she makes hats

Hats On People: Jordan Baker

2013-05-21T12:40:00.002-05:00

pattern: Spring Beret, by Natalie Larson (free Ravelry download)
yarn: stash yarn, approximately 120 yards
needles: sizes US 8 / 5.0mm and US 9 / 5.5mm

One of the best parts of the internet is the folks I meet. Take Jordan as the perfect example - she just turned 25 and gave her birthday to charity:Water to help bring clean water to folks in need.

Jordan, you're an inspiration - you give yourself to an amazing cause, both in your 9-5 and in your free time! I'm excited to watch you continue to be amazing as you inch closer to my age; by then, you will surely have changed the world!

Pattern Updates: Sandoval Hat and Halloweenie Beanie

2013-05-13T07:59:00.000-05:00

I've been working on updates for all of my patterns, slowly and as I have time. Some of my patterns simply need a fresh look and design change, but several of them need some major overhaul! I'm starting with the easy ones, to be sure, and today I've got two to share!

First on the update list is the Sandoval Hat pattern. This hat, one of my all-time favorites to use, needed just a few bits of information added and changed. As I've worked with the Sandoval Hat, I've been slowly adding a few more sizes. I've made Sandoval hats for babies, toddlers and children in the last few months, and I thought it was about time I added those sizes to the pattern so everyone can use them as well!

The Halloweenie Beanie was one of the very first patterns I ever wrote. I wanted a simple hat I could donate to the local maternity wards during the fall, but didn't find a knitted pumpkin pattern I particularly liked. I revamped this pattern once in the past, updating the stitch counts, sizes and such, so all she really needed was to be updated to my new pattern design.

In the next few weeks and months I'll be updating all the rest of my patterns, hat patterns first and the rest after that. If you're interested in helping me test knit any of these patterns, please comment to this post with your e-mail address so I can contact you. In most cases the patterns just need one more set of eyes and a few extra hats made (not by me) before I can share them again.

I Dyed Wool In My Crock Pot -- And You Can, Too!

2013-05-06T08:15:00.000-05:00

Over the weekend I took the plunge and dyed some wool yarn in my crock pot -- with Kool Aid! For years knitterly friends have been trying to convince me to do this, but I've always held back. What if I ruined the yarn? What if it turned out horrible? No, I'm far too type-A for that.

Until this weekend. When I needed some yarn in a color I didn't have. And I finally gave in.

For the record, dyeing yarn in a crock pot is by far the easiest thing I've done in several years. You basically put the yarn in, put the Kool Aid in, and let it sit for a few hours. Pat it as dry as you can, then hang it up overnight.

For those looking for pictures and some more information, here you go!

Step 1: Place your skeined up natural or white wool into a crock pot full of water. Let the yarn soak for a few minutes, then turn the crock pot on high. Let the yarn soak this way for 15 minutes.

Step 2: Add the Kool Aid and then let it sit. To add the color, you mix one packet of unsweetened Kool Aid for every ounce of yarn you have. I mixed it in a cup with a small bit of water and then poured it into the crock pot.

Very, very carefully, give the water a spin. You don't want to agitate the wool too much as it's in hot water so it could felt, but you want the color to spread through all the water and touch all parts of the yarn.

Then, you wait. You wait until the yarn has sucked all the color out of the water, and the water looks clear. About an hour in, I spun the yarn a bit to re-distribute it, make sure the yarn that had been on top was now on bottom to get a more even color. Then I waited some more.

Step 3: Dry and skein your yarn! Once the yarn has soaked up all the water from the crock pot, I pulled it out and let it cool off in a colander. I rinsed it a bit, and then blotted it out in a towel. Then I simply hung it to dry overnight and skeined it back up!

While the color isn't super even, I'm in love with my first attempt at dyeing yarn and can't wait to do it again! Oh, and I'll be sure to share the hat I make with this yarn!

May KAL: Hats For Brain Injury Patients

2013-05-01T07:00:00.000-05:00

May's knit-along (KAL) brings us to a unique group, The Amazing Flying Squirrel Karma Team. This Ravelry group makes it their mission to spread loving-kindness to others using knitting and crochet, and has joined together to send hats to a lovely lady in Arizona who has gone through a number of brain surgeries due to her having Chiari Malformation (link provides more info than I ever could!).

I was contacted by a fellow Raveler about this group, asking if I could help send over hats. Keesha (the woman in the photos) collects hats for the other people at the clinic where she receives her treatment, and has a goal to have a free hat for everyone who enters.

I was touched -- that someone would think to ask me if I would send a few hats, and again at my ability to spread the word here, hoping some of you may send hats as well!

