Hooked in the Sound

Crayon Hearts

2012-01-17T18:41:00.000-08:00

We've got some cabin fever going on here with about 7 inches of snow and more expected in the forecast. So, I looked online for a fun Valentine type craft that Brynn and I could do together while Parker napped. I found these great Crayon Hearts on Pinterest. It took longer than I anticipated to cut and attach strings to the hearts, but the overall project was completed in about 2 hours. Brynn was able to participate in most steps; I did the shape tracing and cutting, knot tying in the thread and hanging them up. Brynn loved using the scissors to cut and the needle to pierce the hearts.

The first step was to shave or sharpen crayons onto half of the amount of wax paper.

After the desired amount of crayon shavings were on the wax paper, you fold the clean half on top of the shavings and secure by folding the edges. We then placed a cloth napkin both under and on top of the wax paper prior to ironing it. The heat from the iron melts the shavings.

Once the wax cools, you then trace your shapes and cut them out. We then attached a thread to the hearts for hanging.

The picture at the top of this entry is of the original way that we hung them, but once our heat kicked on it blew the hearts and tangled them all together. So we decided to spread them out, thus looking like this:

It's not quite as I envisioned when starting out, but we made it our own with some green, pink and purple hearts. The best part is that Brynn feels good having creating some awesome window art to last us through Valentine's Day.

Book Sling

2012-01-16T17:37:00.000-08:00

As recommended by my friend, Mo, I used my novice sewing skills to make a book sling for Parker's room. Parker's room doesn't have adequate space for a bookshelf, but we are swimming in books at this house. The sling gives us a cute, practical space for storing books! I tried to coordinate fabric colors with her curtains, but honestly I wish I had chosen something different. I love the way the sling turned out, but I'm not crazy about the stripes - a bit more whimsy would have suited my taste better. Now that I have the dowels and brackets, I figure that making another sling as Parker grows older, and has an opinion on her decor, will be fairly simple. I am even thinking that Brynn may need one of these above her bed since she has no headboard. Her most favorite books could be tucked inside to avoid loosing them in the midst of the other chaos on the shelf, under the bed or among the toys. Overall, I enjoyed making this project and may have to whip up a few more for around the house! If you'd like to make one for yourself, you can find the tutorial at Penny Carnival's website.

What draft?

2012-01-10T15:58:00.000-08:00

So, the picture above is what our kitchen floor has looked like all winter long. Our garage is behind that door and the temperature is drastically different between the two spaces. Our door has a small gap at the bottom that allows the cold air to come in, so I used my newly learned sewing skills to make a draft stopper. I took advantage of the great sale and teacher appreciation weekend at JoAnn Fabrics and bought 1/3 yard of upholstery fabric. After washing and trimming the edges, I sewed the two long sides together, pressed the seam flat and then turned the tube right-side out. I then folded in one side about 2 inches and sewed the opening shut. I used kitty litter as the filler then finished off the other end. I am happy with the way it turned out - the only bummer is that the kitty litter has a strong floral smell, which I'm not loving. Hopefully with time the odor will fade and not be noticeable. This project was finished in no time, which made it even more fun for me.

Next in the sewing world is practicing a zig-zag stitch since I do not have a surger. I found some simple skirts that I'd like to make for Brynn's birthday.

Ribbit, Ribbit

2012-01-10T15:47:00.001-08:00

I had some leftover fabric from making Brynn's curtains, so I decided to make a little softie to practice my sewing skills. I had these little critters cut and sewed together a couple of weeks before Christmas, but never got around to filling them and stitching them up until the other day. I downloaded the pattern and instructions from the Purl Bee tutorial: The Purl Frog. I opted to not add beaded eyes because of Parker Mei's obsession with putting everything in her mouth right now. I used lentils to fill the frogs and did my best attempt at hand-stitching them together. Hopefully they'll stay together well; one of them is being given to a friend of ours who just brought home a new baby sister.

Crochet Cowl for the Kiddies

2012-01-05T14:42:00.000-08:00

My almost 4 year old daughter watched as I made a couple of cowls over the holiday season. She asked if I could make one for her, but when I looked around online I didn't really see anything specific for kids. So, I attempted to work up my own pattern. The first attempt was way too large so I passed it on to our neighbor's nieces for them to enjoy. Prior to that, I had her snap a photo of me wearing it.

