The elfin hat with its conical top is whimsical and playful. It may make you smile, conjuring up visions of ancient mythical creatures or Santa’s toy making helpers. Crocheted in a simple repeating pattern, this merino wool hat is trimmed with a feminine fan lace border.

Not for everyone, but certainly babies, toddlers, and kids look delightfully cute and photo worthy in their elfin hats. Tassels, pom poms, and tails often are embellishments. Get your pixie on!

The herringbone half double crochet stitch creates an interlocking V-shape or zigzag pattern in the featured beanie. The herringbone design dates back to the Roman Empire when road paver bricks were aligned to distribute load and compression. More recently, both herringbone and chevron were common geometric forms in the Art Deco movement. The difference is that herringbone patterns involve intersections at 90 degrees, while chevron patterns meet at different angles. The visual appeal of herringbone has made it a timeless choice for home decor elements, such as hardwood flooring, backsplash tiles, and textiles.

The beanies highlighted here are based on a crochet pattern by Sweet Everly B. The Chunky Cobblestone Beanies were made from a bulky wool that works up quickly with a large crochet hook and the result is a hat for cold days. Bluefaced Leicester wool was the yarn of choice for a lighter three-season option. I tried out different colour combinations, some with and others without a pompom.

If you missed the Point Grey Village Pop-Up Shop, here’s another chance to view and try on hats that I have been busy crocheting and sewing. ‘Tis the season to accessorize with a hat and keep warm at the same time.

The Dunbar Holiday Craft Fair is coming up on Saturday, November 26th, 2022 (10 AM-5 PM) at Dunbar Community Centre, 4747 Dunbar Street. It is one of Vancouver’s biggest and best festive craft fairs with over 140 local artisans, live entertainment, and food.

Orange might be declared the new black in the run-up to Halloween. I think orange is a great colour to accessorize a black outfit. An orange hat is especially fitting in the fall.

I was just on the search for stretch knit fabric to sew more beanies and headbands. I picked five colours and, at the last minute, added orange. All six fabric pieces are made of bamboo rayon, cotton, and spandex. Some are backed with fleece, others French Terry, and the orange one has the same smooth surface back and front.

To add to my headwear collection for upcoming fall markets, I sewed up a beanie and two headbands. The burnt orange says warmth and comfort. It’s definitely not the new black to me.

The second annual Point Grey Village Pop-Up Shop is taking place on Saturday, November 5th, 2022, 10AM-4PM, at The Brush & Wand Studio (4333 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver, BC). Please come check out the designs and work of local artisans and do some early holiday shopping.

Here is a sample of the vendors who will be participating.

The charmed cloche was the first crocheted hat that I made for craft market sales. I found the design by Maria Bittner on the Ravelry website, a comprehensive database of patterns and yarns for those who knit and crochet. Back in 2018, I made the charmed cloche in many colours of merino for women, children and babies. Some were cropped short to wear like a beanie. Others were more feminine and decorated with a flower.

I have been getting requests for the charmed cloche again. Eager to experiment and create new looks, I added striping and made flowers from a mix of yarns. In addition to merino wool, I chose a cotton/cashmere yarn for a lighter cloche.

Along the same theme, I made a simple beanie in double crochet using the cotton/cashmere blend. Yarn in a contrasting colour finishes the beanie and mimics a cuff.

I was inspired by the colours of the fall harvest for my latest hat creations. The wide-waled cotton corduroy that I sourced reminds me of kale, aubergine, and sweet potato. Six velvet-like ridges, or parallel “cords”, per inch and a final wash in the manufacturing process give this corduroy a vintage look and feel. A cotton plaid serves as lining fabric for the bucket hats shown.

Now imagine cranberries, Brussels sprouts, and Hubbard squash. The “Vee Beanie” is crocheted with a single-ply merino, alpaca, and silk blend. The pattern features a no-space double crochet V stitch. The end result is soft and feminine with button detailing.

On September 22nd, 2022 at 6:03 pm, the autumn equinox will usher in the beginning of fall in the northern hemisphere. We can look forward to the bounty of harvests, vibrant leaf colours, shorter days, and crisp air.

How will you welcome fall? If you like to get outside in nature, stay cozy and warm with knitwear—a sweater, a scarf, a hat. Here are some hats I crocheted for the coming cooler days. I chose richer colours and warmer fibres. I also gravitated towards variegated and tweedy yarn.

With more than 70 vendors, the Fibrations Festival extended from the lawn outside Fernwood Community Centre to its gymnasium. “Hats by Tracy J” was indoors, alongside a dozen fibre artists. We had a steady flow of shoppers, especially in the morning.

Many shoppers were strategic. They would begin with a preliminary circle of the entire venue to get a sense of what was offered. Then they would loop back to the tables that interested them.

Each of the vendors donated something of their making for a raffle. These donated prizes were displayed under a big tent. They showed the wide variety of fibre artistry at the festival, including the hand-dyed, spun, woven, silk-screened, sewn, knitted and crocheted.

I enjoyed meeting and talking with like-minded people. Both vendors and customers shared an appreciation of fine quality raw materials and unique handcrafted goods.

Hats by Tracy J will be participating at the 2022 Fibrations Festival in Victoria, British Columbia on Sunday, August 21st, 10 am to 5 pm. Please come by Table #4 in the gymnasium at Fernwood Community Centre to say hello and try on a hat or two!

This annual free event will be held both outdoors on the Stephenson Park field and inside the gymnasium. There will be over 70 vendors: makers and crafters in weaving, dyeing, felting, knitting, stitching, basketry, and other fibre arts.

For more information on Fibrations Festival, check out: https://www.kbnfibres.ca