Surprise!! More Crochet - haha!

I found this flower pattern over at Lacy Crochet blog. She calls them swirl flowers.  You can make them quickly, and as large or small as you like. It's a long chain, with clusters of double crochets.

It's not a very deep flower -- rather flat -- which might be useful in some patterns if you don't want a flower sticking way out.

I also made myself a winter hat.  I didn't have a written pattern to work from; Julia has a hat I like, and I was able to look at it and figure out how it was made. It's pretty standard -- start with a circle at the crown, gradually making a flat disc, then curving in. The crown is made in double crochets, but the body of the hat is a pattern of double and single crochets in clusters.

I gave a little extra bulk at the back so it could droop down. Then I tacked the "droop" to the back/bottom of the hat, so it would stay. For some reason, when I see it on me, I always think of the Seven Dwarves' hats. Hmm.
Another point of interest on this: a couple of year ago I tried to make a hat, using Julia's hat as a pattern. But I hadn't been crocheting very long, and just couldn't figure out the patterned part. I made a hat using straight double crochet on all rows. But this time -- after crocheting more complicated items for a year or so, I could look at the hat and discern easily what the maker had done, and replicate it. It's fun to realize that you're making progress in your skills.