Hats, more Hats, and a Sewing Project

 Happy Fall! What is in my opinion, the most wonderful time of the year! Not too hot, not too cold, perfect for enjoying nature walks with the dog and watching the leaves change color in the most beautiful way. Apple cider, pumpkin spice, cozy sweaters, and the perfect time to dive into more projects!

This fall I have been on a run of making hats. First I decided to jump in and try the Musselburgh hat by Ysolda Teague using bright purple wool in dk given to me by my niece a couple years ago and another dk wool called Plum Cake by a local dyer Random Acts of Yarn. Gorgeous yellow speckled with a dark plum color that allowed me to pair it with the bright purple that I'd had a hard time finding something complementary to go with. I'm quite pleased with how it worked out. Despite a few mistakes on my part with the knitting of the increases and decreases, this pattern was fairly simple and well written, and such a popular pattern that I'm sure you can find plenty of reviews elsewhere more in depth. Or, just jump in and give it a try like I did!

Next I needed to make a beret. NekoCon is coming up and a group of us are going as characters from the anime Delicious in Dungeon, a cozy and adventurous cooking show. I'm going as Falin Touden, a cleric who needs saving from a red dragon... and also wears an adorable blue beret. I found a free pattern online by Purl Soho called Classic Knit Beret and used Kelbourne Woolens Perennial yarn in the color Ultramarine to match the character's blue jacket.

A jacket which I also sewed from scratch with the help of my husband! And the tunic! And the undershirt! I found parts of this process extremely difficult and the pattern I used was vague on instruction and missing some altogether, so I won't post it here. We got the job done together and I hope to never have to make this one again! Haha! I'm sure if I was a more competent sewist that I would have found it easier to accomplish, but alas... I am not. I'll post pictures of the costume at some point, but right now, I'm just too tired to do it justice.

Now back to hats! Or a bandana technically. I had such a lovely time crocheting this one up and it only took me about two or three hours total and one mini skein of the most beautiful blue-green wool and nylon blend. This is going to be a shop sample at my work, though I have used this pattern many times before for myself! The pattern is called Autumn Breeze Bandana by HayHay Crochet and it is just so nice to crochet and watch as the granny square-like bandana grows row by row. I used a mini skein by Robin's Promise Yarn Co. in Songbird.

I've been less than a day now without a project and my hands are itching to get started on something new! At the moment I'm interested in what sorts of projects you like to make as gifts. Drop any suggestions in the comments for me, please!

Have a lovely day!

Your Crafting Buddy,

Savvy