A Hat Making Workshop and Lots of New Hats

Hello, hello! I have so many hats to show you, but before I do I have some exciting news to share with you…..I will be teaching my first workshop, here in my little studio. I am also working on creating online workshops, but this will take some (a lot of) time. If you live nearby and would like to come spend some creating time with me then you can sign up right HERE. You will need to have very basic knitting skills for this one. If you live nearby and can’t join me, would you mind spreading the word? Thank you!!!

A blog or two ago I reached out to you and asked what you would like to learn. So many of you responded and I really appreciate that. I discovered that you all want to learn different things. In the end I figured I just had to make some sort of decision. Nothing is written in stone and your feedback on this new venture is still most welcome. Does a weekday not work for you? Happy to choose a Saturday instead? In the words of Annie Lenox…Talk to me.

I suppose I chose the above workshop because I’m still so in love with these hand knit and felted hats. I think my love for them will be as timeless as the hats. Here are a couple that I just finished. Click on the photo if you feel they belong on your head.

These berets are so warm and rugged and seem to flatter so many faces. This one is ready to ship.

Clare contacted me after my last blog and came to visit me in my studio. I love having visitors, especially at this time of year when I find I talk to myself just a wee bit too often. Look how beautiful Clare looks in her new beret! I don’t have this one in stock right now, but I can knit one up for you. (I have the yarn for one more of these.)

This cutie is fresh off the needles and felting mat and waiting for its head. This one is currently my most personally coveted hat. Despite contrary belief, I can’t claim all my creations for myself. Eating is still a priority in my life. But this one, or at least this style, is beckoning me. I love the vintage vibe and it’s just the right amount of wacky for my taste. It’s also perfect for the polar vortex we are entering right now.

This is Kendyl. I truly love all my customers, but Kendyl is one of those super hat junkies who I am extremely grateful for. Kendyl ordered this hat off my website and then sent me this photo. She felt the hat must have been made for her and I know she’s right. It’s a perfect match. This one is naturally dyed. I can make a similar one, but not exactly the same colour. Just ask and I’ll create a special listing for you.

So, I began this blog with a photo of this fedora and then went on chatting about other things as though it was chopped liver. I am, simply put, head over heels in love with this hat. On my trip to Maine over New Years, I went into my favourite fabric store, Fiddlehead Artisan Supplies. There I met this gorgeous floral cotton and linen canvas. I knew I had to take a yard home with me. At first I created a patchwork cloche using this fabric, but I soon realized that I was creating a hat that was too ridiculously hard to make. So, I designed this hat which is only mildly ridiculously hard to make. Turning the narrow front and back of a fedora on a sewing machine is not for the faint of heart hat maker. I just went back online and ordered more of this fabric plus two other prints from the same designer. I can’t wait to show you those versions. Oh, I almost forgot. I asked for help naming this hat on social media and a few people chimed in with, Flora. Flora Fedora. I had to stop right there. You all had wonderful ideas, but she can only have one name.

In order to design the canvas fedora I first blocked this shape in straw. My intention was to take the measurements for the shapes off of the straw hat, but I had no intention of actually finishing the straw hat. Well, the straw hat had its own opinion about that and insisted that it was a proper hat in its own right. Clearly, it was correct. I’m most proud of what you can’t see in this photo and that is the inner band. It’s made of linen and the top is ever so slightly elasticized. This makes for the most comfortable and soft fit against your forehead. I currently have 2 of these hats in stock. One is medium and one is large.

I have decided to bring back my hand dyed canvas caps. I designed them at the beginning of the pandemic and they were such a good seller. I took them out of production when I realized that I could not afford to sell them for the price they were selling for. I won’t talk about money for too long because it’s not that pretty. I love the little details in hat making…the top stitching, the flowers, the lining, the hand dyed fabric, the silk covered elastic on the back of the hat. These details are usually not there in other very cute caps. Designers have to find ways of minimizing details in order to keep the cost down. I don’t seem to have this skill. I took the road of keeping all the details and raising the price to reflect the work. It was either that or choosing to not make this cap. I have such a hard time with these choices. I know I’m supposed to be all cavalier about my prices, but the truth is I do care and wish I could make hats that were easier for more people to purchase. The thing is, I have gone the route of honouring the details and details take time.

I also just made this one from a small piece of canvas that I naturally dyed with Indigo. It’s a size medium, but I have enough fabric for one more.

No, I did not make this hat. It is one of my many vintage hats that I am (sort of) ready to part with. Last week I turned 55 and there’s something about reaching this point on my earthly journey where I am facing the fact that I can’t take it with me. Things would be different if I were an ancient Egyptian queen, but tombs don’t come cheap these days and I have to start parting with some of my treasures. There is a new section on my website called, Vintage hats. I have four up there right now, but I’ll be adding more as I get them photographed.

Last, but not least I want to share this little video of my latest completed sweater. The sweater design is called, Aileas and the designer is Isabel Kraemer. It’s a very fun and easy knit. It was the first sweater I ever made. Sadly, that one did not stand the test of time, so I finally reknit it in Briggs and Little Heritage Yarn.

Well, thank you, as always, for spending some time with me. Feel free to drop me a comment. They really warm my heart. See you again soon. Anna