Mop beanie

I've only taken up crochet several months back but I only got as far as practicing some of the stitches for a few days. I do that often...get crazy about something and then forget about it completely.
So it happens,  I went to buy a circular cutter last week (which made making these color dipped pants sooo much easier) and I found some yarns I just couldn't resist. I've been looking for some fun boy-yarns ever since Peggy made this Fairy Hat for her daughter and this Schachenmayr Boston Style yarn came close enough to make me want to try again.

 I started with this video tutorial by Yolanda Soto Lopez, this is the easiest way to make beanies, you just crochet a big square and sew it together in the end. I love that you can do it without really thinking too much, no counting is necessary because you are just going strait and back. This is how I did the fist 4 rows, after the first chain which is the desired circumference of the hat I did a single crochet stitch into the back of my loop, this causes the ribbed look when you turn your crochet after each row.

Except that after 4 rows I decided that it doesn't make sense to have to sew up the hat in the end, why wouldn't I just make a circle chain one into the first loop of that row and continue crocheting in circles, which basically caused that braided look, because I didn't have to turn my crocheting anymore.

As for the pompom, I was going more for this look but T-shirt yarn I cut up smply did not want to curl up and this is how we ended up with a MOP BEANIE.