Frustration

I've been trying for two days to crochet hats for my brother and son. I'm using extra bulky yarn and it's affecting the size of the hat pattern so the three I've made have been too big. I've even tried washing and drying them to shrink them down. This only made them bigger. Now I'm trying for a fourth time to alter the pattern size to see if I can come up with the appropriate sizes. I'm frustrated to say the least. Fortunately they work up fast.