Hats – Page 4 – Emma Varnam’s blog

Tweety Sweetie

At the vintage fair last weekend, I came across the nice people Jen and Steve of Loglike.

They make beautiful hand-crafted gifts. I was particularly attracted to these cute bird nests in vintage cups. So pretty.

I bought my very own bird which sits rather resplendently on a little cardboard log. Not only is he carved very smoothly his tail is up-cycled from a vintage feather hat. Gorgeous.

These low-res apples also really made me laugh. They look great sat amongst their more 3D companions. Check out the Loglike blog which is lots of fun too.

Have a great weekend x

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Garter Stitch Sloppy Beanie Hat

All around my native city I have been watching the reappearance of the woolly hat. Hurrah. This season I have seen a lot of chunky garter stitch beanies. Some might have a large woolly bobble, others have a faux fur bobble. It has taken a while for this trend to filter through to the highstreet, I think it was Burberry two winters ago who first went with that look.

I occurred to me that this would be the simplest hat to make. But with a twist… out with the fur, out with the faux fur, out indeed with the pom pom maker. This pom pom is crocheted, turned inside out, then stuffed with polyester filling. Then a very firm hand is taken to it with a pet grooming brush. You tease the fibres into a fluffy ball of fun.

I have now made two, one in navy for me…(the words mutton, dressed, lamb could be used – but I refuse to go gracefully). I made another for a very trendy friend who rocked the whole look with strong Ray-ban specs. So cool!

A really easy make with a very animal friendly bobble. If you like it please feel free to download the pattern for free here

If you are so inclined there a nominations going in for the best crafty blogs – if you feel like doing it you can nominate here

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In the presense of royalty – knitting royalty

I had the most fantastic day today! The sun was shining on another glorious balmy autumn day and I set off with a good friend to meet the wonderful Debbie Bliss. If you are not a yarnster then you might not get the significance of this, but Debbie Bliss is British Knitting Royalty.

She probably is one of the reasons why I returned to knitting about fifteen years ago. Her patterns always look fresh, comfortable and achievable. Her aesthetic is modern classic British, a hint of Cath Kidston, with a pinch of Toast, a dash of Muji – well actually 100% Debbie Bliss. If you knit a Debbie Bliss pattern then you can bet your bottom dollar that people will remark on the hat/jumper/cushion. It is Debbie Bliss patterns which people secretly want you to knit for their new born baby.

I went to one of my local yarn stores and spotted her coming down the stairs, for a knitter it was a bit like Madonna brushing past you in Harvey Nicks. Anyway I glanced at the wonderful sales assistant and we did that knowing look of ‘THAT’S HER!’

Later I plucked up the courage to speak to her. My friends, this lady is the most kind, generous, self effacing person you could ever meet. She spent time talking to people, showing them tips and tricks on her needles and had endless patience we me asking her endless questions. Perhaps the most accessible and enthusiastic professional I have met for such a long time.

I bought a number of books and her magazine, which I will share with you in the next week. But I have to say that if you are thinking of picking up those needles again, then I would turn to one of her patterns to start with. I have knitted this cable beanie from her book Baby Cashmerino, about 7 or 8 times. I have sized it up several times for Little B. It is an enduring classic. Obviously there are more simple patterns to get your hands on, but the yarn choices are just glorious.

If you think I sound a bit gushingly star-struck – you’re right I am – and you know what sometimes we might fear to meet our heroes, but sometimes they surpass our expectation and encourage us to keep going – Thank you Debbie x

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Autumn Colour – Baby Hat

Well when I said in my previous post that the on-set of autumn did have a new term feeling about it, my next little project is definitely for something new. In the new year I will have a new niece or nephew. So the knitting/crochet creations have started in earnest.

I always love a 40’s colour palette, and have often made a hat or beret reminiscent of the movie ‘The Railway Children’. This little bobble hat definately has that vibe and a small hint of autumnal colours. So much so, Little B took a liking to it. He immediately commisisoned his own version – but as usual has a little tweak to make it his own. If I manage to finish the Little B version I will post a photo for you.

This pattern is Doodie from Woolwormhead’s book Wee Woolly Toppers– really nice to knit and cute too. Check out her website – really lovely.

Don’t forget that if you have made something for autumn/fall to add it to the Celebrate Color site

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Inside Crochet – a crochet cloche

I was really excited the other day to find out that Inside Crochet Magazine had started to blog, even more excited when I saw that one of my designs was on the front cover. Time for a little jig. I have yet to see the magazine to turn the pages, but many of the images are now on Ravelry. September is a big issue in all magazines as it is the main tah dah for the autumn/winter season. That always seems strange here in Britain, as they appear at the begininning of August when we at least think we can wear a tee-shirt and shorts for one or pushing it two days. Anyway I love the September issue of most magazines and when I get my mits on the September issue of Inside Crochet I will be particularly thrilled.

Anyway above is a photo of a gorgeous model wearing a cloche hat. I think I was inspired by a very glamourous school friend of mine Mrs M, who with her bobbed hair can always rock a 1920’s hat.

This is the hat just about to go off to the magazine. If you know anything about magazines, you will know that they prepare many months in advance of printing. The Orla Cloche Hat was made in early April and now appears in the September issue. It is quite a simple pattern using htr(UK)/hdc(US) and a crab stitch edging. I love crab stitch and want it use it more and more.

