Tried my new glow-in-the-dark needles. Do not buy these! They break too easily. I started with an H needle that kept snapping apart. So after the ribbing section was done, I switched to a G glow-in-the-dark needle (I was traveling so I didn’t have access to my better needles) that lasted until the last 4 rows, which I had to do with a broken G needle. Good lord.

I cast on 80 stitches, based on my 4-year old nephew’s head. He’s a little big for his age, and the hat fit on his head but just on the snug side.

This was also my first crochet project where I changed color within stitch rows. I got a little confused, since the stitches in reality are at a slight slant instead of a proper right-angle grid. It came out a little jagged, so I had to weave in some black yarn after it was done to even out the jagged parts. But in the end, I think it came out okay.

Since the grid isn’t so good at staying a right angle, I think I prefer doing intarsia with knitting than with crocheting. But I promised my nephew I’d make him a similar hat but with a mushroom instead of what he called a “sea star”. (He’s Waldorf-educated, so he doesn’t know what Super Mario is.)