Since practice makes perfect, the second attempt turned out just right. Brynn loves the color, especially because there is a shiny piece of tinsel running throughout to give it that sparkly, shimmer that little girls love.

Just in case you are interested in making one of your own, either for your little one or yourself - here's what I did:

Material: Red Heart Shimmer, turquoise; 2 skeins

Crochet Hook: 10 mm

** I used 2 strands of the Red Heart held together. You can use any worsted weight yarn, two strands held together - or- a bulky weight yarn.

Kid's (Adult) Cowl Pattern:

Chain until length measures 20-21 (28-30) inches. Count number of chains, be sure that you have an odd number. Crochet loosely, to allow for a bit more stretch in the finished product.

Join together with a slip stitch to beginning chain, being careful not to twist. You now have a circle. This pattern is worked continually in a spiral without joining rounds.

*sc in first ch; hdc in next sc * Continue from * to * around to end of round (no need to join in the end of the round, just keep on going).

Continue to alternate sc and hdc around until you reach your desired length - 7-8" (12-13"). Fasten off. Weave in ends.

You will notice that by alternating the stitches, you are working each stitch into the other. What I mean is that each sc will be worked into a hdc of the previous round, and vice-versa.

Hope this makes sense. It's a quick, fun pattern to whip up. The one for Brynn only took me about an hour.

Gift Giving

2011-12-21T08:42:00.000-08:00

Marshall and I think it's important for our girls to feel the joy of giving during the holidays since they both receive so much. So, this year Brynn and I crafted some ornaments for her to give to the special people in her life. I got the idea from Disney's Family Fun website. It was a process, but Brynn was able to participate in each step. And the best part is that they turned out great, too!

First we had to cut or rip up construction paper into small pieces. One piece of 8.5 x 11 paper per ornament that you want.

The small pieces go directly into the blender because the second step is to allow the paper to soak in very hot water for 5 minutes prior to pulsing into a pulp.

Once you have the pulp ready, you spoon it into cookie cutter shapes and sprinkle with glitter. Press the pulp down to squeeze out any excess water and to pack in the shape. Once it is pressed, place onto cookie sheet for baking. It took a couple of hours in the oven before the ornaments were dry.

(Note to self, it's time to clean the oven!)

We attached a variety of Christmas ribbon to the ornaments with Elmer's style glue. I added a tab of paper once the glue began to dry as a way of keeping the ends of the ribbon more flat - and it made a nice spot to label that they were made by Brynn in 2011.

Brynn is pretty excited to give out her ornament gifts this Christmas. She's really proud of having made them herself and is looking forward to the surprise for everyone. I recommend this project for anyone, any age. We both got a lot of enjoyment out of the process and have a pretty nice ornament to hang on our tree. Merry Christmas!

Embroidered Shirts

2011-12-21T08:32:00.000-08:00

I have been reading the blog Made and she has some great tutorials and crafty ideas. I wanted to create a monogrammed t-shirt for Parker's One Year photos, because I loved the one that Brynn had in her's. So I took the idea from Made and created one of her Sprinkle Shirts. I love the way they look on her website and figured it'd be fairly simple for a novice seamstress like me. I enjoyed embroidering the letter, Brynn was even into helping with it a lot. I had a bit of trouble sewing the letter onto the t-shirt. It didn't end up straight, but it's good enough when Parker is wearing it.

After finishing this one, I thought that Brynn may like something similar. Because she is almost 4 years old, I thought she was beyond loving a t-shirt with her initial on it; and since she is so into princesses right now, I decided to make a crown shirt for her. I am much more pleased with this end-product. Practice definitely helps when figuring out how to sew! I even decided to create two more for the neighbor boys' Christmas gifts. If I can get photos of them wearing their shirts, I'll post them later.

Hooded Cowl - Not so sure.

2011-12-19T08:24:00.000-08:00

I made this cowl as a gift, but I'm not quite sure how I feel about the end product. I used the free Bernat "Hooded Cowl" pattern, but not the recommended yarn. I had some leftover Simply Soft yarn from my cowl that I wanted to put to use, so I just grabbed two more skeins of that to finish off this cowl. I held two strands together because the recommended yarn was a bulky weight and the Simply Soft is worsted. I used a large hook - 11.5 mm. I like the look of the stitch, but I think it turned out a bit too wide and much too short. It was supposed to be 26 inches in length to allow for pulling up over as a hood, mine ended up being about 18 inches long. It can still be pulled up over your head and ears, but without much length in the back. It is also pretty heavy and bulky. Luckily the recipient is pretty fashionable, so hopefully she'll figure out a way to wear it. I probably wouldn't wear it myself. And since it's a gift - it's the idea that counts, right?