Hats can be made in any size, either knitted or crocheted, and can be made using any fiber type (please mark them so Keesha can be aware for allergies). While I may think a wool hat would go unloved in the Arizona heat, people's bodies adapt to their environments, and when you have no hair after surgery you need all the warmth you can get ... this to say send wool hats if that's what you love working with!

To send hats, contact Keesha directly via her blog Chiari Malformation, or send her an e-mail at "daswunderkind@cox.net".

I hope to send a dozen or so hats by the end of the month, and will share my knitting progress here on the blog (of course!). This month I'll be knitting from my Simple Slouch Hat and Rain Down Hat patterns for the most part, so grab a free copy of either if you'd like to use them as well!

The Shop Is Open In May!

2013-04-29T07:00:00.000-05:00

I'm opening the shop for the month of May, to help raise money for the Eli Haley fund.

Eli was diagnosed with a rare form of Retinoblastoma in his right eye on December 10th 2012. His tumor formed behind his retina, and grew forward and back- detaching the retina causing blindness and then leaving the eye through the optic nerve. His eye was removed on December 12th, just two days later. He has undergone several months of chemotherapy and now radiation to stop the tumor from growing at the end of the cut of his optic nerve and from spreading through his body through the nerve and central nervous system.

As you can imagine, this sort of treatment is expensive, health insurance or not.

Eli's mom went to high school with Zach, swimming together for several years. So when we heard about Eli, we jumped to action, joining thousands of folks at a pancake feed to raise money and donating to the raffle prizes to help raise even more. But I knew I wanted to do more, so when Casey shared a few hat patterns she loved and wanted to learn to knit from, I did some fast work.

Jul Hat

Ribbstacked Hat

What you see above are two hats, made using patterns from Wiksten. While her patterns aren't normally meant to be used to sell finished items, after a quick e-mail exchange I received permission to sell finished hats from these patterns for the month of May!

The hats will cost $40 each and are available in 32 colors (including the two pictured above). All proceeds from each sale will be donated to the Eli Haley fund -- when I say "all proceeds" I mean I won't make any profits from these sales. I'll purchase the yarn and pay the Etsy fees and donate the rest to help pay for Eli's treatment.

I'll begin listing the hats in the shop on May 1, and you can purchase them until May 31, at which point the shop will close down again for the summer. This is a limited time opportunity to grab a hat made by me, using a Wiksten pattern, helping an adorable child and his wonderful family.

There will be a link in the sidebar to the shop for the next month or so, or you can click here --> She Makes Hats Shop <-- to purchase a hat!

reading and watching while knitting

2013-04-25T07:30:00.000-05:00

(more about these hats early next week!)

I knit just about everywhere I go, and try to get a few stitches in no matter what else is going on. Two of my favorite things to do while knitting are watching movies/television shows and reading. Here's what's passed through my Kindle and Netflix queue recently:

READING:

Fat Vampire by Johnny B. Truant. While most vampire movies, television shows and books focus on the gorgeous and brooding type of vampire that's become popular lately (see: Edward Cullen, Bill and Eric, and Stefan and Damon), the Fat Vampire series asks what would happen if an overweight and just-shy-of-middle-aged guy was turned into a vampire. Genius in its plots and character development, I've devoured the first four books in the series, and can't wait for the next installment!

Bread & Wine: A Love Letter to Life Around the Table with Recipes by Shauna Niequist. This is the third book from Shauna, and thus far my favorite. A combination of her love of both friendship and cooking, this book shares experiences had around the table with friends and family, and even shares ways you can form your own cooking group at the end!

A Life in Stitches: Knitting My Way through Love, Loss, and Laughter by Rachael Herron. I love to read stories by and about knitters, so this collection of tales from Rachael was the perfect find. Given to me as a gift, I loved learning more about her life and knitting, and have since followed her online as much as I can!

The Flute Player by Shawn Mihalik. Books like this are why I love to read. A charming tale of a flute player named Oliver as he comes into his own.

WATCHING:

House of Cards. This Netflix series was such a treat to watch; we managed to power through it in less than a week! Definitely not safe for toddler eyes we snuggled up on the couch with the lights dimmed after putting Owen to bed, and I worked on Sandoval Hats, which don't require much in the way of looking at my stitches. A must-see for anyone with a Netflix account!

Alias - The Complete Collection (Seasons 1-5 + Rambaldi artifact box). I used to love Alias, and at one point owned all the seasons on dvd. now that Netflix has the entire series available I've re-watched it all. Love!

Hemlock Grove. Another Netflix series, this one is very Vampire Diaries but with gypsies. Zach hates it but I love the cheese factor. And it's directed by Eli Roth, whom I have an inappropriate crush on (all because he played the Bear Jew in Inglorious Bastards, which .... I can't explain that one).

