Hats off to Henry Edition

Hey Everyone!

I hope you all had a great weekend!  We sure did.  We took the kids to the cottage for the first time this season (Alice's first time ever!).  It was great fun.  Different taking such a little baby with us, the first time Henry went he was at least 7 months old (I can't remember when our first trip was that year).  Not being able to move around didn't bother Alice in the slightest:

 Just having a little nap in the sunroom aka: nap time room (because pretty much anyone who lays down in here falls asleep).

Just chillin on her minky dot blankie.

But today, we aren't here for Alice are we?  That title suggests there's a hat for the big man this week.

There he is!  And looking so much healthier (we went through an epic ear infection this past month, but it seems we're finally on the mend).  

I actually made this hat!  I'm pretty proud of myself, since, as discussed last week, my sewing skills are just slightly above rudimentary.  But I found a great pattern, the Olive and S Reversible Bucket hat.  It seemed a little more complicated than the Peekaboo Bonnet but not too bad.  Also the pattern was free which is nice.  I got the fabric at Fabricland on sale for $2 per fat quarter (which is a quarter of a yard of material, but cut so it's the wide or "fat" piece rather than a skinny little quarter yard cut lengthwise).  Anyway.  After a few minor errors, I have produced a wearable, if somewhat less than perfect, bucket hat!  

Henry seems to like it, he yells "nice hat!" "nice hat!" at everyone when it's time to go outside.  That's more than enough for me.

I do plan on trying this pattern again, maybe work on some straighter top stitching, but overall I'm pleased.

 He's totally a ham and poses for the camera:

 Do I detect a little Blue Steel?

I love the skulls.  Please ignore that crooked stitiching.

Oh yea, was it father's day or something this weekend?  Of course it was!  Here's Daddy with his little chicklets.

You'll notice Henry is a lot more interested in "Adiss" than he is having his picture taken again.  Oh so sweet.

Happy belated Father's day to all the Dad's out there!  Ciao!

Now for something completely different....

I'm pretty sure I'm recycling entry titles here, but Monty Python is just so good.  In fact, let's just get this day started right for you:

Moving right along, I legitimately have something completely different this week.  Different for me anyway.  The weather has been so beautiful here lately (finally) but I find when I take Alice outside, the sun is always in her eyes.  I have a bucket hat for her that is super cute, but it's still a bit big and it slides down over her eyes, making her look like an old cowboy sleeping when she naps during stroller rides.


The Peekaboo Bonnet by Made by Rae.  My best friend posted a picture of her daughter in an adorable bonnet made by CeeGee Couture in Ottawa.  I was going to just buy one, instead I made one for myself and will just send you all over there if you want to buy one.  I needed a project and I knew I had some co-ordinating fabric laying around, so it was just a matter of getting piping and bias tape and bob's your uncle.  Well, that and acquiring a printer cable, but that's a fiasco to tell you about another time.

Blurry Photobomb!  Little stinker.  What a tease, we can't see the bonnet!

That's a bit more like it!  Making this bonnet I picked up multiple new sewing skills.  Let's look at what I had never done before:

- Piping
- Interfacing (although iron on interfacing is hardly rocket science)
- Bias Tape (I have used bias tape, but apparently never correctly)
- Gathers
- Sewing through like, 5 layers of fabric

All things considered, I could not be happier with the result.  The pattern was easy to follow, quick to make, and super cute when finished.

Here's a few more:

Again with the photobomb little man, just on the side there.

She was a little disgruntled when I was taking her picture, note the thumb in mouth.

Yummy thumb!

No face in this shot, but you can see the reverse side with the piping around the band.

Sweet girl.

 
Here you can see the two sides.  I think it turned out pretty good, in fact I'll probably make another one just for fun.  Luckily the pattern was pretty forgiving so my mistakes are hardly noticeable at all (in fact, unless I point them out, on first glance they're non-existent).  The biggest challenge was probably the piping, since I've never used it before and there are so many layers.

Now we are ready for the sunshine!

Sweet as can be

Happy Friday!

It looks like Summer may just make an appearance after all!  We've had a busy week.  Henry started nursery school, we went to the Zoo and Henry had his first soccer practice!  Somehow I managed to fit a new creation in there.

It took me a good 4 attempts to get the look right for this without a pattern.  But we got there.  The key piece in this hat (for anyone who is curious) is front and back post crochet.  The frosting is built on back loop crochets and the ribbing for the brim/cupcake cup uses alternating fphdc and bphdc (front post and back post half double crochet, just fyi).  I strung plastic pony beads onto my yarn before I started so they would be random and also to save myself stitching them on by hand at the end.  I am pretty happy with the result.

 Thanks Granny for the outfit with ice cream cones on it that goes so well with the hat!

Is this a cherry?

I told him no smiling

 He loves his little sister, it's just so adorable.

 Nicehug.

 And again, no smiling!

 My strong little girl!

 She was in the mood for pictures apparently, holding her head up and looking at me:

 I can't get over her, she's such a cutie pie.

 Hat off, so you can see her lustrous hair lol.

And just for comparison, here is Henry!  Her face here reminded me of this particular photoshoot. I took that picture of Henry when he was already 4 months old.  Alice is less than 3 months.  Probably they both weigh the same in these pictures.  Just look at those cheeks!

Funny how similar and yet different they are, my little beauties.

That's all for now!