You can tell I'm thrilled with it in the last photo. Do I look a bit like Mother Mary? :)

Creating Something for Me!

2011-12-11T18:30:00.000-08:00

I rarely take the time to make something for myself, but am glad that I have this time. Lately with the cold temperatures, but dry weather I have been walking to get Brynn and Cole from preschool. I have really been wanting a scarf to keep my neck warm but I didn't want anything too bulky because my jackets seem to be a bit slim-fitting. So, I decided to make a cowl or circle scarf. I have been reading the blog Luv in the Mommyhood and she had a cowl knit along earlier this fall. One of her featured photos was of this crochet circle scarf. So, I gave it a try. It was a lot of fun because it was so quickly pulled together. I didn't make the cowl quite as wide as the pattern was written for, to avoid so much bulk. Here it is:

I did it!

2011-11-08T20:32:00.000-08:00

I completed my first sewing project - well, two projects really. I brought home my mom's sewing machine from our last visit up to Bellingham because I wan

ted to make curtains for our bedrooms. We recently put new windows in our house and they were still sweating over night due to our light-blocking blinds - which if not taken care of leads to gross mold and mildew. So, I decided that having curtains would still allow for privacy, but would also have better air-flow to stop the sweating. My mom gave me a quick tutorial at her house and then sent me home with her machine. I took advantage of JoAnn's super Veteran's Day sale and picked up 4 yards of material in each print. I followed this simple tutorial by Design Sponge, but made 2 panels for each window.I
started with Brynn's room and learned a lot in the process. My hems didn't ever quite line up; they were wide enough to cover the window, but not the whole rod when shut; the length was great, but a bit longer would be nicer. Here they are:

So when I got around to Parker's I had a frame of reference to go from. Plus, the fabric in Parker's print was much easier to cut and press because all of the dots were in straight lines. This second set has much better coverage on the window and the hems line up! Here they are:

I'm not sure that I've caught the sewing bug quite yet, but I do have plans for another project or two. If they turn out well, I can foresee a new hobby in the future.

Little Gnome

2011-10-21T14:26:00.001-07:00

After making the newborn cap out of my sister's hand dyed yarn, I was in love with the texture and color. So, I had a small amount left to figure out something for Parker. I thought this little Pixie Hat would be cute on her. I love the way the yarn looks when stitched up. The hat on Parker just cracks me up because of her big cheeks, poor kid! It's a perfect fit for now and the chin strap is nice because she is one who pulls everything off of her head.

'Bout to Be Busy

2011-10-07T22:06:00.000-07:00

I have a boom of hat requests from previous customers and friends. I guess this is the true sign of fall. The first hat I have made is with yarn that was hand-dyed by my sister in a beautiful, variegated purple. It is a silk/merino blend and is super soft and cozy. I made the cap for a girlfriend from high school, her sister has bought hats from me in the past and now wants another to give to her sister as a gift for her newborn baby niece. I think they will really appreciate that both my sister and I have had a hand in the creation of this little cap. To make the hat, I alternated a single crochet with a half-double crochet stitch and finished it off with a single crochet rib brim. I love the way it turned out for a simple stocking cap.

Fridge O'Lantern

2011-10-02T20:00:00.000-07:00

I got the idea for this magnetic Jack O'Lantern online and thought it would be a fun, easy project to kick off the month of October. Plus, we hardly have any Halloween decorations, so I thought this would help make up for the lack of spirit. Brynn and I headed out to JoAnn Fabrics for some supplies. I downloaded a pumpkin template from the internet and increased the size to fit on one sheet of computer paper, then cut it out. I then traced this template onto a piece of orange construction paper and added a bit of green for the stem.

After doing that, I began to peel the plastic coating off of the self-adhesive magnetic sheet - what a bear. I must have gotten the wrong type of magnetic sheeting. It was nearly impossible to get the darn stuff off. I bought two sheets, but will be taking the other one back for sure. Brynn's old toddler group used to make magnets all the time, so there must be a product that is easier to use.

