just how nice it looks. The pictures on the front and back of the book made me almost not pick up the book. However, if you look through all the patterns, and I mean ALL, you'll find some great designs and even more inspiration. It's surprising. Like the other reviewer, I'm glad I looked through this book a second time.

I hate berets, so those were immediately dismissed, but here are a few I feel are worth mentioning, but mostly because I like them. ;)

Simple Cloche - yup, it's simple, but there is also a cute little buttoned tab on top that gives you a little more inspiration than the typical flower pin that most cloche designs harbor.

Sunshiny Day Bucket - a lovely, loose little design in basic WW yarn, that's just so darned cute, it's sinful.

Widow's Peak Hat - now, I'm not so sure about the peak, but it gives you a nice variation on the simple straight brim, plus it's made in a nice chunky weight thick & thin yarn with cute little earflaps.

Shells - they have a few of those in this book. We've all seen shells before, and these are no different, but they do give you some variation from other ones you may have patterns for. I especially like the Confetti Shell, with it's solid and open alternating structure. I'm sure it looks 50x better on the model than it will on me, but I'm going to slap that sucker on my head anyway. :)

Square Cloche - way cute. Basically made with 5 squares connected together and a band crocheted around them. I love it!

Paillettes Beanie - paillettes are apparently those little flat shiny sequin-ish disks with the hole on the top. Who knew those would look good on any piece of clothing, let alone a hat? But this design makes it work and work well.

As for the "what were they thinking" designs, they include a rasta hat, square hat, big floppy blue hat, a hideous pillbox ripple hat (ewwww), a chapka, the trellis cap (nice in concept, questionable in execution - should have made the crown fit to the head), and, berets (but some people like berets, so this one is more of a "me" thing).

As for the specific elements of the book:

Pictures - wonderful. Clear, non-buffed out pictures showing multiple views of almost every single hat in the book (maybe two or three with only one). The pictures show the fronts, and sometimes the sides, back, top, or just folded differently. It's fantastic, and one of the best I've seen that gives you a good picture of the hat you are crocheting. Also, cute models, flaws and all. Refreshing.

Skill Level - gives skill level for all hats in standards: beginner, easy, etc.

Size - most are sized for adults, no children's hats. Some are gender size specific, but most are just one-size-fits-all adult.

Yarn Requirements - they give generic yarn weight and type (ie, bulky flat ribbon yarn) and the yardage needed. Also, after the directions, specific yarn is given for what was used on the model. It's nice that they didn't shove that in the front of the pattern. It would have been a little better if they had used the standard pictoral 1-6 identifiers for yarn weight.

They also have Stitches Used (to give you an idea of what you should know before proceeding, and include detailed definitions for sc2tog and such at the beginning of each pattern that contains the stitch) and Gauge.

Patterns are well written with clear instructions. I can't say for sure about accuracy at this point, as I've only worked up one so far.

There are no charts for those of you who use charts. I don't, so it didn't bother me, but for those who do, they aren't included in this book. There are a few graphs related to positioning the appliques and such.

Overall, a great little book, just don't let the pictures on the front and back cover fool you into thinking it's just all about weird, in-your-face designs. There are a lot of gems in here you would miss out on.

36 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I Almost Returned This Book--Glad I Didn't, November 18, 2006

By 

V. Hannaford "vhanna262" (Charleston, SC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Cool Crocheted Hats: 40 Contemporary Designs (Hardcover)

On first glance, I did not like this book. The more fashion forward designs overwhelmed me, and while they may work for some, I knew I'd never make them.

Just as I was about to return it, however, I sat down, and took a second look.

This time, many lovely hats jumped out at me. I grabbed my hook, and made three hats in the past week, the first two in one day!

So while there are a few hats that aren't my speed, I really like the designs in the book. It's well designed, colorful, and attractive will good directions.

I still have more I want to make too.

I'm glad I took a second look.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific book with some funky designs!, September 17, 2006

By 

Kim Lewis "Fervent collector of yarn and knit... (Fort Worth, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Cool Crocheted Hats: 40 Contemporary Designs (Hardcover)

This is a great book for the crocheter who wants to step up to the next level in making fabulous and funky hats! The designs are imaginative and the directions clear. Excellent photography of each hat shows the project to its full advantage. These aren't your normal plain vanilla hat designs, but are for the adventurous crocheter who wants to display their funky, free-spirited personality! A great addition to your collection of crochet/knitting books!