lil red

my jerry's middle daughter moved to portland, oregon about a month ago. prior to that, she and her husband had stayed with us for a week, so we did get a chance to visit some. one of the things we did was make hats.

i'd been crocheting a few hats for them, prior to their visit. some were very funky, some had earflaps, some had bills, some were extremely warm, and some were more conventional. while they were here, they'd asked if i would teach them how to make one in particular called a Jeep Cap {it goes by various names, but it generally is close fitting with a short visor/bill}. neither knew how to crochet, but both are creative and since the cap was comprised of rather basic stitches mixed with mathematical principles applied, well, i was fairly certain this was doable.

and it probably would have been, had we not decided two days before their departure to attempt this. his daughter actually caught on very quickly but her husband encountered a few difficulties right off, which is understandable...what with all the stuff there is that is unfamiliar to a newbie {things like yarn tension, how to hold it, how to hold the hook, how to make the beginning half hitch, the steps to a chain, a slip stitch, and then single crochet, working in the round, increasing, and so on}. so i did some thinking and decided to show them how to use the knifty knitter's round looms.

they're simple to learn the basics on, easy to use. and after you become comfortable with them, you can create all sorts of interesting wraps, stitches, textures, techniques, and from all that, the possibilities are endless. or seemingly so. you can find a set of four round looms at walmart for about twelve bucks, and need no prior knowledge of any special skills. they're portable, and make the ideal craft to do while your traveling for a couple thousand miles.

so, they each made their own funky hats. he chose a style with a brim, more snug than hers. she chose to go with a roll up brim, and made hers longer so it was a bit more floppy. the cool thing is that it is entirely up to you, be as creative as you want, and wear your own thing.

after they got somewhat settled in oregon, i sent a box with three hats in there. each was unique in style, tho all were of the same yarn. one was a simple roll up rim, with some added length but not too much. another was actually three layers of brims, harder to explain, sorta like the taller hats that you might picture as russian. and the other was an oversized news boy cap, that sorta looks like an old fashioned hunting cap. they were meant more for warmth than the other ones i'd made. i'd sent them for the entire household, to pick and choose.

then my jerry's daughter let me know that they were much appreciated by the household, including the roomies. she'd asked if i might be able to make a lil red riding hood type cape for their lil girl, who just turned five. sure i can! i haven't before and there are not easily obtained patterns that fit the bill, but! i decided to give it a whirl and i've made some real progress on it.

now i need to make a few adjustments, so that might mean ripping out a row or two, as i think i can make it a bit better. it's a trick to try making things for kids, esp if you don't have them right with you to try it on as you go. kids have different proportions than adults do, and each child seems to grow at different rates, at different times. this lil girl is big for her age, but i don't want to make it too large, cuz i don't want it to swamp her in folds.

so i'll take pix, when it is finished and maybe i can get my best lil friend to model it. she's five too, tho she isn't quite as tall as the lil girl this is meant for, she is large for her age too. and if not, i'll just drape it on jerry and take a pic {wink}!

tho he'd be better suited to the big bad wolf role. snicker.