After I had removed enough of the plastic, I placed the pumpkin onto the magnetic sheet and cut around it, creating a large pumpkin magnet. I then used the scraps of magnetic sheet to put together a variety of shapes for the girls to use to create Jack O'Lantern faces. I am pleased with the way that it turned out and all of us have had fun switching up the faces throughout the day. I don't think Brynn fully understands the concept, because she prefers to use every shape each time, stating that her pumpkin has "hair, cheeks, chest and eyebrows." Nevertheless, it was a success!

Lil' Pumpkins

2011-09-24T20:17:00.000-07:00

Wow, fall is here already! Although, today was easily in the upper 70's; which is an uncommonly warm day for late September. This year I decided to make a set of matching pumpkin hats that the girls will be able to wear from now through Thanksgiving. I hope that I can convince Brynn to wear hers as she hunts for her own pumpkin in the patch (I'll be crossing my fingers until then). I love the way that the hats turned out.

The pattern was pretty easy to follow. The way that I got the ribbing was to use a fpdc stitch. I wanted the fit of the hats to be snug, but not to pull on the stitches. In other words, I didn't want a holey look to the hats. So, for the larger one I increased for the crown until there were 5 stitches between each fpdc and 4 between for the smaller hat. Brynn is 3.5 years old and Parker is 9 months; both hats fit great! I had never created a curly tendril prior to these hats, what a neat technique and very simple: chain 20-40, then repeat (2sc, 3sc) to the end of the chain. These are definitely great caps that work up very quickly. I think the pattern would make a cute tulip cap with brighter colors for the spring, so I may modify the stem a bit to try it later on.

Birthday Fish Hat

2011-09-18T12:04:00.000-07:00

I saw this hat pattern and knew that it was the perfect gift for our buddy Cole. Cole turned four this past Saturday and I finished the morning of his party. It was a fun project to do, even though I am not a fan of having to do so many finishing touches. It was a hit at the party.

Unfortunately, I didn't get any photos of the birthday boy wearing the hat - it was a bit crazy with kids during the gift time. I did, however, get Brynn wearing the hat right before heading to the party.

Teething Shapes

2011-08-16T10:26:00.000-07:00

Parker recently discovered some old crocheted fish of Brynn's. She really went to town chewing on them, so I figure the texture of the yarn and stitches must feel good on her gums. With that in mind, I decided to make her some teething shapes out of cotton. I created two of each shape in different variegated yarn colors then connected them together with a single crochet stitch all around. This way the shapes stay rigid without rolling on the edges and give her some more bulk for chewing. I plan to try wetting the shapes and putting them in the freezer for an extra good chew. The other aspect that will be nice about these cotton teething shapes is that I can just throw them in the laundry with everything else, instead of having to hand clean them. Hopefully Parker will like them!

Princess B's Crown

2011-08-15T12:52:00.000-07:00

This was a quick, morning project. Brynn has really been into dressing up as a princess lately. She has been asking for a crown, so I whipped one out. I found the "Wee Crown" pattern by Deedeen through Ravelry.

Brynn chose the hot blue for her color and was tickled with the end product. It looks a bit more like a headband than a crown, but nevertheless she loves it. I knew that the cotton I used to make the crown would stretch so I adapted the pattern a bit. The pattern, crown peaks, are in a stitch count of 11, so rather than the recommended 110 stitches in the chain row, I did 88. It's a great fit for Brynn, who is 3.5 years old.

Sun Hats

2011-06-22T21:03:00.000-07:00

I bought this pattern from Busy Mom Designs on Etsy. It is a very simple shell-stitch pattern. I only had one skein of yarn in this lavender and it wasn't quite enough to give Parker's hat the floppy brim. It still works well to keep the sun out of her eyes. The shell stitch body is nice for warm summer days, the kids don't get too hot wearing the hats.

Brynn's Birds

2011-06-22T21:01:00.000-07:00

Here is the bird mobile that I finished for Brynn. She chose the paper and beads herself. She also went outside to find the stick.

Mobile

2011-06-21T20:53:00.000-07:00

Although this recent project is not one of crochet, I still wanted to share what I've done. I had intended to crochet Parker a fish mobile to hang above her crib prior to her birth. Well, she is now six months and until today she had no mobile. So, the girls and I went to the craft store to pick up some paper supplies to make this butterfly mobile for Parker. I found the idea on the Indie Fixx blog. I used two dowels but I didn't really know how to tie them together evenly, so it's a bit off kilter. I also used beading wire, so the lower beads do not weigh down the strands of butterflies as I had hoped. Nevertheless, I really like how it turned out.