A Crafty Weekend And Donating Hats

2013-04-22T12:05:00.001-05:00

This past weekend a few friends and family gathered for a crafting retreat. We all met at one person’s house and proceeded to eat terrible food, drink too much coffee and wine (not together … mostly) and craft until we could barely see straight. A mix of scrapbookers, card makers, knitters and crocheters, we all took over a table and got to work.

Craft retreats can be a blast if you go into it with the right expectations, and this weekend I think we all nailed it. We each brought too many supplies (which always happens) but because there were a few pre-planned ideas on what to make and do, we all walked away with more accomplished than we’d planned.

One such planned project was for the knitters and crocheters. A few lovely ladies brought along parts of their yarn stash, and then I printed a few free hat patterns from Ravelry that a knitter or crocheter of any skill level would enjoy. People picked the colors they liked and the hat size they wanted to make, and we all got busy!

By providing just enough structure to the weekend without requiring folks to make or finish a specific thing, something amazing happened. Four women (about ½ of the crafters in attendance) managed to make 25 hats for Nebraska Hats For Hope Initiative in just three days! An experienced crocheter, a few with moderate skills and one relative newbie to the game picked the yarn they loved and worked from patterns they felt comfortable with. Skill sets were challenged just enough to make the process of making the hats a fun activity, and everyone ended up with piles of amazing hats in front of them!

I don’t expect any of these women will turn into full-time hat makers. They may not pick up another hat pattern for months, possibly not until our next crafty gathering. But these 25 hats will make a huge difference in the lives of some folks around Omaha.

In the past I’d shied away from the idea of a knit-in or a weekend crafting party where folks made hats, but after this weekend I walked away with enough knowledge to know planning an event like this isn’t as difficult as I’d thought. You need a few basic things to host a successful craft-in for charity –

1. A venue. People need comfy chairs, a bit of desk or table space in front of them for their patterns, a drink, and whatever else they need to feel comfy and productive. You’ll need enough outlets for folks who want to have computers open, and a place for folks to pee when necessary. If it’s an overnight event, folks will need someplace to sleep.

2. More than enough yarn. I love that people didn’t have to use their own yarn stashes for these charity hats, and I loved that people brought bins of yarn for public use. Having a variety of yarn in different weights and colors means folks won’t have to craft a hat they don’t enjoy making from start to finish, and providing at least some of that yarn means new crafters won’t feel the pressure to bring anything along.

3. Plenty of patterns. We ended up printing out half a dozen free patterns, with copies for each person who wanted one, over the course of the weekend. This meant quick access to patterns featuring a variety of stitch patterns and skill levels. Because I’m on Ravelry all the time anyhow I just jumped on as the ladies asked for a new pattern, but when I do this again I’ll bring a bunch already printed up.

That’s it! If you want your craft event to be more formal you may want other things as well but having space, yarn and patterns is all you really need to get folks excited to make hats for a day or a weekend, and end up with a pile of hats to give away!

While I may look at knitting hats and giving them away like a full time job, you don’t have to do the same in order to effectively change the world. In fact, simply committing to knitting one hat, or hats for one day or weekend, can do just as much good as my lofty (and a bit crazy) goals.

Favorite Pattern: Waffle Hat

2013-04-18T07:00:00.000-05:00

I think if I had to pick just one pattern I haven't written to knit from for the rest of my life, it would be the Waffle Hat pattern from Gail Bable. This simple and free hat pattern looks great fitted or slouchy, in every color I've knit thus far -- including solids and stripes -- and works for men or women. I've gifted this hat to several family members and friends, and know when I'm knitting for charity this pattern will always fit the bill.

I love to share the Waffle Hat pattern with newer hat knitters; just knits and purls along with decreases means knitters with any skill level can make this hat with very little difficulty. I've made the Waffle Hat with worsted weight yarn and DK weight yarn, thanks to the waffle stitch pattern producing a super stretchy hat that will fit any adult using either yarn weight.

This month, as I work through my superwash wool stash for Hats For Sailors, the Waffle Hat will definitely be my go-to. I've already whipped through these three hats this week and have big plans for some purple and grey hats in the near future!

As you think about using some of your stash for charity hats, the Waffle Hat is a great first pattern to use -- it works well with any fiber type as well as any color, and you know you're donating a hat that will be well-loved and worn often!

April KAL Week Two: Finding A Charity

2013-04-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

While it may not seem like it, the easy part to making 10,000 hats for 10,000 people is the actual knitting of the hats. I simply have to head to my yarn stash and make a hat using one of the patterns I find myself knitting on repeat.

