Summer time Child's Crocheted Net Tam

Materials: yarn of choice, a crochet needle, scissors

I use a 5.5 mm needle, but a 6 or a 5 will work also.

The colours I used here are:
Red Heart Yarn in parakeet, raspberry, copper and light sage
(i think they renamed some colours so you will have to check the swatches on the website)

Every RasTa youth usually, at some stage in life gets a tam of their very own, and every now and again I get an order to make a special hat for princess or prince.

Here is one of my favourite original patterns for up to age 5. This tam is one that has a nice round shape, and holes or a net-like finish which is ideal for hot weather. The net gives it a stretch, so it may look small, but will fit a full dread that is shoulder length with a few longer dreads in the back. If you want a tam without spaces, just put a stitch where the space goes and follow the increases or decreases as noted.

If you want to do an Ethiopian coloured hat, these are the rows to divide the colours:

top = rnd 1- 6

middle = rnd 7-10

bottom = rnd 11-15

Here is a quick key of abbreviations:

Ch – chain   

Join  – join back at the beginning with a slap stitch  

HDC – half double crochet

DC – double crochet      

sp – space

rnd – round or row

st - stitch

Rnd 1:      Ch5, join at the 1^st Ch to make a circle. Ch 2. Make 10 HDC in the centre of the circle. Join at   Ch 2 at the beginning. Ch 3. 

Rnd 2-3:    * 1 DC in first st, Ch 1, 1 DC in 2^nd st, Ch 1* - repeat in each st all around leaving no spaces. Join. Ch 3.

Rnd 4-5:       *2 DC, Ch 1, skip 1, 2 DC in next st* repeat all around. Join. Ch 3.

Rnd 6:        *skip 1^st st, 1 DC, Ch 1, skip 1, 1 DC* repeat all around. Join. Ch 4. (No increases in this row.)

Rnd 7:         skip 1, 1 DC, in the first st. *Ch 2, skip 1, 1 DC, Ch 1, skip 1, 1 DC, skip 1, ch 2, skip 1, 1 DC* all around. Join. Ch 4. This is a 2112 increase.  

Rnd 8 – 11:    *skip 1^st st, 1 DC, Ch 1, skip 1, 1 DC* repeat all around. Join. Ch 4. (No increases. Add more rows here if making a bigger tam)

Rnd 12-13:    make 1 DC in first st, *Ch 1, skip 2, 1 DC. Ch 1, skip 1, 1 DC. Ch1, skip 1, 1 DC, Ch 1, skip 2, 1 DC. * all around. Join. Ch 3. This is a 2112 decrease.

Rnd 14 -15:    *skip 1^st st, 1 DC, Ch 1, skip 1, 1 DC* repeat all around. Join. Ch 4. At the end of row 15, join and fasten off. 

Make a long chain that will fit around your child’s head and still have left over to tie. Insert this into the last row of the tam as a tie. I add beads to the end as well.