Brynn picked out some paper so that I can also make a mobile for her room, but she'd like birds. So, we'll see what can do about that.

Another Gift For Baby Olive

2011-05-03T15:43:00.000-07:00

The thing about crocheting for a baby is that the projects are so quick and cute. I decided to make Baby Olive a hat to go along with her booties; figuring that she'd get more use out of a hat in the fall. I found this shell-stitch beanie for free online and thought it'd be a good hat for early fall. I made it in the 3-6 month size and it fits Parker perfectly now at almost 5 months. I like the pattern so much that I'm planning to make one for Parker. The best part of the whole thing is that I was able to crochet the hat while the girls napped, in less than 2 hours. I added the double flower for an easy embellishment. The center button is something I hadn't done before, but I really like the added touch it gives. It may be a new trademark for me, especially if I can find some cute, unique buttons. So, this pink one is for Baby Olive, and I'll make another one for Parker and add more photos of that later.

Booties for Baby Olive

2011-04-29T14:47:00.000-07:00

I have never crocheted a pair of booties before. I saw this free pattern for "Simple Baby Booties" and thought they were so cute. The pattern was written in a way that I had never crocheted before, so it took some reading and trial and error to get the soles just right. I also had difficulty following the portion of the pattern to create the toe, so I just ended up adapting it to my needs. The first bootie, the left one, is a bit larger than the second one but not enough to make me want to re-work it. Although this particular pair is being gifted to Baby Olive, upon her arrival, I am going to be working up a pair for Parker. I tried them on her feet and loved the way they looked. Parker manages to kick all socks and most moccasins off of her feet, but these little booties stayed on pretty well. I can hardly wait to meet Baby Olive and see her in these booties!

Brynn's Bunny Boo

2011-04-22T22:35:00.000-07:00

There's just something about Easter that makes me want to crochet amigurumi bunnies. This year I found a great, free pattern by Roxycraft: Bunny Boo

I was able to work up the pattern in less than two hours. The most difficult part for me is sewing on the ears and tail. I never know the proper way to do it, so hopefully they won't fall off in a couple of months. I am pretty happy with the end product. I used Lion Brand Organic Cotton, which was a medium weight, rather than bulky like the pattern called for. It is the perfect size for little hands to grab hold of.

This little Bunny Boo will be in Brynn's Easter basket on Sunday morning!

Something Just for Me

2010-11-10T22:08:00.000-08:00

It's been quite a while since I've sat down to crochet something for myself. I came across the Five Spice Hat pattern in the Interweave Crochet magazine. I loved the textured look of the slip stitch, so I decided to pick up some bulky weight yarn and work one up before the snow comes. The first hat that I made came out way too small, but was perfect for our little 18 month old neighbor. The second hat I made fits just right. I do wish it were a bit longer/deeper; as is, it only covers the very tips of my ears, so I may not be the most warm winter hat. Nevertheless, I am pleased with the way it turned out.

Halloween

2010-11-02T20:48:00.000-07:00

My 2.5 year old daughter wanted to be Baloo from The Jungle Book for Halloween this year. So, with the help of my mother-in-law, I made a costume for her. Luckily once the costume was finished, she was excited to try it on at home, because she sure did not want to wear it on Halloween night. Maybe next year will be a more positive experience with trick-or-treating.

Fall

2010-09-17T15:24:00.000-07:00

Back to school time and cloudy weather makes me want to get my crochet hook out to use up all the yarn I have in my stash. So, I started by making the standard newsboys and critter caps for one of the local shops. The first bunch sold within a week and they requested some more, so I've been busy working up those.

Brynn has recently tried her hand at crochet, in this photo she was creating a frog:

I have also recently finished a Halloween, candy corn hat for Brynn. This pattern can be found at Taraduff's Crochet and Other Stuff It turned out pretty cute, I just hope she'll actually wear it!

Organic Sweet Heart

2010-01-20T20:04:00.000-08:00

This is one of the latest listings on my Etsy site. www.hookedinthesound.etsy.com

Things have been slow lately and I haven't been in the mood to work up projects. My two local shops, Simple Cloth and The Chifferobe are still selling caps quite well for me. With spring coming, I am trying to whip up a couple of caps in brighter colors and will be focusing on the newsboy caps again, soon.