In contrast, it can feel overwhelming to find a person to give the finished hat to. Is it smarter to give the hat to a friend or family member, or should I donate the hat? If I choose to donate the hat, which charity is the best fit for the hat I've just made? Should I donate the hat locally, or is there a charity somewhere else in the world that could benefit more?

These questions used to run through my mind with each hat I made. Over the last few years, however, I've figured out which types of hats are best donated to which types of charities, and have narrowed down the number of charities I regularly donate to so that I can best distribute the hats I make.

I've been donating hats for years, though. You may not find it so easy, and you maybe have even decided against donating because you didn't know where you should send your hat (or mittens or scarf). And there's nothing I like less than someone who wants to give something away feeling thwarted by what feels so simple to me!

With that in mind, I'm going to start sharing charities. First the charities that I donate to (both regularly and on occasion), and then charities that are new to me, but that would love to take your handmade items and give them to folks in need!

First up later this week will be Hats For Sailors, as I'm still deep into knitting hats for this amazing organization for the remainder of the month. But look for some fun groups based all over the world - hopefully, no matter where you are in the world you'll find a place to donate close to you!

three hats to make on two needles

2013-04-11T07:00:00.000-05:00

Next weekend I'm attending a local craft retreat, hosted by my mother-in-law. Once a year or so, a group of us gets together at her home to scrapbook, knit, crochet, drink too much coffee (and other stuff!) and generally have a wonderful time!

This year, a few of the yarn-loving ladies have agreed to make hats with me for Nebraska Hats For Hope Initiative! One of our projects involves collecting hats for a local elementary school, so I've been looking for some simple hats that can be made for kiddos. Enter hats that can be made on two needles! You don't need to know how to knit in the round for any of these patterns, making them perfect for new knitters -- and all the hats end up looking gorgeous, so you'll want to make them again and again!

The Aviatrix Hat is one of my favorites for little babies, but this free Ravelry downloadable pattern is sized to fit up through pre-school!

Bev's Really Basic Stretchy Hat is the perfect hat for anyone in need of a warm noggin! The pattern is designed for babies through large-headed men, and can be knit up using just about any yarn weight you've got on-hand.This pattern has been made thousands of times for folks around the world, and with good reason -- it's the perfect pattern for folks looking to make a super stretchy ribbed hat without needing to knit in the round!

Vortex by Lee Meredith is a slightly more difficult pattern, although it is still knit flat and then seamed together. This pattern calls for short rows and more increasing and decreasing, but it's the perfect way to learn some new skills (including working with two skeins of yarn) for those up to the challenge!

I can't wait to share these patterns with my friends and family next weekend, and get some hats added to the bin for the local elementary school! What are some of your favorite hats that can be knit flat?

April KAL Week One: Sourcing Superwash Wool

2013-04-08T07:28:00.000-05:00

This week was super light in the challenge department - only one hat off the needles, and another 1/2 done. I've been playing catch-up with a few other projects, but I know I need to get my needles moving a bit faster if I want to keep my goal!

It happened like this last month, though. The first week or two were slow and then the hats practically fell off the needles while I simply sat back and watched it happen. Granted, this month I'm not using super bulky yarn, but I hope when by the end of the month I'll feel the same sorts of sentiments.

On this hat, and the rest of the hats I make with my green bulky superwash stash, I'm using a modified version of my Tyson Hat. I re-worked it for larger needles, and you can download the bulky version here for free.

Last week I got a comment asking where I get my yarn for this project. The green yarn I'm using was gifted to me in a trade - some of my yarn for some of hers. However, most of the superwash wool I get, I get from my local yarn shop.

When I say LYS (local yarn shop) I don't mean Michael's or Hobby Lobby. I mean the independently-owned shop, open odd hours and filled with the most gorgeous (and sometimes expensive!) yarns around! Our city used to have several but we're down to just the one now - and lucky for me it was always my favorite!

If you're looking for superwash wool, your best bet is to google "local yarn store" and your city. If something comes up, call them first and ask if they carry 100% superwash wool in the yarn thickness you like best. For me this means worsted weight, but for some folks it can mean sock weight yarn! The shop should have what you're looking for, and when you head in, someone there will show you all your options!

If you don't have a LYS (which happens, especially in smaller towns) you can order superwash wool yarn online! My favorite shop is WEBS, whose address is yarn.com. Perfection! Just search for "100% superwash wool" in their search bar, and oogle at all the pretty stuff that comes up!

Made In March 2013 (and some light housekeeping)

2013-04-04T06:00:00.000-05:00

And just like that, I kicked March's booty! After falling behind on my hat goals for both January and February, it would appear the key to success (and making more than 25 hats in a month!) is simply a knit-along! With a tangible goal, even one as simple as "make all my bulky yarn into Vermonter hats" it would seem I rise to the occasion and blow my knitting goals out of the water!

