Beanie Marathon

This year I have embarked on a “Beanie Marathon”. 

Home-made beanies have always been popular items so I am making beanies to raise money for my daughter’s school trip. Without fundraising, we won’t be able to send her.  I was going to make a batch to sell at the school market but so far, I’ve been pleased to have a steady stream of orders for custom beanies (one of which is pictured above). 

Shortly after I decided that a Beanie Marathon was in order, I discovered that Marcy Smith, Editor of Interweave Crochet had written about her own “Beanie Bonanza” on her blog: three articles about crocheted hats including lots of photographs which inspired my own fledgling fundraising efforts.  The perfect timing of her articles was a lovely coincidence –typical of my life of strange coincidences (so much so that I have been dubbed “Lady of Perpetual Coincidence” but that’s another story–thank you, Marcy, for sharing your creations.

The photographs demonstrated a variation on colours and styles; the most interesting for me were different interpretations of the same pattern.  I urge you to examine Marcy’s photo blog of her Beanie .  The three instalments are:

·         Beanie Bonanza: http://www.crochetme.com/blogs/inside_interweave_crochet/archive/2013/03/05/back-page-beanie-bonanza.aspx

·         Beanie Bonanza Part 2: http://www.crochetme.com/blogs/inside_interweave_crochet/archive/2013/03/12/back-page-spring-2013-beanie-bonanza-part-2.aspx

·         Beanie Bonanza Part 3: http://www.crochetme.com/blogs/inside_interweave_crochet/archive/2013/03/19/back-page-spring-2013-beanie-bonanza-part-3.aspx

I agree with Kylie’s comment on the previous Lupey Loops blog post (Hats Don’t Grow on Trees) that Crochet Me  is an excellent resource, including eBooks dedicated to crocheted hats:

·         “8 Free Crochet Hat Patterns”:  http://www.crochetme.com/Crochet-Hat-Patterns/?

·         “How to Crochet a Beanie: 5 Free Crochet BeaniePatterns”: http://www.crochetme.com/free-crochet-beanie-patterns/

Interweave Knit Magazine had a Special Issue in 2004 on Crochet which has an in-depth article on how to crochet hats.

Another useful resource for hat patterns, especially for crochet beginners, is Lion Brand’s website:

·          http://www.lionbrand.com/

Many yarn companies will have free patterns on their websites, and more can be found on Ravelry.

What are your favourite resources and inspirations for crocheted hats? What are your favourite styles and colours?