Sea urchin newsboy cap

I finished it. And there was (just barely) enough yarn. I cut a few corners to finish it off, but it's plenty big enough.

If I'd known I was cutting it so close, I'd have made the brim a bit smaller--I'm not thrilled with how big it is.

But otherwise, I love this pattern. The hat is soft and cozy and super warm. (And the large brim will be just right for keeping rain off glasses.) Rosina commented on my last yarn-along post that it looked like a sea urchin. Exactly! I hadn't thought of it, but it's the perfect description.

One more gift down. Many more to go!

First hat!

I did it!



I have a standing date on Saturday nights; an hours-long phone conversation with a friend. Last night's "quick little chat" gave me plenty of time to finish Lucy's hat.



The simple hat I'd learned in class begged for embellishment, I thought. I found a great tutorial at Little Birdie Secrets and was able to make a flower on my first try, though I hadn't yet learned a double crochet stitch (the tutorial has a video, so it's great for visual learners.) To top it off, I had the perfect vintage button.



Unfortunately, the hat would have fit her great a few months ago, but right now, it just barely fits. I used up absolutely all my yarn (and the red? that's the original scarf bit, re-incarnated). That's what you get when you use the left-over yarn you find around the house. Might be time to suck it up and actually buy a skein or two.

Crochet, week 2

Look at that! I might actually be making a hat! Last week, I sat on the other side of the table from the hat-makers, thinking I was really too uncoordinated to be in this crochet class. This week, I was one of the hat-makers! What a thrill to see it take shape in my hands. And boy, do I love having some hand-work to do. When I'm sitting at the snack table with the last-to-finish child, or listening to my friend's late-night woes on the couch, or reading a long blog post, my fingers have something to do, and it settles me, helps me to slow down.

As you can see in the photo, Lucy's hands are kept busy, too, reaching for the hook, twisting around the yarn, making herself a part of this hat that will be hers when it's finished.

(And the scarf? It didn't make it. I ran out of yarn when it was still a wee short thing, and didn't have more. And returning to class, it was time to learn something else. I knew the deadline was a bit too close with everything else I'm trying to do right now. Next time.)