New E-Mail Address

2009-12-12T19:55:00.001-08:00

Hooked in the Sound has a new e-mail address. You can now contact us at - hookedinthesound@hotmail.com

Still More Embellishments

2009-10-05T17:52:00.000-07:00

I love the star embellishment that I added to this newsboy cap that I made for a friend. I think it will be one of my new favorites to do. I have also tried to convert a "hot" orange cap into a halloween cap, but still no interest in it. I guess maybe Brynn will have to wear it this season! I have been really busy with Etsy orders lately. It's exciting, but also a bit difficult to balance between grading school papers and planning for future lessons. I look forward to trying to make some other creations this fall and winter; maybe I'll step outside of hats. My sister was kind to give me some of her handspun and dyed yarns over this past weekend. In addition to that I took home a vintage-style pattern book with a couple of really cute bonnets that I want to try. I'll be sure to post them when I have a finished product.

Another New Embellishment

2009-09-20T20:56:00.000-07:00

I am picking up another local store to sell my hats in. It is called The Chifferobe. They will be selling my Critter Caps as well as embellished Silk/Bamboo Stocking Caps. To start, this store will be selling the items on consignment, which will allow us some time to determine whether or not the hats will be successful there. So, to add to the flower and star embellishments I tried a fig leaf. I used the same silk/bamboo to create the leaf, so it turned out really huge. The idea was that the hat could be unisex, but after creating it I fear it is still much too girly (mainly due to the size of the leaf). What do you guys think? It also was very time consuming to complete the leaf. I think I'll have to try another variety next time. In addition to that, I think I'll also try to find some thin, DK or feather weight yarn to create them with. I like the idea of a leaf, but am not too sure about this one in particular. Please give me some feedback as to what you think.

New Embellishments

2009-08-10T10:08:00.000-07:00

All along I have been embellishing my hats with flowers. I just recently completed a silk/bamboo stocking cap that I adorned with a star - very cute. I think it works for either a little boy or girl. I will be trying out a couple of other things this winter to dress up the plain-old stocking caps; things like: butterflies, veggies/fruit, and maybe monogrammed letters. Anyway I am pleased with the star and curious to hear what you think in regard to being for either boy or girl.

Okay, I didn't think so but . . . Brynn really looks like my sister did when she was this age - especially the bottom photo - Crazy!

Ear-Flap Caps

2009-07-28T20:59:00.000-07:00

If you'd rather not outfit your kid in the hilariously cute Critter Caps, a more tame version has been added to the product list at Hooked in the Sound: they are Ear-Flap Caps. The one pictured here is the first one. It is made from a soft, 100% cotton in brown and green. With all of the great fall yarn colors coming out, I hope to create a wide range of options. I will likely move away from cotton as the months cool down, but for now I am trying to use up what I have at home in my current stash. I am still busy creating caps for future shop orders and with the idea that the holiday bazaar season is just around the corner. Since the days have been so hot, I have been cooped up in the house in front of our air-conditioner and have thus been able to complete a few caps. Check out my new Etsy listings. I will be posting a new product every couple of days in hope that business will pick up with the back to school shopping.

Critter Cap with Flower

2009-07-08T11:45:00.001-07:00

This one will be hard to give up. I am listing it on Art Fire and if it doesn't sell there, I'll offer it to Compass Rose in the fall. Really, I'd like to keep it for Brynn; I really like the color combination. I think I may have enough yarn left to do another one in the same combination or at least the opposite with coral as the main color rather than blue. I used Lion Brand Cotton Ease and found that it is a nice blend for making the Critter Caps - it makes them a bit softer. I'll be trying out a few other materials before deciding which is the best.

As I mentioned earlier, I am posting items on ArtFire. My seller name is hookedinthesound. You can go directly to my site by typing in www.hookedinthesound.artfire.com This site is just like Etsy, only free to list on. I do not know if it is very popular yet, so I am only putting a few items on to see how it goes. I think the warm weather has slowed down sales of the newsboy caps at Simple Cloth. I have not heard from her for a while. This is giving me an opportunity to make a few more hats. I am working on a couple of stocking caps for the fall and will be adding a few to the online shops soon.

