Zombie hat

So I'm in multiple FB groups, and several are for crochet.  And someone posted a pic of her son modeling a hilarious zombie hat she'd made, so of course I had to immediately ask for the pattern source.  Naturally.  This is a pattern by Semi Sweet Crafter, and it's available for free on her blog.  Alternately, you can buy a pdf version from her Etsy shop, which is what I did.  I planned to make more than one, and I figured a pdf was more streamlined and easy to keep on my phone for portable reference.  (Also, it was only $1.50.  That seemed ridiculously cheap and I wanted to support her efforts.)

So, first finished hat was for my niece.  I love this pattern, but I don't like how you make the brains.  I am terrible at winging it, and that's basically what the directions call for.  However, I was on a deadline and wanted to get this done in time to give it to her father to avoid mailing.  So I sucked it up and did something passable.  This is the child size.

Next one was started because I finished the part of my son's that I could work on at a baseball game before the game ended, and I needed something else to do.  One of my colleagues loves weird stuff like this and has a baby, so I figured the baby needed a zombie hat.  Because why not?  This is the 12 month size.

And then there's my kid's hat, which was the first one started and the last one finished.  Go figure.  This is the teen size (he's 12).  I had made all of it except the tassels and the brains, because I started the brains the way the pattern directed and really didn't like it.  Trying to do several rows of slipstitching for the brain ridges was awkward and didn't look as raised in my hands than it did in the picture.  Ultimately, I went looking for other ways to do it and settled on crocheted i-Cord.  I found the instructions easy to follow, though it felt clumsy and awkward as I began my cord.  However, I got used to it and was able to finish making the cord during a baseball game.  I then stitched it down in my semi-desired patttern.  (I will say that it was easier to arrange and stitch when I stuffed the hat with a rolled up towel to hold its shape during the sewing.)

Thing 2 is delighted, and I'm reasonably happy with those brains.

I would highly recommend this pattern if a crocheted zombie hat is a need like it was in my life. ;)