My Favorite Hat Sizing Chart

I've shared this on Instagram before, and regularly cycle it to the top of my Pinterest boards, but I wanted to share my favorite hat sizing chart here as well. Tot Toppers, where the chart originates, features "original patterns for tots & a modern line for those who are not". The patterns spread much farther than just hat patterns, but I've found many of my favorite hat patterns for kids on their site!

My most used parts of this chart are the first few lines, which feature head circumference and length. I will simply subtract 2" from the head circumference to know which size hat to make when using someone else's pattern, and aim for these sizes when writing my own.

My Favorite Hat Sizing Chart

Feb 19, 2015

Hadley Hat Modifications

(photo from Elise's Instagram feed)

So far, the #holidayknitalong has been going like gangbusters! Elise has officially become a hat addict, knocking out an adorable hat for Ellerie (seen above), with plans to make a few more in the near future!

While I'm still slogging away at my hat, working a row or two in between holiday presents, I wanted to take a minute to share a few ways to modify the Hadley Hat pattern to suit a wide variety of needs. I wrote the pattern over two years ago now, and when it was originally written I only had one size, and used a very specific yarn. These notes will hopefully help you make your hat in a bunch of different ways!

One of the things I love most about hats is that you don't need to worry AS MUCH about sizing - most hats will fit most heads, and have a few inches of stretch to cover any possible sizing mistakes. That said, you can't expect a hat made for a baby to fit an adult, and visa versa.

One of the other things to keep in mind is the number of stripes you'll use for your hat, and even how many stitches to use in each stripe. The adult size has six stripes made with six rows each, but for a newborn hat this would be far too long. You'll want to adjust both number of stripes and number of rows per stripe accordingly.

To make life easier for everyone, I've made this handy chart to help you out. While you can definitely measure your hat recipient's head and then figure out the cast on number, number of stripes, and number of rows per stripe, this chart makes the Hadley Hat a bit more "thinking-proof"!

** Remember, the number of stripes INCLUDES the ribbing rows as the first stripe color. **

Now let's talk yarn. The pattern calls for Hobby Lobby's house brand of yarn, but what's great about this hat is that you can substitute in just about any thicker worsted weight yarn and the hat will turn out perfectly!

What do I mean by "thicker worsted weight"? Well, just about any acrylic yarn with a "4" on the label will work perfectly. That means you can head into any craft store, and just about any of their acrylic yarns will work just fine. Some brands I've used for this hat include Bernat, Vanna's Choice, Red Heart, and Lion Brand Wool Ease.

If you're making the hat with wool yarn, just be sure the suggested needle size on the ball band is at least a size US 8 / 5.0mm. Anything smaller will give you a much looser gauge hat, and the fit won't be the same.

All in all, the Hadley Hat is a fun and fast knit, perfect for last minute presents, or for cheering on your favorite football team during the bowl games, as Elise and I are doing! I'd love to see how you modify the Hadley Hat for everyone on your list - tag your finished knits #holidayknitalong and/or #shemakeshats so I can see!

Hadley Hat Modifications

Dec 15, 2014

My Minimalist Knitting Bag

I've been spending the past few months really looking at what I knit, what I knit with, and what I have far too much of. The truth of it is I have far too much of almost everything, and while I occasionally attempt a scarf or pair of mittens or even a sweater, the bulk of what I make is hats.

So why I had needles of all sizes and types spread all over the house was a mystery.

I decided to not just take a good hard look at what I have, but also really pare back to just what I actually use. So over the last few weeks I've been getting organized. I've been pulling together the things I actually use, and either donating or giving to others the stuff I know I won't actually use.

This, then, is the final pile. What I actually use, keep in my knitting bag, and know will see lots of knitting time and love.

The main bag is from Thirty One (this style is now discontinued), which is one of the more fun organizational companies I've come across in a long time. A good friend sells the bags, and we've got quite a number of them around the house.

Above you can see into the bag, with a view of everything I keep inside. The flowery project bag is from Six Munchkin Stitching, and I won it in a giveaway on Raverly. That said, I'm in heaven over the quality and size, and would definitely recommend it to knitters looking for a new project bag!

Once I take everything out of the bag, you can really see what all I'm packing. The black skein on the left is going to be turned into two hats for a fun partnership I'll be sharing in a few weeks, and the two skeins of red yarn are Modern Baby, waiting to be turned into hats for the Little Hats, Big Hearts campaign.

