Increasing a Shell and V-Stitch in a Crochet Hat Tutorial

When my aunt asked for a crocheted hat, she gave specific directions. She wanted something with holes that are not large and with just enough slouch. Immediately I looked for inspiration from books and the web. But the best one I could think of was the commonly used combination of Shell and V-Stitch. (Click the links for instructions on how to make the stitches.)

Those two stitches form just the right space in between and make good texture. It would be great for a hat and was easy enough in a linear/flat pattern, which unfortunately is not the case for hats. That was a problem and I couldn't find any pattern (or was lazy to search harder) to help me. So the best solution would be to work it out myself.

To cut the story short, it took me three hats to get it right. The hardest part was increasing the stitches while maintaining the spiral that the Shell makes. The photo below is of the first attempt. If you follow the spiral, it should reach the crown seamlessly. But for this one, the shell spiral was cut off near the top. Then there was also a small bulge, which I eventually covered with a pompom.

So how did I increase a Shell and V-Stitch combo for a hat? Directions for the pattern increase below:

Start with a magic ring.

Round 1: ch 3, 11 dc, sl st to 3rd ch (We consider the ch 3 as 1 dc. Total 12 stitches)

Round 2: We make a shell on the first st of round 1. So on the first st make ch 3 and 4 dc (this gives us 5 dc). Skip 1 st.
We make a V-stitch on the next st: dc, ch, and dc. Skip 1 st.
[Shell on next st. Skip 1 st. V-stitch on next st. Skip 1 st.] repeat twice.
Sl st to the beginning 3rd ch.
(Total: 3 pairs of shell and v-stitch. 24 sts)

We start increasing with round 3. I always increased first, and always on a shell stitch. To increase, we stitch one shell and one V-stitch to a previous shell stitch. What you need to remember is that we count the same way we increase, say, a flat dc circle. But instead of counting double crochets, we count the shell and v-stitch separately.

So from round 2, since there are 3 pairs of shell and v-stitch, we have a total of 6 "stitches." That means we increase by multiples of 3 (dividing 6 by 2 to get the total "stitches" of round 1).

Round 3 would therefore have 9 total shell and v-stitch. That is, a succession of 2-1-2-1-2-1 "stitches" in the third round, 2-1-1-2-1-1-2-1-1 in the fourth round and so on. The 2 here is the increase previously discussed. I hope you get the idea.

From this point on, the pattern in the image below will be referred to as "the Increase".

Round 3: sl st on to the 2nd st from the last row. We make the first increase (ch 3 and 4 dc on the current st (shell). Skip 1 st. V-stitch on the next st).
Then shell on the V-stitch from the previous round.
[Make the Increase. Then shell on the V-stitch from the previous round] twice.
Sl st to the beginning 3rd ch.
(Total 39 sts)

Note that the resulting 3rd round do not follow the shell-V-shell-V alternating pattern. In the 3rd round and for every other odd increasing round, there will be two shells side by side.

Round 4: sl st on to the 2nd st from the last row. We make the first increase (ch 3 and 4 dc on the current st (shell). Skip 1 st. V-stitch on the next st).
Then shell on the V-stitch from the previous round.
V-stitch on the 3rd st (center st) of the shell from the previous round.
[Make the Increase. Shell on the V-stitch from the previous round. V-stitch on the 3rd st of the shell from the previous round. ] twice.
Sl st to the beginning 3rd ch.
(Total 48 sts)

Round 5: sl st on to the 2nd st from the last row. We make the first increase (ch 3 and 4 dc on the current st (shell). Skip 1 st. V-stitch on the next st).
Then shell on the V-stitch from the previous round.
V-stitch on the 3rd st (center st) of the shell from the previous round.
Then shell on the V-stitch from the previous round.
[Make the Increase. Shell on the V-stitch from the previous round. V-stitch on the 3rd st of the shell from the previous round. Shell on the V-stitch from the previous round.] twice.
Sl st to the beginning 3rd ch.
(Total 63 sts)

Continue increasing for every round until you get your desired diameter (and on an EVEN Round). An even round means that you have alternating shell and v-stitches all around. So when you stop increasing, the alternating pattern will be maintained. A shell stitch goes on top of a v-stitch and vice versa.

Then proceed with the band, about 5-6 rows of single crochet would be enough.

P.S. This tutorial assumes the reader knows how to crochet a basic flat circle without a pattern. It was purposely made to be a guide so that in the succeeding rows, there would be no need to look back at the instructions. That way, custom sizes would also be easier to make.

If you found this tutorial useful and would like to give back, consider buying me a coffee: