Tah-Dah!

The Remorse Hat is finished.
I found buttons I liked and made pompoms.


The pompoms are removable. There's a loop at the top of the cord to button them to the top button and then the cord wraps around the other two buttons. The pompoms are easy to put on and take off.





Now for the hard part -- the letter to go with the hat.

Project II, I'm On a Roll

It may be the time of year. Last winter I got all crafty -- for two scarfs' worth, anyway. The first one I knit, the second I crocheted.

This year, I went at it again and produced the Möbius scarf for my cousin SuziTheFloozy (that's her e-mail handle, not a description of her proclivities.) I mailed it last week, but don't know if she's received it yet. Snail-mail earned its nickname.

Then I decided to make a Remorse Hat. I have/had a very dear friend with whom I have lost contact. Totally my fault. I moved and forgot to give her my new address.

I'm not the world's greatest letter writer and after a year or so of not writing, I was so embarrassed I didn't know what to say. I'm not going to tell you how long it's been now, but it's way past mere embarrassment.

So I decided to knit her a hat. Don't know why, just did. So I looked at 50 bazillion hat patterns on-line and in library books until I found one I liked, I thought she would like and looked easy enough for a neophyte knitter to accomplish. I got the yarn and decided on alternate trim -- the little sunflowers are cute, but I wanted something a bit more sophisticated.

Then I realized I had no earthly idea of how to knit in the round. Oops.

Ah well, what the hell, crochet is not constricted to two dimensions. I got out my trusty crochet hook and had at that yarn.

Ended up with one ridiculous looking hat.

All was not lost, however... Did you know that felting is just totally in style?

I went to the thrift store and bought a pair of white tennis shoes for $3, turned the old Maytag on as hot as it would go and let the shoes stomp that hat into submission.
The first form I tried to block the resulting sodden mess on didn't quite work. The hat is too deep and the pot handle made a notch in the bottom of it.

I made a tight roll of three old bath towels. Looks like they'll do the trick. The string is to attached the planned trim: two pompoms that will fasten to a gold button and be removable (depending upon whether she thinks pompoms are cute or dorky.)Now to work on a long and heartfelt letter to go with it.