The pile in the center is my circular/dpns case (flowered, more photos in a second), my interchangeable needle set my mama got me for my birthday, and a pencil case holding all my crochet hooks.

To the right of that pile, at top is a kitchen food scale I use to weigh finished projects (to calculate yardage) and the flower pouch from Six Munchkin Stitching.

All of this fits into my bag with plenty of room for at least two more yarn skeins.

Above you can see inside my project pouch. Right now I'm using it to hold remnant balls of yarn waiting to become Golden Pear hats, although it's also the perfect size to hold a skein of yarn that's being knitted into a hat! I'm loving it as a way to keep my Golden Pear hats in progress out of the rest of my knitting bag, though. I don't have to worry about the small balls of yarn getting wrapped up around anything else this way!

Finally, this is an inside shot of my circular and dpns case. It's the Combo Needle Case from Chic-a, and I've been coveting it since I saw Heather share hers on the Ewe Ewe blog a few months ago.

None of their patterns really "spoke to me" so I decided to go for the most ridiculously gaudy one they had, and I couldn't be happier with it! It's got these ridiculously large Hawaiian flowers all over it, which I love love love!

I'm using it for all my 16" circular needles, plus all of my DPNs and all of the notions I use for just about everything I knit (darning needle, tape measure, stitch markers, scissors, cable needle). I don't have all the circular needle spots filled up, but these are all the ones I've got, so I'm thinking of separating out the FOUR SETS OF SIZE NINES I have (I don't want to talk about it) so they each have their own spot, and seeing how I like that.

Some of you may be thinking to yourselves "that's not very minimalist!" while others are probably saying "how does she get away with having so little!" and I totally see both sides of that. I'm sure I could knit with less, but what I have here is what I use every single day. And while some knitters may need more for their daily knitting habit, for me and my hat knitting, this is exactly the right amount.

My yarn lives separately, and I don't want to talk about that right now - not how much I have, or how it's (not) stored. I still need to come to peace with what I've got or keep paring down, and I definitely need to find some better ways to keep track of what I've got, yarn-wise.

But that's it, quite literally. I've had much more than this before, and always struggled to find what I needed. I've tried to function with less, and always felt like something was missing. Working with this system for a few weeks now, I'm in heaven and feel like I've found a system I can work with, and just the right amount of supplies for me!

My Minimalist Knitting Bag

Sep 24, 2014

Finding The Perfect Pattern For Your Stash Yarn

We’ve all run into this problem: we’ve got one skein of yarn sitting in our stash far too long because we have NO IDEA what pattern it should be made into. Maybe it’s a skein of novelty yarn you were given when you first started knitting, or some lace weight you purchased before you realized lace weight makes your left eye twitch uncontrollably.

No matter how it got there, each time you shuffle your yarn, pulling out skeins for donation or searching for yarn for your next big project, you see this yarn and are frustrated anew. You can’t bring yourself to get rid of it {The initial cost of the yarn? Gifted to you by a loved one?}, and so it languishes in the back of your stash, unloved and unused.

We all know my stance on keeping yarn around for guilt or sentimental reasons {short answer? Don’t do it!}, and I can’t come to your house and get rid of that yarn for you. I can, however, offer one key suggestion for using that yarn up to make room for new yarn that you will love – or better yet, to help you achieve minimalist knitter Zen.

Simply match a pattern to the yarn.

If you are on Ravelry, this process couldn’t be simpler. You log on, go to the yarn tab, and type in the name of the yarn from your ball band. Select the correct yarn from the list, and then click on the “pattern ideas” tab. You will be given a list of not only possible patterns to use, but also photos of that pattern being used for that specific yarn by other Ravelers!

If you aren’t on Ravelry, you can make the process super hard for yourself by trying to do all of this through Google, or you can do what I'd suggest, and join the thousands of knitters around the globe who have already jumped in, and join up with Ravelry. It’s free, it helps you track your knitting projects, and you have the benefit of a knitting circle of men and women around the globe, ready to cheer you on as you achieve your knitting goals!

Finding The Perfect Pattern For Your Stash Yarn

Jul 10, 2014

Building A Hat Knitting Kit

Lately I've had a few folks ask me to help them learn to knit hats, which is just about the greatest thing a person can ask of me, to be honest. While some of these folks are local (and I'm working on some learn-to-knit classes for them), at least one of these folks is far away.