What you see above in that nice photo grid? That's 29 hats done and ready to donate!

My April goal is simple -- I want to make 25 hats for charity, the bulk of which will be made for the April KAL for Hats For Sailors. My one concern with that is simply running out of superwash yarn (which is what Hats For Sailors requires be used), but that can easily be remidied by a quick trip to the yarn store if necessary.

SOME LIGHT HOUSEKEEPING

With spring (someday? maybe?) coming, the weather warming up, spring semester ending and the book work starting, there have been some changes, both major and minor, happening behind the scenes. I wanted to share some of that here, so we're all on the same page going forward with knitting all the hats!

For starters, you may have noticed the gigantic blog layout change a few weeks ago. After some fun conversation with one of the Asymmetrical guys, along with a bit of back-end changes in how I post and when I post (more on that in a minute) we agreed I needed a way for folks to see a bigger picture of the hat knitting thing I do. This layout will help with that tons, and you can still click on any of the photos to dig in deeper to that specific post.

Along with this visual change, there's a small schedule change. Starting last week, I'm posting every Monday and Thursday. In the past, I've just posted whatever, whenever. This led to some weeks with five posts and some weeks with just one post, and no way to tell when I'd show up or what the quality would be when I did.

So now you know when I'll be here, and you'll also know a bit more of my writing schedule. Monday will always be knit-along day. I'll share my hats for the week, a pattern or two (sometimes mine, sometimes someone else's) that either I'm using or would work well for the knit-along, and there'll even be a link-up for you to share your projects (on your blog or Flickr or wherever) as well!

I won't be sharing each hat as I knit it, and some hats may not make it to the blog at all other than in these monthly "made in" posts. I'll be sharing every hat as I make it on Instagram however, so if you want to watch them fall off the needles that's the place to be. (there's also a slideshow in the sidebar sharing my four latest Instagram shots ...)

Whew! Light housekeeping to be sure, but also very wordy. My goal is always to help folks make hats and give them away, while sharing my journey along the way. Here's hoping this will help!

April KAL: Hats for Sailors

2013-04-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

(image from Hats For Sailors blog)

Welcome to April, and this month's charity KAL! This month, rather than focus on busting through a specific yarn weight or using a specific pattern like I did last month, I'm focusing on making as many hats as I can for the amazing group Hats For Sailors.

Hats for Sailors provides hats for sailors in the US Navy, one ship at a time. I joined the Ravelry group last fall and sent a few hats to their fall 2012 campaign. When photos of the sailors receiving their hats became available, I was blown away and humbled to see a few of my hats in the mix!

I love that this group came about thanks to the vision of a sailor named Shanti, who wanted to provide a handmade hat for every sailor on the ship she was about to command. The group has grown from that ship to someday providing hats for every sailor on every deployed US Naval ship!

Now that their next deadline is just a few months away (May 27, 2013) I'm looking at my superwash wool stash and thinking about the hats it all needs to become.

To help them reach their goal, this month is all about knitting up my superwash wool for Hats For Sailors! The hats must be made out of superwash so they are fire resistant but can still be easily cared for. Thankfully I've accumulated enough to make close to a dozen hats this month!

I'd love for you to join me in this KAL! I'll be using a few different patterns, and next week I'll share a round-up of patterns that are free, work up fast, and are perfect for this charity! I'll be mailing all my hats out at the end of the month - for the mailing address contact the charity directly at HatsforSailors@gmail.com.

Did You Know There's A Newsletter?!

2013-03-28T07:39:00.000-05:00

I love it when folks give me feedback; when done well, feedback can gently nudge me in the direction I need to be headed, all while feeling relatively painless and even at times fun. Recently, a friend suggested I get an e-mail newsletter going, a way to connect with folks a bit more personally, share updates for those who don't want to head to the blog on the regular, and even give people a head's up on new patterns, knit-alongs and the like.

Wouldn't you know it, I already have a newsletter languishing un-loved and under-used?!

As of today, I'm dusting her off, and committing to sending out a bi-monthly love note to all who sign up. Bi-monthly in this case means twice a month -- on the 1st and 15th days of the month -- and these notes will contain a flotsam of things. There will be "I've knit X number of hats since last we talked" updates as well as thoughts on the latest KAL (knit-along). I'll share some of the charities I love to send hats to, and give suggestions on making the most of your stash. I might even give sneak peeks at new patterns and updates on the book as I know more (and get my fingers to keyboard and write the thing)!

I'm sending the first little note out next Monday April 1st, so if you'd like to get in on the action simply fill out the form below. I don't need much from you, just your e-mail address (although you can give me a bit more information if you'd like once you're signed up), and I'm the only person who will see these things, so don't worry about me selling your information to anyone!

And for those not interested right now, don't worry -- I won't bombard you with "sign up now!" notes here on the blog every time I'm about to send out a letter, and I'll still be sharing my hats and thoughts here on a regular schedule. This is just a fun way to connect a bit deeper and get a little extra information for those who are interested.

I'm making 10,000 hats for 10,000 people in my lifetime. These are hats 523-525.
My 2013 goal is to make 300 hats. These are hats 57 - 59 for the year.

Hats On People // Johnny B. Truant

2013-03-26T06:30:00.000-05:00

pattern: Tyson Hat, my free pattern
yarn: Hobby Lobby I Love This Wool! naturals
needles: size US 7 / 4.5mm and US 9 / 5.5mm 16" circulars and dpns

Johnny B. Truant writes novels and talks about being legendary - and he does both things at a dizzying and amazing rate! After hearing his name roll off everyone's tongues for months, I finally googled him, read around on his website for a bit, and bought his book Fat Vampire. Less than a day later I'd devoured the book and was totally hooked.

I wrote an Amazon review and then, because I'm getting bold in my old age, tweeted out to JBT that I loved his book! He tweeted back (which was awesome!) and so I told him I wanted to knit him a hat. Less than a day later, we were discussing his hat options, and I was once again blown away by how generous and genuinely cool people are on the internet.

Johnny is phenomenal -- his Fat Vampire series (I'm on book three of four in the series now) one of the best I've read about vampires ever, and his e-mail challenges rock my world. I've read all of his free books via my Kindle and have felt myself challenged and moved with every page. Making him a hat is an honor, and I'm so glad that he likes the hat I sent!

Find Johnny here:

WEBSITE || TWITTER || FACEBOOK || AMAZON

I'm making 10,000 hats for 10,000 people in my lifetime. This is hat 522.
My 2013 goal is to make 300 hats. This is hat 56 for the year.

A Week Of Vermonters

2013-03-25T05:30:00.000-05:00

pattern: The Vermonter, by Abi Gregorio
yarn: Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick (53 yards)
needles: size US 15 / 10.0 mm 16" circs and dpns

Who else has gotten super sick of seeing my mug all over this place?! Just me? After all these years of taking pictures of myself in hats, I think I've finally hit my limit. Talking to a few friends this weekend, I explained that it's starting to feel a bit narcissistic to have so many pictures of me show up all the time.

Instead, I'm taking less frequent pictures of hats, and piling them up on my porch like the pictures last week and the one above. I'm sure I'll break down soon and take more of me in the hats, but it's been nice not to have to be in so many pictures lately!

There's just a week left of the Vermonter challenge - have you been playing along? I'd love to see some of the hats you've been making this month, Vermonters or no. If you've been sharing them on your blogs, Flickrs, or on Ravelry, link to them in the comments so I can see!

I'm making 10,000 hats for 10,000 people in my lifetime. These are hats 516 - 521.
My 2013 goal is to make 300 hats. These are hats 50 - 55 for the year.

fun for the weekend ...

2013-03-22T06:30:00.000-05:00

Almost a year ago now, I knit up 34 hats for the 34 folks who work in the charity: Water offices. And earlier this week I got this photo sent to me via Twitter!

That's the amazing @staciezellmer and the fabulous @leah_schuster wearing hats from that box I sent to their offices. Love the shot, love their attitude, and love that so many of the staff still wear their hats! Every day these folks bring clean drinking water to millions of folks struggling around the world to find even five gallons of water a day to do all their cooking, cleaning, bathing and drinking. Their job is phenomenal, and I'm so glad to know I've done even a little bit to help them out!

500th Hat Celebration!!!

2013-03-21T05:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I realized something which made me first laugh, then cringe, then tackle a major edit and recount. I realized I hadn’t counted well over 100 hats towards my goal!

See, back in late 2009 I decided to challenge myself to make 100 hats and give them away, using different patterns for each hat and making all the hats over the course of a year. At the time this seemed like a wildly ridiculous goal and both Zach and I had quite a laugh at my audacity.

Of course, you all know by now I finished those first One Hundred Hats and haven’t looked back (for the most part)! But what you may not have known is that, until late last week, those hats weren’t reflected in the total hat count; what’s more, there were dozens more hats I’d made between those first one hundred and my “official start date” of January 1, 2012 that were shared here on the blog but not counted.

Silly Robyn! I gave those hats away, they most definitely should be counted!

After spending not as much time as I thought it would take, the hats were counted and I was shocked to see the count – 515 hats!

