One Brown Mom: October 2016

Crafting - Easy DIY Witch Hat

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Fab Witches Hat!

Halloween is the super bowl of the crafting world. EVERY crafters phone is ringing off the hook with crafty requests. When I girl friend needed a white witches hat to complete her daughter's costume I was happy to help. This hat is made from about 1/3 yard of scrap felt that I had in my sewing room. I made the hat. My friend and her daughter added the embellishments.

This blog will teach you how to make a basic hat.

Basic Witches Hat

For this craft you will need:

Glue Gun

Glue Sticks

1/3 yard of felt

Marker

Lay the felt flat and fold over one corner to make a point.

Lay felt flat

Fold over 1 corner to create a point

Fold down one corner

Cut hat with a rounded bottom

Cut rounded edge

Glue the long edge of the hat

Hot glue the cone

This hat needed to fit a 20" head. I measured the hat to make sure that it was at least 20" around.

Measure the hat to hit the head

Pin the hat to mark the 20" point

Mark with a pin

The Pin marks the desired width of the hat. Lay the hat flat and cut 1 1/2" below the pin.

Lay the hat flat to trim

Trim 1 1/2" below the pin

Trim 1 1/2" below pin

To create the brim, stand the hat in the middle of a square of fabric. Make sure that brim is as wide as you'd like it to be.

Measure for the brim

Remove the cone shaped hat and hold the felt to create the brim.

Ready to make a brim

Fold the felt in half.

Fold felt in half

Fold in half again

Create a square

Fold once more to create a triangle.

Fold to create a triangle

Cut the circle into a square.

Trim the square

Once you have a circle, cut a second identical circle.

Cut a second circle.

Having 2 layers of felt for the brim gives this hat a nice shape and makes it less floppy. Pin the 1 circles together.

Center the cone hat on the brim

Using a marker, trace around the hat.

Trace around the cone

Remove the cone

Cut a slit in the middle of the brim circle

Cut a slit

Cut an X in the middle of the circle.

Fold back the edges of the circle

Remove the center of the circle

Snip the center pieces from the circle

There will be 4 sections at the center of the felt.

4 sections

Cut each section in half.

Cut each section in 1/2 again

Cut clips into the cone of the hat BELOW the pin mark.

Cut slits BELOW pin

Turn the hat brim upside down onto the cone of the hat

Place Brim over cone, maker side down.

Marker dots should be face down.

Marker Side Down

Fit brim onto cone.

Fit brim onto cone

Once everything is lays flat, begin hot gluing the brim to the hat.

Fold down each section and glue

Glue each section of the brim to the cone.

Glue both layers

Be sure to glue both layers of the brim.

Glue the cone to the brim

Turn the hat upside down and glue the cone flaps to the brim

Glue the cone to the brim

Glue the 2 layers of brim together

Glue the brim together

The more glue you use, the stiffer the brim will be

Glue layers together

That's it!

Simple hat - All Done!

Try it on for size!

Moe lovely hat model

Embellish the hat as desired!

White Witch costume!

Happy Halloween

PRO TIP:

Depending on the kind of felt you use to make this hat the top may flop over. If that happens stuff the cone of the hat with a bit of tissue paper or cotton batting. This will allow the hat to stand tall without adding too much weight!

For more CRAFTY IDEAS click HERE!

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, by Kathy W. - One Brown Mom

Crafts - Knitting for Beginners

Loom knitting 101

There are women in my family who are amazing craftswoman and can knit anything. I am NOT one of those women. I can, however, knit a basic hat in the time it takes to watch a movie on Netflix. Maybe this post should be called "Netflix and knit" but I digress.

My adventures in knitting started when I found a wooden circle loom on sale at Goodwill. In the past year I've knitted maybe 8 hats so the loom has paid for itself!

For this project you will need:
Circle Loom
Loom knitting hook
Needle
All of these items should come with the loom. It they didn't they're available separately at any craft store or Walmart/Target type store.

NOTE: These items are sometimes found in the craft section and sometimes found in the TOY section. Yes this is a children's project which means it's pretty doggone simple - don't judge me!

Everything you need should come in the box!

You'll also need 1 skein of yarn. #6 weight.

Super Bulky #6 yard

I've learned the hard way that getting the correct weight yarn is important. Otherwise your hat won't be warm! OR the thread will be to fat to work on your loom.

My loom!

I learned to knit using the Internet and you tube videos. My technique is not perfect but my hats still keep your head warm! I chose grey yarn with a bit of sparkle. This one skein of yarn made 1 hat.

My yarn

CASTING ON:
Now on to the knitting! Find the peg that is on the side of the loom (the anchor peg). Wrap the yarn around that peg 3-4 times. This will anchor your thread.

wrap thread around the anchor thread

Now proceed to the first peg on the top of the loom.

Wrap the thread around the first peg

Loosely wrap the thread around the first peg 3 times.

wrap 3 times

Using your hook pull the middle thread over the top thread and all the way off the peg. Proceed to the next peg. Wrap the yarn around the second peg 2 times. Pull the bottom thread over the top thread and off the peg.

wrap the second peg 2 times

Now move to the 3rd peg. Wrap the thread 2 times. Pull the bottom thread over the top thread and off the peg.

This process is called "casting on". Continue casting on until you've gone all the way around the loom.

HIGHLIGHT:

Remember to cast on, wrap each peg 2 times. pull the bottom thread over the top thread.

first row cast on

When you get back to the first peg, wrap the yarn around the peg 1 time. Pull the bottom thread over the top thread and off the peg.

wrap the first thread 1 time

KNITTING:
Continuing knitting around the circle by wrapping each peg with 1 loop of yarn. Then pull the bottom loop over the top loop and off the peg. For a little while it feels like nothing is happening, but before you know it, Kevin Spacey has killed a dog (sorry - house of cards reference) and you've got something that looks like knitting!

Knitting is underway!

Now, just keep going!

Progress

How quickly you progress depends on how soon you find a rhythm. It's just the same step over and over again until your knitting looks hat like.

Keep knitting!!

The bottom edge of your hat will begin to curl onto itself just a bit. Don't panic, just keep knitting!

Bottom edge curl

You'll keep knitting and soon you'll have a lot to show for your effort!

More progress.

After a while you'll wonder if you've knit enough to have a real hat. There are all kinds of fancy measuring techniques to figure this out. I simply try it on!

Have I knit enough yet?

I wanted a hat that came down over my ears with room left in the top of the hat. Not done yet! Keep knitting until your hat looks and fits right for your needs!