The beige and black hat is going to be a wide brimmed sun hat once I get the millinery wire attached to the edge. I’m going to Jamaica in less than two weeks (!) and of course decided I needed a smashing sun hat that was easily packable. The various grey pieces are going to be a tilt style hat from my first real vintage pattern.

It’s the “Pom Pom Tilt Topper” pattern from the Etsy seller PamoolahVintage who has some really great vintage knitting and crochet digital patterns.

Some untrimmed buckram blocked on the makeshift hat block I posted about earlier and a wool felt cocktail hat that’s just awaiting embellishments. The wool hat I blocked on another thrifted hat block substitute find, wooden bowl for $0.29.

Really this is a quick knit, once I decided to just frog it and completely start over. As I mentioned before, stitch markers are really key for this one. If you’re not stubborn like me, and determined to knit the bulky version, the reworked Liesl is a more elegant option, pattern design wise. But this one’s free so I’m not complaining, just forewarning.

Knit in the ever budget-friendly Caron Simply Soft Quick, I really liked the yarn for this. It has a nice silky feel and fuzzy loft to it that’s quite pretty for the price. I used 3 skeins in Autumn Red on US size 11 needles. It’s finished with a little black velvet ribbon.

Another little hobby of mine is thrifting. It’s something I’ve been doing for years; I even worked in a thrift store in High School/College. But this might just be one of my best finds to date, and I had to share.

A vintage (late 50′s/early 60′s) woven wool Lilli Ann designer swing coat! I got it for a song at a half price day at my local thrift store and it’s sooo gorgeous, the fabric, the details, all of it. <3 After a little more online research I was stoked to find the brand is a bit of a collectors item (with good reason) and going for 10x what I paid, win!

After over two three years(!) as a languishing Work In Progress, I finally picked back up this Cloud Bolero. The pattern is no longer available (except via the Internet Wayback Machine) and has been rewritten as Liesl. And while this updated pattern really is far better in layout and ease of construction I just liked the look of the bulkier original better (and the raglan decreases). So I plowed on past the somewhat confusing amount of stitch markers, beyond the point where I had originally given up on it after repeated mistakes. I actually have this one completed now and just need to get finished photos, it was worth sticking with it.

This is just a quick TV-knitting, stash-busting project. Will be a Felted Flower Bowl that I’ve made in a smaller size to be a jewelry holder on my vanity desk. I only hate running a whole laundry load for one little thing to felt (being too lazy to do it by hand). I may have to make another hat to felt with it. See I totally justify my felt hat addiction.

And some tatting! It was kismet finding this cute pattern for Little Owl Earrings for an owl obsessed friend right before her birthday. Made using my tea-stained crochet cotton thread on a size 7 tatting needle.

And a picture of Mr. Floppy Ear, Aejaz – just because.

Have a Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! Perhaps knit up one of my Heart Rings. :-D

As my hat and millinery obsession continues I’ve been studying professional hat making techniques. Unfortunately the main tool of a professional milliner is a wooden hat block and these typically run at least $100 and up. So in the DIY spirit I started looking around my house and thrift stores for ordinary items that would create interesting hat shapes. And what did I block the buckram fabric frame on for this cocktail hat?

The glass piece in the above photo – it’s actually the lid to a large glass candle! The black plastic plate/candle holder is a recent thrifting score. A perfect brim block for $1! (as opposed to $95 like these near identical ones)

Here is the form blocking, held in place by a rubber band at the base. I used buckram fabric which is coated in a starch that when wet makes it malleable and then hardens again once dry. This isn’t true millinery grade buckram but just some I found a local fabric store. For my homemade attempts it suited me just fine.

Once the buckram was dry I lifted it off the block and trimmed away the excess. I also attached wire to the base using a blanket stitch (forgot to get a photo, oops). Next I covered it in my chosen fabric (post-Halloween clearance stretch fabric, love this stuff) and pinned it in place. Using small stitches I then sewed it to the base.

Once the fabric was sewn down I cut away the excess and then just traced a circle onto some black felt for the lining. And again because this is just for me, not something I’m selling professionally I cheated a little and just fabric glued this to the inside. For the hair attachment I sewed in this hair clip, a little comb would work nicely too but I was out. An elastic headband works as well.

Sine the fabric is busier I kept the embellishments simple. A little mesh netting strip gathered into a flower/pouf and few stripped and beaded hackle feathers.

Additinal Reading:
From the Neck Up: An Illustraed Guide to Hatmaking
Hats! Make Classic Hats and Headpieces in Fabric, Felt, and Straw
www.how2hats.com

Also, in other news my 1940s style title hat is a Craftster Best of 2011 Winner! Follow the badge link to check out all the winners, great stuff this year!

I realized I had started these back in July when visiting family for the 4th. Speedy knitter I am not. These were so worth it though! I love the finished pieces and found the pattern enjoyable to work as well. The lace patterns are easy to memorize but still interesting. The shaping in pattern is also very clever (Keep notes of how many repeats you end up doing to match for the second sock. The transition is so seamless it’s really difficult to find, found out the hard way).

(Oops, bow came untied in this shot. That’ll teach me to not double knot.)

I did use rljulie on Ravelry’s very nice mod for a third lace version, Extra Wide Gathered Lace. My lace just didn’t seem that “stretchy” even though I don’t think I have that great of calf muscles.

My other mods I detailed here. They included working extra repeats (final numbers after heel: 10 of narrow, 8 of wide, and 6 of extra wide), working the bottom of the foot in Stockinette Stitch instead of lace, and working on US Size 3 needles to get row gauge.

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Combined with a converted serving tray, hair and makeup and I had my Vintage Cigarette Girl costume!

The vinyl pillbox hat is one I made and posted about before. The top and hemmed skirt are thrifted pieces. The fishnets were purchased new as they are actually seamed stockings and I had been coveting them.

I attached a thrifted trimming piece from my stash to the tray with double sided tape and added a ribbon strap. About a month back I sent out a request to friends to start collecting empty cigarette boxes and I filled these with candy in addition to purchasing some “Candy cigarettes” which had cool retro boxes. I Mod Podged a little “tip jar” over a tissue box and filled a few metal cups with other assorted candies.

Of course I decided a couple weeks before Halloween that I really needed some vintage style gloves, because apparently I’m a crazy person and just can’t stick with simplicity. Eunny Jang’s “Ladylike Gloves” from Interweave Knits was just the pattern I needed. I had some Classic Elite Yarns Silky Alpaca Lace in my stash that worked perfect too.

My only mods were to work 5 rows of garter stitch instead of the applied I-cord edging as well as adding black seed beads to the backwards loop cast-on. I added them every other CO stitch, but wish I had done every stitch to make it a little more noticeable. These were down to the wire to finish, wove in the ends around 11pm the night before our costume party, ha. Total cost, around $10 (for stockings and candy cigarettes).

When a friend of mine decided she wanted to be Cleopatra I excitedly offered to help make the costume for her too. This was a fun one to create! We got a bed sheet from the thrift store that I cut up to make the dress, adding a graphic border in blue fabric paint pen. The blue veil and brown scarf for around the hips I had on hand. Then I got a gold fabric dress while thrifting to cut the collar out of, adding iron on interfacing to give it structure. The dress even had ties that I cut up into arm bands. Had fun decorating these with gold puff paint and gluing on craft jewels. She bought a headress, spray painted some flip flops gold and that was the finished costume!