So how do you help someone learn to knit hats from a distance? Well, it helps if they already know how to knit, which this person does. With the basics under her belt, turning a sometimes-knitter into a hat knitting addict simply takes the right tools - some yarn, a few patterns, and the right needles.

I grabbed a few skeins of Wool Ease from my stash to add to the package first. All of these are full skeins, even though some don't have their ball bands and one had already been wound into a yarn cake. These being full skeins means my friend will be able to get at least one hat per skein, with enough left over for either a second hat or some stripes.

Once you've got your yarn, you need the right needles. For me, that's 16" circular bamboo needles and accompanying double points. Oh, and a few patterns and a cable needle, just in case. Some knitters prefer metal needles at every size, but I love the feel of bamboo, so I hand them out like candy.

All of this went into a package, with a few patterns thrown in for good measure. And then the box was sent off to sunny California, where hopefully some hats are already being made! If your knitter doesn't need needles, or already has yarn, your knit kit might look a bit different.

I didn't have to include stitch markers, a tape measure or scissors, for instance - this knitter already had those tools on-hand. But building a knit kit is a great way to turn just about anyone you know into a hat knitting addict!

Building A Hat Knitting Kit

May 28, 2014

shop talk :: binder love

I'm not sure if it's the season or the pregnancy, but the urge to organize, pare down, streamline and even color code everything has been almost overwhelming in greatness these last few days. I've been organizing school papers into binders, setting up notebooks for everything from personal lists to work lists to blog lists and more, and I've been on a tear when it comes to the shop.

In the last few months I’ve slowly and quietly re-opened the She Makes Hats Shop, first selling just newborn hats and in the past few days slowly expanding my inventory to include hats for babies and children as well as adults. The shop operates on a one-for-one model – for every hat someone purchases, a hat is made and donated to a local hospital for a newborn in need. I love that I can earn a bit of side income for our family through the sale of something I love to make anyhow, but that I can also give hats to little ones in need at the same time.

I hadn’t thought too seriously about growing the shop or using it as a viable second income source, but as sales have made their way into my inbox and hats have made their way off the needles, I’ve been thinking it might be time to take this thing a bit more serious.

First on my list was getting my shop orders and donations lists organized. I love the office supply section of Target, which means I tend to just sort of pick up office supplies whenever I see something I love. This means we have far more binders and post-its and colored pens than one person could ever need, but it also means that I was able to get my entire Shop Organization Binder (tm) put together using supplies I had on-hand! So far, what's working is as follows:

>> In the front inside pocket I keep orders I've finished but haven't shipped yet. This fills up on the weekends, because during the week I try to print shipping labels and pack up orders as soon as they're off the needles!

>> Tab 1 is for "personal stuff". There's a few months of calendar pages there to help me remember life stuff and some paper for list-making.  

>> Tab 2 is for orders. As someone places an order, I print up two copies -- the first goes behind this tab, with the oldest orders at the front (so a new order will be placed at the back of the pile). When it's time to knit, I simply open up to the first order and get busy! When an order is done, I take it out of the binder and either print a label right away (during the week) or place it in the front pocket (weekends).  

>> Tab 3 is for donations. The second copy of each order goes here. As I make newborn hats to donate, I grab the right number of orders (one hat for one hat, not one hat for one order!) so I can thank each person individually! I post photos of the charity hats both here on the blog and on the shop Facebook page, and note the first name/last initial of each person who helped make one of these donation hats happen!

>> Tab 4 is sometimes full, sometimes empty. This is where I put special orders and projects. Look for Tuesday "ready to ship" sale invoices here, as well as notes on things I'm making for photographers (or shops!) in bulk.  

>> Tab 5 is currently not in use. I'm keeping it in the binder as a nice back page, although at this point I'm not sure I'll ever really use it! I've been using this system for just around 3 weeks now, and so far I'm in love with it! I can toss the binder in my purse (because my purse is ridiculously huge) and always know just what's going on. All my most important shop information is stored right there in one place, ready for me to make ALL THE ORDERS!

shop talk :: binder love

Oct 15, 2013

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

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!

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

May 6, 2013

A Crafty Weekend And Donating Hats

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.

A Crafty Weekend And Donating Hats

Apr 22, 2013

April KAL Week One: Sourcing Superwash Wool

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!

