Summer Hats

I've been wearing some really lovely hats this past five or so weeks, ever since the hair all fell out (see my cancer blog for explanation of that, unless you've already been reading it).  My friend Timary crocheted some lovely tams for me (see post below for photo of the one she made from my handspun), and I have a velvet hat that is just cute as a button (or at least, it is cute as a velvet hat with a big old flower on it).

Okay, you can't see that very well, but it's a hat with a band, to which the slightly poufy top is sewn above and to which the brim is sewn below, with the velvet rose attached (to hide the band's seam, as well as to look decorative).  The brim can be left down all around, per this photo (taken with computer camera, which is why it's not very good) or the front can be folded upwards, which is jaunty and fun.

But these are all Cool Weather Hats, and suddenly after months and months of snow and ice and frigid temps, spring is coming in a huge rush.  Now all my beloved hats are making my head sweat!!

Mom and I went to the local wig/hat store, and to Target.  We searched for hats, we peered at hats, we patted and pinched and fondled hats, we even tried hats on. 

Unfortunately, we learned a couple things.

1.  I don't look particularly good in caps, and all the hats that are out currently seem to be either big froufrou Easter Bonnet/Go To Church hats (lovely, but not for general wear) or billed caps.  I need a frame for my face, and to add some balance, since my head is relatively small in comparison to my body.  Not a HUGE frame - those big 'garden hat' brims are hard to manage, and tend to want to fly away in even a slight breeze.  I don't want to constantly hold onto my head, or worry about my poor bald scalp being exposed.  The above hat serves the purpose well, while still sitting snugly on the head and not threatening to turn me into a remake of The Flying Nun (my goodness, I imagine that reference ages me!)

2.  The colors this season seem to be brown, tan, brownish-gray, white, or red.  I do not look good in brown or red, and even a nice silvery gray gets a bit dull and anonymous after a while.  If I'm going to wear a hat, I want to look festive and I want to have fun with it.  I like white well enough, but it gets dirty quickly when you are sweaty... and women with hot flashes sweat a LOT in Minnesota summers.  Frankly, so do most of the rest of us Minnesnowtans.  But let's face it, I am a woman with many, many hot flashes, and I am a woman who does not 'glow'.  So even though white theoretically goes with just about everything, it's not going to work as a 'running errands and visiting friends' hat.  And a whole wardrobe of white hats would be a bit monotonous.

So I'm wondering if anyone has some patterns for hats similar to the above (or knows where they might be obtained), so that mom and I could sew up a few in fabrics and decorations of my choice?  Wide-brimmed cloches or moderately floppy-brimmed hats that can be folded up in front, that would look cute with flowers or pins or random balls of yarn stuck on them?**


** Well, okay, that last one was a joke.  Probably.  Except at a fiber arts gathering - then all bets are off.

What Do You Think?

** Warning: this post is in part a copy of a post over on my other blog.  I reward you for your patience with a homely picture of myself in cute charming hat.  The photo does not do justice to the beauty of Timary's needlework or to the lovely colors and gloss of the yarn used (if I do say so, myself).  It just sort of hints at it.  You pays your money (or in this case, your attention) and you takes your chances, people...

Here is the darling beret that my brilliant friend Timary made for me.  It's a new design of hers, so I hadn't seen it before.  You can find her patterns (including this slouchy beanie beret) at her Etsy store right here.  Go ahead and check it out, especially if you are a crocheter - you'll be glad you did.

Thing is, when I got the hat she sent, I thought, "Ooo, FUN!!"  And then I thought, "Ooo, the colors are so ME!!"  And then I thought, "Ooo, this yarn is so soft and pretty!!"  And then I thought, "Hey, this yarn looks sort of familiar, actually..."  And then I realized... Timary bought my yarn a while back, and put a lot of work into making something out of it, AND THEN SENT IT BACK TO ME.  It was my own handspun yarn!!

So now I am going to send her more.  Some of it will be for her... and some of it will be for the really cute 20's Flapper Hat.  Because I don't crochet, and am not up to learning how at the moment, but she has designed one darling hat, I must say!!

So, what do you think?  Should I add a big fancy pin to one side?  Or just leave it as it is?

I also bought a couple really cute, silly, fun hats yesterday - just in time, since I lost about half my head overnight last night.  I'll model those soon, but I know you shouldn't be expected to handle so much feminine pulchritude at once.  (koff, koff...)

Now I have these really cute hats, and no place to store them properly (the only hat I've got stored/displayed currently is my floppy old straw hat, which is sitting on the head of my son's wooden rocking horse.  It's very fetching, but not very protected).  So if anybody just happens to have a nice big hatbox sitting around, and wants to donate it to a needy cause, I'm it.

Home From the Hills

My, what a wonderful two weeks I have had. The first was spent in beautiful South Dakota with my lovely husband, and it was everything I could have hoped for. You can find a photojournal with commentary HERE. Don't you wish you could have been with us? I would, if I were you - heck, I wish I was there with us again!

After that, I spent much of another week at a retreat - I will be reporting on that on the other blog, once I've recovered my strength and fortitude. But it was educational and heartwarming and tender and bittersweet, and everything else that a retreat should be. I will be forever grateful to the wonderful women who run the Infinite Boundaries retreats, and to all the generous folks who give generously to the Breast Cancer Recovery organization.

And last, but not least, while I was in SD, I designed and knit up this exuberant pair of socks for Scott, using a skein of Trekking that he liked and a bit of orange Trekking from a pair I'd just finished for myself. As you can see, my husband is not afraid of color!

Shepherd's Harvest Festival

I am very excited. Again.

This time I am hugely looking forward to this weekend's Shepherd's Harvest Sheep and Wool Festival. If you are anywhere near Minnesota this weekend, you should stop by. There is lots to see (mostly sheep or llama related, but there are some very ambitious herding dogs as well), and buy (mostly wool related), and hear (great music), and eat (lamb burgers!) and do (classes).

One of the things that you will see there is, well, me. I will be tending my little bit of the table that will also be sporting a display of the extremely delightful book "The Wee Mad Road". My folks will be tending the table, as well, and they are very charming. Please stop by and chat with them; they will show you a good time. And check out the book while you are there. It really is lovely.


There will also be knitting and spinning classes. I will be taking one of each - the knitting one will be from Anne Modesitt, and I am really looking forward to meeting her in person. There will also be weaving classes and dyeing classes and other interesting things, but I simply didn't have time to be taking them all, as much as I would love to do so. Maybe next year...

I don't crochet - at least, I haven't crocheted until now - but Timary does, and she has a pattern for these little nesting bowls for sale at her Etsy store. You can make them round or square, in 5 sizes.



Aren't they cute? She is letting me sell them at a reduced price at Shepherd's Harvest, as a sort of charity fundraiser for my extremely fledgling business. She is the sort of person who goes far beyond the call of duty when her friends are gormless enough to have arranged to have table space that would otherwise be displaying... table space.

(See how I cleverly work in that Scottish adjective, bringing you back to the beginning of this post?)