Black Cluster Cap

"Weekend" post on a Monday again.  Oops.  I have excuses (as usual) since I had a belly dance performance on Saturday (I do American Tribal Style dance, if you're interested) and Sunday I had to catch up on all the housework I didn't do on Saturday. It isn't a complete loss, though, because I get to tell you about the amusing story of Monday's dinner.  I was making a double batch of Korean tuna pancakes and had all the ingredients in the mixing bowl except the tuna.  I opened the first can, drained it, and added it to the bowl.  I opened the second can, drained it, and added it to the bowl remarking as I did that, while the first can was obviously a slab of fish, the second can looked like a bunch of chunks.  Then I noticed it was rather pinker than the first can's meat.  Upon closer inspection, my tuna turned out to be chicken. Now, I know what you're thinking because I thought it too.  I grabbed the can and turned it to see the label which I fully expected to say "chicken in water" so you can imagine how surprised I was that the can proudly proclaimed itself to be full of "solid white tuna, albacore in water".  I checked the other open can to be sure I hadn't gotten the cans mixed up and sure enough, it said it was tuna too.  Needless to say, my dinner wasn't exactly what I expected it to be.  We'll have to see how the customer service end of this one goes.

Anyway, I have a simple pattern for you today.

I came up with this little cutie at lunch the other day.  It was a Thursday and I had grabbed a random ball of yarn to take with me to my Sit n Stitch group, so that's what I had to play with.  I don't know if it was the darker color of the yarn or just what, but the hat started evolving a lot differently than some of the others I've done lately.

There's just one problem.  I have no idea what yarn I actually used.  It lost it's ball band a long time ago and it was the only one of its kind in my stash.  I poked around a bit and thought it may have been Bernat Chunky, but they don't have a black colorway for that brand.  The other closest one I could come up with is Bernat Waverly.  It looks about right and has a black colorway.  Still, it is just a guess and I could be wrong but I had to start somewhere.  I took a bunch of gauge measurements for you because I wasn't sure about the yarn.  This way you should be able to get close no matter what yarn you've got.



Black Cluster Cap

Fits a 22 inch head loosely.

Materials:
65 grams (about 130 yards) of Bernat Waverly (please keep in mind that I am guessing at which yarn my unmarked ball was, this information may not be accurate)
I hook

Gauge:  1 cluster is about 3/4 inches wide and 3/4 inches tall, excluding the ch 3

Cluster pattern:  One cluster is made by making 3 partial double crochets (*yo, pull up yarn through stitch, pull through 2 loops leaving the remaining loops on the hook* three times then pull yarn through the 4 loops on your hook  then chain 3.  Start the first cluster on each round with a ch 2 in place of the first partial double crochet.


Pattern:
Ch2

Round 1:  8 sc in the first chain.  Join.
Round 2:  Make 8 clusters (make sure you include the ch 3s), join.  The piece should measure 2 inches in diameter at this point.
Round 3:  Make a cluster in each ch 3 space. Join, turn.
Round 4:  Make 2 clusters in each ch 3 space.  Join, turn.
Round 5:  Make 2 clusters in each ch3 space between the 2 cluster groups and make 1 cluster in each ch 3 space after each 2 cluster group.  Join, turn.
Round 6:  Make 1 cluster in each ch3 space. Join, turn.
Repeat Round 6 7 more times.
Sc in each st around.  Join, break off, and weave in ends.