April KAL Week One: Sourcing Superwash Wool

Apr 8, 2013

a cable knitting trick

I've been in love with cables lately, working cabled hats on repeat for both the shop and for charity. And while I love a good cable, I hate ... HATE ... having to tick off rows on paper (or even a row counter) between cables.

And then it dawned on me. I could simply knit the number of stitches on the current cable for the row I was on, and I'd never have to tick off a row again!

 Confused? The photo above should help. For this cable pattern, there are six rows between a cabling row. So I'm on row 2 currently, and had to set down the hat. So I knit two stitches on the next cable (you can see those two stitches on the right-hand needle), and then set the hat down.

When I come back to it later, I just look at the number of knits on the right-hand needle and know exactly where I'm at! This way, I don't have to worry where I'm at in the hat (any of the cables in the row will do) and I don't have to carry a row counter or pen/paper with me anymore!

a cable knitting trick

Nov 8, 2012

FIVE WAYS TO BE MORE EARTH-FRIENDLY WITH YOUR KNITTING

As I continue to knit through my yarn stash, I'm reminded just how decidedly NOT earth-friendly most knitter's stashes truly are. We pick up yarn on a whim, ordering it from across the world or buying yarn made from non-sustainable content. Once in our stashes, we keep it there, choosing to buy new yarn for new projects rather than using what we've got.

Knitters tend to be of the magpie persuasion - picking up pretty and shiny things and then storing them away. I've been attempting something quite different for some time now - minimalist knitting. Working through my yarn stash one skein at a time, I'm making conscious choices about what yarn I bring into my stash and how it gets there.

Here then are five ways I've been trying to be more earth-friendly with my yarn consumption.

 ONE // Before purchasing anything, dig deep into my stash to make sure I don't have something I can use. Nine times out of ten I find I have just what I need and want right here in my home, and I not only save a few bucks, but manage to use what I've got!  

TWO // When I do need to purchase yarn, check with folks on Ravelry and in my knitting circles first to see if someone has what I need and wants to de-stash. Again with the saving money; more importantly I'm using what's already out there in yarn stashes around the world. This helps other folks de-stash and reminds me second-hand yarn is still new to me!  

THREE // Buy local! This means shopping my locally-owned yarn shop rather than the big box stores to be sure. It also means checking to see if there's folks in my area who spin their own yarn and picking up Brown Sheep Yarn as well (a Nebraska-based yarn company).  

FOUR // Consider picking up sweaters at thrift shops and unwinding them for their yarn. Time consuming for sure, but for charity projects such as hats and mittens, reusing yarn like this is a great alternative to buying new.  

FIVE // Purchase my wool from sellers like Manos Del Uruguay and Peace Fleece. The environmental impact of the yarn traveling to me from farther away if off-set {in my mind} by the types of companies I’ll be supporting.

FIVE WAYS TO BE MORE EARTH-FRIENDLY WITH YOUR KNITTING

Jul 13, 2012

FIVE THINGS TO REMEMBER WHEN KNITTING HATS FOR GUYS

It's no secret that some of my favorite hats to knit are those that will adorn the heads of men. I love the way a man will wear a handmade hat FOREVER if you get it right. I love that you don't have to worry about which colors will work best with their wardrobe, whether they'll prefer bobbles or lace or other various patterns, and you can stick with a few tried and true looks, always with success.

Apparently I'm in the hat knitting minority with these thoughts, though. Time and again I run into knitters who aren't quite sure how to go about knitting for guys in general, much less something as visible as a hat. This then are my top five tips to remember when knitting hats for guys.

 ONE // Pick a super neutral color. When I knit hats for guys I always ask them what color they'd prefer. Nine times out of ten they say grey or black. That other time? It's navy or olive. Occasionally a dark brown will get tossed out there to surprise me. Men want a hat they can wear every day, with everything. So check out their everyday coat or pay attention to their wardrobe for a few weeks to pick up on what colors they wear most often. When in doubt, a super dark grey (like the color of the hat pictured above) will work perfectly for just about every man you know.  

TWO // Stick with the most basic of patterns. Think stockinette or all-over ribbing here. Yes, it can feel a bit tedious to knit, knit, knit every stitch for up to nine inches. Yes, you'll want to throw in a bobble, lace panel or cable motif. Save these urges for the next hat you make for a girlfriend! Every man I've ever knit a hat for has asked for super simple, choosing all-over ribbing or stockinette most times.  