Think I might do another little jig and hope you have a lovely weekend x

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My Whippycake

The other night I went out for a lovely evening with other school mummies. I got gently teased about all my various hair styles. It suddenly came to me, actually my hair is probably another craft activity…But it has always been thus. There have been a couple of years when I have had a bob, but for most of my life, my rather thin hair has been long. As young as twelve it became a form of creative expression. Lovely old friends of mine could tell hilarious stories of the teddy bear ears I wore to school, basically little buns on top of my head. What they would be amused to know is that even at the weekend I was sporting such a style for the local carnival (my son’s school was dressed completely as ‘Star Wars’) I will say no more. Before you ask – No, you will not be seeing any photos.

Well, not only do I like a little hair accessory, I adore corsages. During a blissful browse of the first ‘Mollie Makes‘ magazine I found a lovely little snippet about the company Whippycake. They make beautiful hair accessories which can be clipped into your hair, worn as a corsage or rather ingeniously attached to a hairband. I am in love. Although based in the US my whippycake arrived very quickly. I have to say I am a bit of an expert in this area, and the quality was excellent and I would not hesitate to buy another.

Do go and have a look at the Whippycake website. The photos and promo videos are delightful and there some really useful hair demonstrations if you are so inclined. The kind people at the company told me that they were coming to the end of some of their lines so do drop them an email if you are thinking of giving into temptation. I am a little bit giddy wearing mine and waiting for the new collection to pop up on my screen.

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Happy Royal Wedding

My goodness the excitement is mounting. The number of street parties planned is amazing and the coverage of bunting in this country has grown to a new level. Would you believe after my advanced preparation for some disposal festive millinery, we will probably not see the wedding ‘live’ on the television. Hey, I reckon there will be just a couple of re-runs to catch the proceedings. What I really love is the level of fun there has been in terms of souvenirs; T-shirts with ‘Thanks for the day off’ and plates with ‘It should have been me’. I love the British sense of fun.

I think that beyond the obvious things to look out for; i.e. dress, smiles, national hysteria, the things to spot are: Marching…we do it rather well. Male plumage…big hats/helmets/feathers/gold braiding. I will be very disappointed with a lack of ‘swagger’ when it comes to uniforms. As someone pointed out, this is a once in a generation opportunity to see this level of ‘pomp’. Sit back, relax and eat as much Victoria Sponge as you can for Queen and country!

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Baby Hats

A few weeks ago a friend of mine had a new baby niece. I was thrilled for the Mummy and Daddy and forced upon them a little crochet hat which I had ready for such an occasion. However it necessitated an immediate return to the crochet needle to make another. This was to ensure the pattern wouldn’t get lost in my memory. If you are a seasoned crocheter, you will be thinking… ‘I can see the pattern from here woman, it’s not rocket science’. You are right of course. As is often the way, I got into a bit of a groove after that and enjoyed myself no end. So I now have a number of little hats for 0-6 months with no precious head in mind. I think I will pop them on the Etsy shop next week. If you would like a ‘heads up’ of when they are going to appear, please leave a comment and I will add you to my email list.

Finally the little bear I made for a friend a couple of weeks ago got named. He is called Jack. I think it suits him.

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Royal Wedding Street Party Hats

So this is how it started… A couple of weeks ago I designed a Crown Keyring to get into the mood for the impending wedding festivities here in Britain. It was a silly thing, and the pattern is available free for all to enjoy. I have got quite a lot of interest for the pattern on Ravelry and that got me thinking. I remembered some photos of my sister and me wearing the most fantastical hats for a street party celebrating Charles and Diana’s wedding. My mother and aunt made the most amazing hats from crepe paper, I am not sure how they did it as I have yet to find the knack of using that medium. So I started looking on the internet for some inspiration for my son. I really don’t think there is much out there. Yes, you can buy hats, bunting, mugs etc. However there is little inspiration for the handmade.

I came across a really good template for a cone hat on the Martha Stewart website and used it to make two hats.

The stripy hat uses red paper, and strips of sticky back plastic, but you could draw on lines or use a basic tape to create the same effect. I then rolled up about 2 inches of tissue paper (red inside of white) and made slits in the top to create the firework plume.

My advice to you is to cut the elastic to fit the head of the wearer and then use a hole punch and hole re-reinforcer for extra strength. I used a glue stick and paper clips to keep the hat together whilst the glue dried. I then used masking tape for extra security (surely the ‘no more nails’ of paper-craft)

The fan hat is getting close to the genius flamboyance of my mother. I took a piece of A4 card and made freehand pattern of the Union flag (did you know the ‘Jack’ bit is a nickname!) I then placed the hat template on the top and cut it out. I have drawn out the unionjack which is very basic but can be used to colour in.

I then made two paper fans from tissue paper and attached them to floristry wire. I then attached the wires at different angles and secured them with masking tape.

Finally I made the Coronet Fascinator. Miss Middleton is a big fan of the fascinator so I thought it only appropriate.I used A4 yellow card and drew a basic crown shape. I stuck the edges using glue and tape. I used some sticky gems which I already had in stock, but you could easily use sequins, stickers, cut out paper or draw on jewels of your choice. Finally I cut out a square of purple tissue paper. Pushed up through the crown and trimmed it around the edges securing it with glue and tape. Wear it at a jaunty angle.

The great thing about the cone hats is that they could also make table decorations. I got a bit carried away with making fans out of tissue paper, which I hope to share with you later this week. Plus a quick photo tutorial of how you can make them. It should also be mentioned that I did spot some rather nice funky foam crowns in a large craft retailer, so if push comes to shove… but I have had quite a lot of fun. Now, where is that crepe paper….

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