I was quite busy over the holiday season working on custom pieces for people to give as gifts for Christmas. Which is good, as I love keeping busy! Mermaid and Shark blankets were definitely a hot ticket item this season (see my other blog post about them), but I was surprised to find out that character hats are also very popular right now!
Here are a few that I've put together in the last month. It's important to note that these were all hand crocheted by me based on pictures people sent me that they found online. Patterns probably exist out there for these, and I'm happy to credit them where I can. I did not use a pattern for any of these myself but I didn't 'invent' the hats at all, other people created them, made them and I just reproduced based on a picture! Where I've seen them online I've linked them below with the pictures of my work.
For people who have been asking me, most of these hats take ~4 hours to complete from scratch. That process takes into account figuring out the pattern (often ripping out a few iterations of pieces in the process!), crocheting the pieces, sewing them in place (often adjusting several times) and finishing - hiding loose ends, attaching buttons, etc. Sometimes I get lucky and they take less time because they're more familiar or straightforward to me. Once I've developed my pattern for them, making an additional copy of the hat usually takes ~2 hours.
Darth Vader Hat:
People seemed to love this hat, and I appropriately (but accidentally!) put pictures up on Facebook of these on the day Star Wars was released! I did find a source for a pattern that I can credit on Etsy (click here) by MyLittleChapina. Again, I created the hat based on this picture but I didn't actually use the pattern when I created the hat. I love how it turned out!
Optimus Prime Hat:
I've made a couple of these hats and there's another blog post about them talking about the cost of homemade items. I also got to see an adorable picture of a little boy wearing my hat while he slept after Christmas! I based my hat on the picture from the Etsy listing (click here) by LaineysBowtique.
Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too
These hats were super fun to make. The Winnie the Pooh hat was based on a picture (see here) that is watermarked by Ira Rott. Looking at her page, the item is no longer listed but the picture is still out there! The Tigger hat was based on a picture sent to me that I can't really find online but it was great to develop!
Ninjago Hat ("Jay"):
Now, I don't know anything about Ninjago... but this one was pretty straightforward to make, and cute! I couldn't find it exactly but I believe it was from this Etsy shop (click here) by MaryOriginals. I think this blue guy's name is Jay.
Minion Hat:
Now, I had made a minion hat before but hadn't made an adult one before! It was super cute but pretty huge for an adult head! Bless this customer, she got it for her husband (a GRANDPA!) who love wearing fun stuff like this. What a cool Grandpa! I did a search and found this pattern posted online for sale (click here), but again I didn't buy the pattern, I simply reproduced the hat based on the picture sent to me!
John Deere:
If you're from where I'm from (rural Canada), you'll understand the love of John Deere! This isn't so much a "character hat" but it's still a themed hat! The picture I based this on looks like it links to a shop (click here) by Lily-Rose Crochet Designs. I also did a matching girl's hat in the same colours but a more girly style! Fun!
I hope you enjoyed looking at these pictures as much as I loved making the hats! Hopefully in 2016 I will be able to start creating some of my own designs and post some patterns for you all!
