A BEE IN MY BONNET

Emmy

I saw Christmas photos of granddaughter Emmy wearing a crocheted “Elsa” hat/wig, a gift from her Uncle Murray. That was my inspiration – all it took for me to be off on one of my tangents. It was “a bee in my bonnet.” I “took a notion,” as my mother would have said.

“There must be patterns to make these ‘Frozen’ hat/wigs for 18-inch dolls,” I said to myself. Online research from my armchair proved there are! And once I saw Elsa’s hat I had to have Anna’s as well. (Emmy has two American Girl dolls.) I chose to purchase both hat patterns from Etsy seller, The Cozy Buckeye. Naturally, I downloaded them instantaneously, which is affirming in itself.

Then I dithered around for a while trying to find the right yarn colors. I’ll summarize the 45 minutes of agonizing over yarn at Jo-Ann’s by saying that it was picked over. I couldn’t find the colors I needed in any line of 4-ply yarn.

“But,” I hear you saying, “you have a stash of yarn.” Yes, I do, but much of it is stored on the farm and inaccessible for a while. It just wouldn’t do to put this project off. NOW is the time -- while Emmy’s hat is still new and while it’s winter.

I do have some yarn stored here and there at the town house. Sometimes it’s easier to buy new than search it out – that’s the way one grows one’s stash -- but as I stood there at Jo-Ann’s, I had to admit to myself that I really didn’t need much yarn to make these hats – just a variety of colors. I decided that I would have to use ingenuity (oh no!) to adjust colors and yarn weights, which probably wouldn’t matter for this project. I could do it even if I had to take something apart, I decided.

Elsa & Anna hats

Back at the house, I began a second search through my yarn with an open mind. I haven’t seen Frozen, but Emmy is eminently familiar with the characters Elsa and Anna, so first I had to research them to see what kind of leeway I might have. A dark turquoise became the body of Elsa’s hat and I preferred yellow rather than white for her braid. For Anna, I unraveled a scrap afghan I started years ago for a shade of rosy pink, and since I had no black on hand, I substituted a color called “claret.” For her braids, I used “brick” in a lighter, softer yarn, which works well for this project anyway.

I made both hats quickly and really enjoyed doing it, so I’m starting 2015 with finish. A simple project finished quickly is inspiration in itself. 

Mrs. Claus' 2015 sewing room is indeed open for business. Last night the neighbors stopped by with a Christmas gift they had crafted for us – this “W” which suggests Santa’s pants. It’s just the decorative element Mrs. Claus needed. First up: reorganize the room. KW