Penny's Hat

 

This beautiful little girl's mommy commissioned a hat for her and left me a lot leeway for artistic discretion.  The mission: create a hat with a deep red flower with an off white/creamy tan for the main body.  I am quite happy with how this turned out!  In additon, my little man was excited that he didn't have to model this one (don't let the gorgeous blue eyes fool you, it's not my son in the picture).

 

First things first--go get some wool.  Michael's is great because they have a teacher discount you can use (well if you're a teacher) along with their rewards.  15% off makes a difference.  This hat is made of my favorite yarn, which just happened to be on sale, Vanna's Choice.  It is soft but sturdy. 

 

Previously all the hats I'd made like this had three colors.  Threes just seem to look more complete.  I love purple, so first I tried adding a purple in there.  Though I liked it, I suddenly panicked, wondering, "What if she hates purple?"  I adore purple by I have a friend who absolutely hates it.  Hoping that Becky liked purple would not suffice, I had to make another hat just in case purple was the bane of her existence! 

Pic the hubby took of the hat with purple. We've got a bet going, he thinks he can sell it faster than I can!

 

This time only the colors specifically mentioned would be used. I modified the pattern a bit so there would only be two rows of color. The thinner band of color achieved a more feminine look.
   

Then lightning stuck!  A little light bulb went off when I had the idea to add green leaves. I created a simple leaf pattern (which will be shared on this blog for free very soon). Isn't it perfect!  If I ever am blessed with a baby girl, you can bet this will be the first hat I make her.

 

Penny presented a special challenge because her head is a little bigger than average (although no one would ever notice, her mommy told me she has a tough time getting some shirts over her head).  A simple sizing adjustment was made by adding one stitch to the very first round and as you can see, it fits perfectly!

My Very Own Etsy Shop

Yikes!!  I finally did it!  I've been toying with this idea for a while now.  After posting pictures of what I've crocheted on facebook and getting over 15 orders this year just through that, I've made it offical.  I'm in business!!

Sorry there were way too many exclaimation marks in that opening, but I am pretty excited.  I want to get this blog in ship shape when I have time off from my teaching and mommy duties.  I hope to share some patterns, pictures of new creations, precious memories, tips, and words of wisdom.  There are a lot of ideas I'm playing around with so please stay tuned to see how this turns out. 

For now I'd love for you to "Like" my facebook page https://www.facebook.com/​ErmasInspiration

And checkout my Etsy Shop Erma's Inspiration.

And just for your viewing pleasure, here's my unhappy model.

 

Kent State Hats for Little Fans!

My dad's cousin's wife, aka Aunt Becky recently comissioned me to create something for her
daughter's field hockey coach's daughters.  Could I use more apostrophes in a sentence? Anyway,  Alyssa plays field hockey at Kent State, so whatever I made had to be blue and yellow with a little white in the mix and it had to be something they could wear to games.  Immediately this pin came to mind.

Source: craftsy.com via Cheryl on Pinterest

Now if you know one thing about me you know I do not spend money on patterns.  I either look at the pic and figure it out or I find something close and alter it until I am happy with the results.  So of course through trial and error, I ended up making 3 hats.  My husband is constantly losing hiding misplacing the good camera so please forgive the poor image quality.  From left to right, they are size 0-3 months, 2T, and 6-9 months. 

What a perfect combination of school spirit and feminity!

My first source to hit up was ravelry.com where I found a pattern for the earflap hat.  It was a double crocheted pattern and it was easy.  I changed the striped part to half double crochet to make the color appear more vibrant. 

Next I needed a rose.  Coincidently I'd just started making roses for headbands that will be on my Etsy page (currently in development).  There will be a post about my tweaks later but here is the original pattern. 

Source: 2crazy4crafting.blogspot.com via Cheryl on Pinterest

The basic plan was in place but I had to have the perfect yarn in the perfect colors!  Since these hats were for little ones I was really picky about yarn.  All the colors I needed were already in my stock, but it was Red Heart SuperSaver Yarn. Don't get me wrong, it's a great basic, sturdy yarn, but being a mother, I want something very soft for my little one's head, which carries over to my projects.  Luckily, I had a 20% off coupon for Michael's AND some of my favorite yarn was on sale!!  (I know, I know, you can get wool cheap on the internet, but the crafter in me needs to touch and feel the yarn to make the selection).  Vanna's Choice is my go to yarn for softness, unfortunately they did not have--or my Michael's did not carry-- the vibrant blue that I wanted.  On to Loops and Threads Impeccable Yarn, SCORE, it was also on sale and had exactly the colors I wanted! 

Finally I cut 3 lengths of yarn in each color, looped it through the bottom of the earflap, then braided it. Voila!

 

Here's my son, the not-so-cooperative model.  My brother the budding photographer photographed him for me.

What in the world is this blog about?

Everything.
Well, not quite everything.
Everything I learned from my grandma Erma.
As much as I can remember.
How I apply them today.
What I want to pass on.

There will have to be another post on why she is so special to me.  For now, you need to know she taught me how to crochet, sew, cook, be crafty, be thrifty, be a good mother, and most importantly be a good person. 

Good introductions are short and leave you wanting more, so I will stop here. 

Here's the woman herself the day she became a great grandmother at 85 years old!