Sun-Hat Take 2

2009-06-22T20:15:00.000-07:00

I recently finished a sun-hat that was mainly white with one thick stripe of pink. This turned out better than the Left-Over Stripes hat that I attempted a couple of weeks ago. I still noticed a problem with the way that my colors matched up on the change from white to pink and then back to white. But to fix that problem I just stuck a flower on that part and . . . voila, it disappeared. This is a great solution for girly-type hats, but I am determined to figure out the best way to change colors so that the hats are at their best quality. (If any of you out there have a suggestion, I'd love to hear about it.) Brynn was being a bit of a stinker, so you cannot see the attached flower. I couldn't get a better photo before having to gift the hat to my friend who is expecting a baby in September. Now I need to adjust the pattern to make the smaller sizes.

On another note, Compass Rose and I have finally come to an agreement that is much less stressful for me. I finally admitted that I would not be able to fulfill the hat order with a bamboo product. After testing and trying a bunch of products, I just wasn't pleased with the quality of the caps. The bamboo was very heavy and looked sloppy when finished. So, I will be using cotton or a synthetic to make the caps a bit more cold-weather appropriate. I will focus solely on the critter-cap style and sell those exclusively through Compass Rose or my Etsy site. They want the first order in late August or early September. Simple Cloth still proves to be my best business. I've had a lot of fun making caps for that shop and hope to bring in a couple of other styles as the fall approaches. I'd like to get into monogramming some of the stocking caps, so I'll need to begin practicing my embroidery a bit more.

Leftover Stripes Sun-Hat

2009-06-06T09:40:00.000-07:00

I had some leftover yarn after making all of the newsboy caps and decided to try a striped sun-hat pattern that I have. I really like the style of the hat, but I do not care for the puckering that the slip-stitching creates when I change colors. I had this problem when trying to create stripes in the newsboy caps, too. So the next one I create will likely be a solid color or with fewer stripes. I did list this one for sale on Etsy if you are interested in purchasing it - www.hookedinthesound.etsy.com

My Own Domain

2009-05-26T18:25:00.000-07:00

As recommended by a friend of mine, I secured my own domain name for Hooked in the Sound. This means that if you simply type in www.hookedinthesound.com - my new webpage will pop up. I am still going to sell everything through Etsy for now and keep posting on Blogger. But I figured my information would be much easier to find if it was simply the name of my business. If any of you out there are considering doing the same, check out GoDaddy.com they have good rates.

In the mean time I am still trying to finish the order for Compass Rose, but I have had a couple of positive interferences: an Etsy order for a Critter Cap; another special order for Simple Cloth. So, business is pretty good for right now.

I hope to have some sunhats done before summer is over. It seems as though baby Emelia gets a lot of compliments on her hand-me-down hat that I made for Brynn last year, so I want to create some more.

Bamboo,Shamboo

2009-05-11T20:51:00.001-07:00

So, I've decided that nothing really compares to cotton when creating a newsboy cap. I've tried a couple of bamboo blends and they cannot stiffen up enough to make a substantial brim on the cap.

Even when I give the brim a firm tug forward, all it wants to do is lay flat on the forehead (see photo). I think the bamboo would be great for any other type of hat, but just not for the newsboy. I still have yet to hear back from Compass Rose in regard to my "road-block" but hopefully they will still be interested in my caps. For now, I am creating caps to post on Etsy and to give to friends. We will be heading up to Seattle to visit Marshall's brother Chandler and his fiance, Kyle. Kyle has a 4 year old neice and a 1 year old nephew. I am crocheting caps for both of those kids, maybe they'll help me get the Hooked in the Sound name out in that area.

Hitting A Road Block

2009-05-07T15:00:00.000-07:00

Well, I have solidified another local, Olympia gift shop to sell my hats in, but I am having a difficult time filling her order because of the color and fiber request. Our local yarn shop, Canvas Works, has some great bamboo blends but the prices are pretty steep and the colors are not quite right. I am considering asking my sister, Jen of Hanks in the Hood to teach me how to dye my own yarn. If I did that, the little hats would be made from a blend of Merino and Bamboo. There is part of me that would like to do this because I would just make my hats that much more unique, but another part of me wishes I could stick to good-ole cotton. I have recently posted some new hats on my Etsy site, check them out at www.hookedinthesound.etsy.com