THREE // Men's heads are larger than you think! While I may be short, I have a normal sized head, and so I've always sized the hats I make to fit my head. This works great when making hats for women, but when I make hats for men I've learned to add a few inches - both in length and in width! On average, hats knit for a man should easily stretch to 24" without feeling tight, and should top out around 9". When in doubt, add a few stitches and rows to the pattern you're using!

FOUR // Choose super soft yarns! I tend to think this is a good rule for any hat you make, but it's super important when knitting for men. Whether you choose wool or acrylic (or a blend of the two!) be sure the yarn is as soft as you can find. While a woman may wear a hat that's a bit scratchy if she loves the yarn and pattern, a man will toss that hat into his closet, never to be worn again! Thankfully, you can find super soft acrylics and wool blends at most big-box craft stores, and your local yarn shop staff can help you find a 100% wool that will work well.  

FIVE // Always Always ask first! Every time I think I know exactly what type of hat the guys in my life will want, one of them surprises me by wanting a striped, patterned, and cabled number!

And some guys just won't want a hat from you, no matter how much you KNOW they'll love a hat if they'd just let you make them one. If you ask first, you may just be surprised at what you're asked to knit!

FIVE THINGS TO REMEMBER WHEN KNITTING HATS FOR GUYS

Jul 6, 2012

softening up scratchy yarn

A Girl and Her Needle recently shared a GENIUS way to soften up scratchy yarn. In her example she uses Red Heart, but I've got some vintage yarn in my stash that this could work perfectly on! Simply remove the wrapper, loosen the skein, wash in a lingerie bag, and viola!

softening up scratchy yarn

Mar 25, 2012

Crochet Hats For Men

I love the connections you can make through a blog. On my Waffle Hat For Him post, new friend Hannah commented about crocheting her husband a hat, and some of her frustrations with finding the perfect pattern. Because I am who I am, I shot her an e-mail back with a few fun patterns I'd found on Ravelry. Then I got to thinking - if Hannah is in need of some good man-friendly crochet hat patterns, I bet others are as well!

With men's hats, simple is always best - in my experience, men don't want frilly or lacy, and unless they pick it out themselves using a neutral color and the most basic of stitches tends to be the way to go. While this can feel boring to crafters, seeing those men in your life actually wearing the items you've made for them definitely trumps any crafting boredom you may feel! After getting her permission to share this little tidbit, I set about rounding up ten of my favorite man-friendly crochet hat patterns from Ravelry.

Reversible Strands (free Ravelry download only)

Truffle Shuffle Skully (free pattern!)

Grizzly (free Ravelry download only) - mitts are designer's Paws pattern

Ribbed Winter Hat (free pattern!)

Colonel (Ravelry purchase only)

Onederlan (Ravelry purchase only)

Streetwise Brim Hat (free pattern!)

Crochet Hats For Men

Jan 22, 2012

organizing my knitting supplies

One of my 101 goals is to organize my knitting supplies a little better. I took some time over the last few days to get a handle on things, and ended up with these three cases.

In the square green case on the right, all my circular needles. The case is from Namaste, and I've had it for a year or so now. I love how easy it is to keep my circulars on-hand and within reach, but also untangled and separated out. I knit almost exclusively with circular needles, so this case has been a huge help to me!

Most of my knitting and crochet supplies are organized in these three Gussy bags, pictured above. In the larges (at the back) I keep my two smaller Gussy bags, my needle gauge, my scissors, and my tape measures.

In the smallest Gussy bag (at the right), I keep my stitch markers, my cable needles, and my darning needles. These were always getting lost in my bag before, and this Gussy bag is the perfect size for them all!

In the Gussy bag to the left of the photo, I store all my crochet hooks. It is the PERFECT size for them, and they don't clang around or get lost anymore!

