A few finished objects...

I found myself with some extra time on my hands the past couple of days:
The model for these hats is daughter number three, Esther Rosemary Joy, who decided to make her much-belated (11 days overdue) entry into the world Sunday night.

I actually got some crocheting done in the hospital this time! I took some last time, but never had an opportunity to get to it. This time, I made two hats. Someone donates crocheted caps to the hospital, but they were too big for my baby girl (13.5" head) and the one they gave her kept falling off. So I made the green one, and while it pretty much fit circumference-wise, I accidentally made it too short, so it kept falling off too.

Then I made the bonnet. It is yet smaller around (crocheting of course has some built-in stretchiness), and longer, and fits well. Still falls off sometimes, but not nearly as much. I don't think there's a fall-off-proof baby hat in existence, frankly.

The technique for it was a bit complicated. The rows that comprise the petals, I had to go around three times each. First time, create ch-4 spaces in the front loops of the previous round's HDCs. Second time, crochet (1sc, 1hdc, 1dc, 2tr, 1dc, 1 hdc, 1sc) petals in those chain spaces. Third time, HDC in the back loops of the previous round's stitches. It actually went pretty fast, though, even with an F hook and sport weight yarn.

The nurses and the nurses' aides were tickled by my work, though all but one called it knitting. Crocheting is just as popular in Hawaii as I thought it to be; two or three said they'd tried or were trying to learn, and I think one said she could. It seems to be unusual to make anything for your child these days, though.

I need to see about writing up a pattern for that second bonnet. I've seen ones similar to it in books, but I don't know the technique they used. If my technique is simpler, which I'm far from sure of, it might be good to get the pattern into circulation.