FIVE. HUNDRED. AND. FIFTEEN.

You guys, that’s 1/20th of my goal! Huzzah and hooray and all that!

I’ve been trying to come up with some ways to celebrate this HUGE milestone. At first I thought GIVEAWAY but then that would mean contacting a bunch of folks and asking them to give stuff to you and moderating comments and … I got tired just thinking about it all.

Then I thought HUGE CHALLENGE! What if I challenged you all to send me hats for Nebraska Hats for Hope Initiative! But is a challenge a good way to celebrate?

So here’s what I’m thinking. The best present for me, the best way to celebrate 515 hats is for more people to know about it. I figure, the more knitters know that I’m making hats and giving them away, the more likely those knitters are to want to give someone a hat as well. And the more this happens, the more hats will be given away, and the better this world will be!

So help me spread the word, won’t you?! Tell your friends to come visit me here, my little online home. Or share this post on Facebook (you can find me there as She Makes Hats!) so all your old high school buddies and distant relatives can get excited with us! Tweet it, shout it from the street corners, however you let people know something amazing has happened, do it.

Because this is amazing folks, and while I’m not usually one for self-promotion, in this instance I’m making an exception.

Jamie In Her Norby

2013-03-20T09:18:00.000-05:00

I shared the details of Jamie's Norby Hat back in February, but then slacked mightily on sending it her way. Thankfully she was understanding, and graciously sent me these photos of her wearing her hat just this week!

And because she's such a sweetheart, Jamie is also posting about the hat today on her blog Inconsistency Rang The Horse! I've been following Jamie's blog since she first contacted me, and I love her openness and gorgeous heart!

For those of you visiting from Jamie's blog, welcome! Her hat was number 310 in my quest to make 10,000 hats for 10,000 people! And for those of you who are regulars to my little space, head on over to Jamie's online home and say hello -- she's a gracious host!

//

Also, have you heard the sad news that Google Reader is going away in July? If you haven't already switched your feeds over to Bloglovin', now is the time! I've been there for a few weeks now, and have to say while the switch was hard (creature of habit), I'm in love with how it all works!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

something new // i'm writing a book!

2013-03-18T21:08:00.000-05:00

I've been trying to figure out how to write this post for several weeks now, but every time I try I have to stop and remind myself that this is all real -- it still feels so unbelievable.

I am writing a book about knitting hats and giving them away.

That photo above? That's the screen shot from the Asymmetrical Press "authors page". That's my mug, wearing a handmade hat of course, there on the right!

The guys behind Asymmetrical Press -- Colin Wright, Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus -- are friends of mine thanks to the Hats On People project. Colin was one of the first hat recipients and recommended JFM and Ryan to me (who actually thought I was just a prank being pulled on them ... long story) as possible guys to get to know and give hats to.

Several hats later (these boys sure do like their hand knits!) and a few random e-mails, and somehow I was on a Skype call with JFM, talking about the book I should write.

And so this summer I will put fingers to keyboard and write out my stories. The hats I've given, the people I've given them to, the projects I've completed and the things I've learned along the way. From the littlest hats I've made to the boxes I've mailed off, for every hat that's come off my needles there is a story to be told. And while I may not be able to tell every single story, I'll be attempting to tell many of them.

Much of the process is still undecided -- there is no release date for the book (sometime in October, maybe) and there is still just a tentative title. Much of what will be written is still locked away in my brain, in fact. Which makes the whole thing still seem unreal to me. But real it is, and a book shall be written.

As I sort through all the stories in my head, I'd love to hear from you all -- what stories would you like me to tell? Are there hats you've fallen in love with and would love to hear the back story for, or projects I've completed that you'd love to know more about? Specifics on how to donate you'd love to hear me go on for pages about, humorous anecdotes I've left unsaid? Let me know in the comments, and I'll do my best to include them somehow as the stories are told!

I'd also love to answer any questions you have about the process -- how do the guys at Asymmetrical pick authors (my best guess involves a drinking game somehow), how will I actually write the book .... you ask it, I'll answer it.

Guys, I'm writing a book!!!

//

For those who love to read as much as I do, you have to check out The Flute Player, by Shawn Mihalik (a fellow Asymm author). The young adult fiction novella tells the tale of Oliver, who plays the flute every morning and every evening for his village. It's books like this that will keep the written word alive folks -- it's that good.

Three Vermonters Over The Weekend

2013-03-18T08:40:00.000-05:00

pattern: The Vermonter, by Abi Gregorio
yarn: Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick (53 yards)
needles: size US 15 / 10.0 mm 16" circs and dpns

I am officially over the moon in love with how fast these Vermonter Hats whip up -- this weekend, in spare bits of time after Owen went to bed I managed to whip through three! And because I'm about sick of seeing my mug pop up all over the page on this little blog, I decided to just photograph them together.