In my final bag, I have all my double-pointed needles and my pom makers. The bag is too large for them, but it serves my purposes well and I am able to find all my dpns (which are organized into simple toothbrush cases!) and pom makers without trouble!

organizing my knitting supplies

Jan 6, 2012

how i do what i do

earlier in the week Donna asked a question on my "Working On In October" post:

Robyn, you make items for so many different charities, do you have a system that you use to assure that items are completed in the time frame that you set for yourself?

i read that and giggled a bit, and then read it to my husband and he giggled even louder. the truth is, i don't have any sort of system for most of my knitting. i just grab yarn and go!

with my charity knitting, i set larger goals for myself, like knitting 10,000 in my lifetime or working on squares for Knit A Square until July 2012. i also know i like to knit hats (love to knit hats, actually) and so have found a few charities over the years that love to receive hats so i can keep feeding my addiction. because i'm trying to work through my yarn stash, i'm mostly just grabbing yarn one skein at a time and knitting it up, without much thought to schedules or knitting timelines.

when someone e-mails me or mentions on a Ravelry group that they're in need of a specific type of item in a specific timeframe, i usually jump on that, find some yarn in my stash and then knit like the wind until i need to send those items out.

what ends up happening is the following: i fill up my Land's End bag with yarn for hats and squares and tell myself i'll only be knitting out of that bag until all that yarn is gone. and for a week i do really well. and then someone mentions they need baby hats or mittens or scarves in a short time frame, and i look into my Land's End bag and realize i don't have the "right" yarn in said bag and so grab more from the office. and then, while i'm knitting those scarves or mittens or baby hats, i remember i wanted to knit a cowl as a birthday present, and so i head to the store and grab yarn for the cowl.

and so on it goes - i'm still knitting hats and squares, mind you - and all of a sudden i've got three bags of yarn in the family room and have a list of 30 things i want to knit in the next five days.

i sort of like to knit all the things, all at once.

at least three times a year i decide i'm going to set up a system, i'm going to come up with a plan, or i'm going to ONLY knit one type of thing for a certain amount of time. and then someone needs scarves, and the cycle starts all over again! i've been operating with this lack of system for so long now it feels normal to me - this is just how i knit. and i always (or almost always!) end up meeting the deadlines i set for myself or the deadlines of others, and i do end up knitting with more stash yarn than new yarn, so i'm at peace with it.

 i've got another PLAN ready for 2012, and one i'm hoping some other folks will join me on, but i also know that when i implement this plan (more on it later in the month!) there will be plenty of days where i knit outside of the plan because there are other things that need to be made.

how i do what i do

Nov 4, 2011

how i do what i do

earlier in the week Donna asked a question on my "Working On In October" post:

Robyn, you make items for so many different charities, do you have a system that you use to assure that items are completed in the time frame that you set for yourself? 

i read that and giggled a bit, and then read it to my husband and he giggled even louder. the truth is, i don't have any sort of system for most of my knitting. i just grab yarn and go!

with my charity knitting, i set larger goals for myself, like knitting 10,000 in my lifetime or working on squares for Knit A Square until July 2012. i also know i like to knit hats (love to knit hats, actually) and so have found a few charities over the years that love to receive hats so i can keep feeding my addiction.

because i'm trying to work through my yarn stash, i'm mostly just grabbing yarn one skein at a time and knitting it up, without much thought to schedules or knitting timelines. when someone e-mails me or mentions on a Ravelry group that they're in need of a specific type of item in a specific timeframe, i usually jump on that, find some yarn in my stash and then knit like the wind until i need to send those items out.

what ends up happening is the following: i fill up my Land's End bag with yarn for hats and squares and tell myself i'll only be knitting out of that bag until all that yarn is gone. and for a week i do really well. and then someone mentions they need baby hats or mittens or scarves in a short time frame, and i look into my Land's End bag and realize i don't have the "right" yarn in said bag and so grab more from the office.

and then, while i'm knitting those scarves or mittens or baby hats, i remember i wanted to knit a cowl as a birthday present, and so i head to the store and grab yarn for the cowl. and so on it goes - i'm still knitting hats and squares, mind you - and all of a sudden i've got three bags of yarn in the family room and have a list of 30 things i want to knit in the next five days.

i sort of like to knit all the things, all at once.

at least three times a year i decide i'm going to set up a system, i'm going to come up with a plan, or i'm going to ONLY knit one type of thing for a certain amount of time. and then someone needs scarves, and the cycle starts all over again!

i've been operating with this lack of system for so long now it feels normal to me - this is just how i knit. and i always (or almost always!) end up meeting the deadlines i set for myself or the deadlines of others, and i do end up knitting with more stash yarn than new yarn, so i'm at peace with it.

i've got another PLAN ready for 2012, and one i'm hoping some other folks will join me on, but i also know that when i implement this plan (more on it later in the month!) there will be plenty of days where i knit outside of the plan because there are other things that need to be made.

how do you all plan your knitting projects?

how i do what i do