Designing My Own Basic Hats

Now that I knew I could handle designing an animal earflap hat, working up a pattern for basic hats without faces or ears would be a cinch!  This was a lot of fun because I got to play with different stitch patterns and embellishments.  I think I have the basics figured out now so I can do anything from baby hats to adult hats.  My friend in Indiana will soon be receiving a baby hat with rose embellishments and a front-post/back-post pattern.

And because this little girl will be starring in a lot of her mother's photography work, she needed something pretty and girly!  How about a delicate earflap hat with a shells design?

She also wanted a hat for her son so I made a basic earflap hat with a stripe and brim.

Adelaide was not thrilled to be wearing a "boy" hat but her head was the right size!

I'm hoping to work on a lot of variations on these themes to sell next month in Chesapeake.

Shout out

I wanna give a quick shout out to my first and only follower: Hey there, Marisha!  Thanks so much!  I think that being the only person reading this blog should entitle you to something special.  Although, honestly, the fact that your birthday is in two days probably entitles you to something special anyway... Because I loathe going to the post office, you may have to wait until I mail the hats I'm sending for your kiddos, but keep an eye out for a little crochet love from me to you!

Animal Hats

I had a lot of fun making hats for my kids and was pretty excited when I got quite a few orders from friends.  Now I could keep working on my hat-making skills and the results would actually be enjoyed!  

First up was a sock monkey hat for a handsome little guy in Indiana!

Matilda loves to model the hats

we decided it definitely needed a pom pom on top

And there were a couple more owls--one for a little girl headed to Japan and the other for a little girl in Colorado.

I had already been altering the patterns for a better fit and to suit my aesthetic preferences, so the next logical step was to make one of my own, right?!  As requested by another friend in Indiana, I worked up kitty cats for her daughters!

(I actually made a sister hat in pink but failed to take a picture before I mailed them off.)

Now that I know I can do it, I'm definitely going to be doing more animals of my own design.  Bunnies, puppies, who knows what I'll do next!

Sidetracked by the broomstick

I have a few more posts already written, waiting to be published.  I've finished 9 orders but I still have 2 more to complete before I can start on the items for the craft fair next month.  So you'd think I'd be crocheting hats.  But you'd be wrong.  I have been sidetracked by the broomstick stitch.  I am in love with this stitch! 

I cannot seem to find my magnifying lenses so this is as good as it gets.  Arg!

It's fun to do and it is so pretty and delicate!  The first time I attempted it, the only thing I had that was remotely the right size was...a broomstick.  

Granted, it was a child's size broom but it was still a bit awkward to hold.  So when I started this project in earnest I got a size Q hook which was much more manageable. Personally I think the results are a tad sloppy but since I made it for myself it's not as big of an issue.  

Something I discovered: it is really difficult to take pictures of your own arm!

Now I've worked out the kinks and the next time I do it will be even better.  And, best of all, now that I've finished this cuff I can stop thinking about it and get back to my hats!

The start of something fun

After I made baby boy's owls for the valance, toy fox and car seat toy, I was ready for a break from amigurumi.  The weather had cooled just enough for me to imagine fall was just around the corner.  With summer on its way out, I figured it was the perfect time to dust off my rusty skills and work on some hats. A sweet friend in Indiana asked if I could make her a pumpkin hat to use as a photo prop so I had my first challenge.  It took quite a bit of searching, but I finally found a free pattern that wasn't completely awful.  I think the results were pretty cute!

free pattern found here

Bolstered by my success, I stumbled upon a great resource: patterns for sale on Etsy!  I was able to pay for only the patterns I wanted (a lot of books I found were full of items I just wasn't interested in) and a lot of sellers have specials so it is cheaper to buy a few at once.  3 kids means 3 patterns, doesn't it?  I let the girls browse with me and pick out their own and, of course, my Teddy had to have a bear.

Pattern found here.
Made for personal use. I am not licensed to share this pattern or sell the results.

I was pretty proud of how they turned out but did not expect anything except comments about how cute my models are (I admit, I'm pretty biased).  Instead I got quite a few orders!  

For Display Purposes Only...

Look what came in the mail today!

I think it's a tad creepy to have a styrofoam head just hanging out in my house, but I can't wait to put this thing to work!  More from Head-ly Lamarre soon!

Inaugural post--my crochet history

When I was in grade school, my mom started teaching me a lot of 50's housewife skills.  Not that she was necessarily pushing me to be domestic, but I was interested and she had the gifts to pass on, so it was a good time!  Over the years she taught me how to sew, how to cook, how to iron (but not how to love it.  Sorry Ma, I still hate ironing!), and how to crochet.  I remember my first attempt at making a potholder in the round.  I had finally mastered the chain and was anxious to move on to something "real."  My mom gave me some yarn and a crochet hook and left me to work on it while she was making dinner.  By the time she came to check on me I was in tears, out of frustration, because I was holding the yarn so tight in an attempt to get my stitches "perfect" that it had rolled up like a small doll's hat!  Eventually I figured out how to get the right tension but grew bored with granny squares (it turns out, that was the only stitch my mom knew) and gave it up.  Years and years later, when I was dating my husband, long distance, I decided to brush off my skills and make him a blanket as a Christmas gift.  He tells me it is one of his favorite things I've ever given him, but truthfully, I find making blankets tedious and after making baby blankets for both our daughters I thought I was done with crochet.  Then, last year, a friend started posting pictures of her attempts at amigurumi.  I was intrigued.  I loved the idea that the projects were so small that I'd get that feeling of accomplishment before I reached the point of boredom.  So I purchased a book, dusted off my hooks, and gave it a shot.  I was hooked!  I loved the little toys and immediately made a couple for one of my nieces and her new baby brother.

Then, with Christmas nearing, I decided that toy food would be the perfect gift for all of my toddler nieces.  I bought another book (for all but the sausage links, curly fries, and cinnamon roll which I worked out on my own ) and got to work!

And of course my nephews needed a couple friends...

alligator & lion pattern found here

And who doesn't want a cute glasses case?

After the holidays, my girls were jealous of all the goodies I was making for other people and requested their own.  So, I thought, why not try hats?

hat pattern found here

These were fun to make and not too time-consuming but before I could head off on a new crochet obsession, I got turned in another direction: baby gifts!  I went back to Ana Paula Rimoli and got her second book.  I made baby shower gifts, like these car seat toys:

(basic toy idea from book but with components from other projects)

I liked them so much I made one for my son!

(basic toy idea from book but with components from other projects)

Then, in getting ready for baby boy to be born, I decided to make him some little friends as decorations.

these little guys are now hanging from his window valance

made from free pattern on this blog

And that brings us to the past couple of months.  I've revisited hats and found a new obsession!  I've been making things for friends in other states, gearing up for another Christmas season and am even considering selling some stuff at a craft fair.  I'm hoping that having a blog devoted to my crochet projects will give me a place to share the results with friends while freeing up space in my facebook photo albums!  Stay tuned for posts on specific projects as well as a link up with paypal for online purchases.