It is such a treat to dig through my knitting bag and grab whatever skein of bulky yarn I can for these hats. I've managed to get some great color combinations, and I love the two-color striped hats as much as those crazier six-color striped ones.

I'm truly not thinking as I make these, just grabbing whatever yarn is on the top (or rooting around in the bottom for a hidden gem) and then knitting a full section. It's quite freeing actually -- I tend to be such a planner in every way, not having a plan for these stripes has made each hat a genuine treat!

I still have quite a bit of this bulky yarn, so I'm sure this project will continue through at least the end of the month, and most likely into April as well -- and I couldn't be more pleased!

I'm making 10,000 hats for 10,000 people in my lifetime. These are hats 331 - 333.
My 2013 goal is to make 300 hats. These are hats 47 - 49 for the year.

Bubble Hats in Red and Black

2013-03-14T08:05:00.001-05:00

pattern: The Bubble Hat, by Vridd Vrang (free Ravelry download)
yarn: I Love This Yarn by Hobby Lobby (117 yards for black hat, 138 yards for red hat)
needles: size US 9 / 5.5mm 16" circulars and dpns

While I don't sell hats very often anymore, I do on occasion make a hat for sale for someone I know. I never charge enough, and I say no more than I say yes. But these two hats made it through the filter, as a friend's mom asked so kindly I couldn't say no!

Bubble Hats are a fun and fast knit, and with every one I make I know I'll have to make more. They slouch just right, which you can't see this time because I didn't get time to model them before sending them off to the recipient. But trust me when I say they slouch just the perfect amount, keeping your ears warm while not hugging your hair. Love!

I'm making 10,000 hats for 10,000 people in my lifetime. These are hats 329 and 330.
My 2013 goal is to make 300 hats. These are hats 45 and 46 for the year.

Multi-Stripe Vermonter

2013-03-13T08:03:00.004-05:00

pattern: The Vermonter, by Abi Gregorio
yarn: Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick (53 yards)
needles: size US 15 / 10.0 mm 16" circs and dpns

In the midst of a "snow storm" that turned out to be six inches of gorgeous white stuff that began to melt almost as soon as it was done falling, I finished up the third Vermonter. These hats are so much fun, and I knew I wanted to test out using a different color on each section to be sure I'd like it in action as much as I liked the idea of it.

Turns out striping the Vermonter with every section is even cuter in real life than it was in my mind! I grabbed randomly from my large bag of bulky yarn scraps, and this hat ended up with quite a bit of pink striping. I'm already in love with this process so much I'm figuring out ways to make hats like this with my worsted weight scraps as well!

I'm making 10,000 hats for 10,000 people in my lifetime. This is hat 328.
My 2013 goal is to make 300 hats. This is hat 44 for the year.

Aurora Hat

2013-03-12T10:18:00.000-05:00

pattern: Aurora, by Wooly Wormhead (Ravelry link)
yarn: I Love This Yarn! in light grey (131 yards)
needles: sizes US 8 / 5.0mm and US 9 / 5.5mm 16" circs and dpns

I'm not usually a fan of berets. I've never worn one successfully, and much prefer wearing a fitted (even if somewhat slouchy) beanie.That said, when someone requests a hat, I'll make it! And the knitting of a beret is quite fun!

This beret had a very simple construction and pattern. And despite the bobbles, the hat didn't take more than a few hours to make. If I were to make this beret again, I'd give the brim ribbing -- I constantly wonder if garter stitch brims are going to stretch over time, leaving hats too large to fit snug or keep ears warm.

I'm making 10,000 hats for 10,000 people in my lifetime. This is hat 327.
My 2013 goal is to make 300 hats. This is hat 43 for the year.

Purple and Pink Vermonter

2013-03-11T13:40:00.000-05:00

pattern: The Vermonter, by Abi Gregorio
yarn: Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick (59 yards)
needles: size US 15 / 10.0 mm 16" circs and dpns

I'm definitely going to like striping up the Vermonter Hat pattern! This first incarnation uses three colors, two sections for each color. It feels super girly to me, with it's purple fading into dark pink fading into hot pink.

While this Vermonter was planned out, I'm thinking I'm just going to grab at remnants for each section in future hats. No thought to how the colors will go together (or not much), just a new color per section. Hopefully I'll end up with a pile of super fun and colorful hats!

I'm making 10,000 hats for 10,000 people in my lifetime. This is hat 326.
My 2013 goal is to make 300 hats. This is hat 42 for the year.