Crafting Remedies

It is interesting to me that there are different levels of crafting for different emotional states. Some days the best distraction is plunging into something with a lot of difficulty, a challenge to overcome. Days when I am feeling fragile the best cure is crocheting rather than knitting, perhaps because it is something I have done since I was about six years old, a true comfort.
One of the charities I make things for needs warm hats. Mostly, that means knitting (crocheting often leaves spaces unless done like armor), but I have been challenging myself to make an equally warm crocheted hat pattern. I tried with my Rampart (ravelry link) but it still isn't up to snuff without extra steps (in this case, brush- felting the outer surface, and crocheting an additional lining for the crown).
I think I have a winner in the one I crafted recently though. It used half double crochets (a dense stitch) and uses them in a way that creates an extra air pocket inside the hat. I also like the way the fabric looks, much more cohesive and smooth than other types of crochet stitching.
It has the added benefit of (after the initial increases) having a rather long swath of simple, comforting crochet. I have been working on the increasing bits using some Malabrigo Merino Worsted that was gifted to me (in the form of knitted squares, which did not fit together, and which I frogged) for specific charity use.
I had fun combining them together with each other, and with other yarns in the charity bin. I now have several hat starts, all set for the soothing crochet bit waiting for me in a big zip top bag near my chair. It gives me a great sense of security, knowing they are there and that I can spend time in front of the tv yet still accomplish something.
(photo above is of the first incarnation of the as-yet-nameless hat.. any ideas? Photo below is of the felted Rampart Hat)