Rusty rusty

I don't want to go into too much detail, but I've been working on a hat as a gift and it is not going well. I'm trying to make a crochet hat, for a change, and I'm realizing now just how rusty I've gotten! It doesn't help that I'm not using a pattern, just kind of making it up as I go along. I think I've ripped back and started over at least 3 times now. Grrr.