finished project and japanese craft book shop update!

Just finished 2 beautiful crochet hats...
Only problem is -- they don't fit. It was definitely trial and error for me.

I was working off of a japanese crochet chart and couldn't figure out the gauge. When I finally finished the first hat, I realized it was much too big. It would fit a bowling ball :) My second attempt I modified the template and almost got it right. It fits the top of my head, but it seems a little long -- the bottom of it touches the top of my shirt collar haha. I should have made it 2 rows shorter. I'm going to give it one more try. You know what they say, the third time's a charm!

I realize now that I'm in love with crochet charts. It's so much easier to work off of a chart then following a written pattern. This website was so helpful to figure out japanese crochet charts. It has a stitch legend for crochet symbols and also provides video demos of each stitch! When I was first learning to read japanese crochet charts, I would look at the chart and then look at the stitch legend on the website to figure out the crochet stitch.

big shop update this weekend!
I handpicked all of these japanese craft books and I just love all the projects. Please visit my etsy shop purlyshells if you want to check out more pictures. Here's a sneak peek!





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