Crochet stories: Cute flower beany

My wife is pretty great at crocheting. She would likely shy away from that statement and say she is just a beginner or some other expression of humility. She doesn't enjoy the limelight very much. In fact, she found out about this little blog recently and, in addition to thinking it was sweet (hooray for good husband points!), she seemed a bit uncomfortable that I was making a big deal out of her projects. So, not only is my wife awesome, she isn't prideful about it. Great combination!

Back to crochet. I really can't remember the first thing she made with crochet, but she has made quite a few impressive items over the past 2 years.

When she told me that she wanted to start crocheting, I was supportive, of course. But, my initial impression of crochet was not very favorable. Picture fairly old ladies in rocking chairs making presents for grandchildren in colors that are not very aesthetically pleasing. You know, burnt orange blankets, the bad kind of multicolored scarfs, or socks that are too big to put your shoes over... that kind of stuff.

Then my wife made this hat:

I thought, Geez, I could see something like that sold in one of those trendy little kid clothing stores that seem to have become so popular recently. I'm not sure if the trendy little kid clothing stores are really a new phenomenon or if I'm just a dad now and have been... we'll say invited... into these stores by my well-intentioned and loving wife. "Yes, the little pink tutus for newborn babies are VERY cute, honey." Moving on...

Speaking of cute, here is my daughter in her hat:

I told you she was cute!

My initial thought about the hats marketability actually came to fruition a bit later. When we moved to Texas from Oklahoma, we first lived in a 2-bedroom apartment. On occasion I would go to the office and chat with the workers who do the billing and show the apartments. My daughter loved going because they had treats and movies to rent. During one of these visits, my daughter was wearing her hat. One of the workers took notice (how could you not?) and asked about it. Of course I bragged about how my wife made it and how she is amazing (kind of like I'm doing now). Turns out this worker had a daughter the same age as my own and wondered if my wife would make another hat for payment. I was very impressed. Wow, someone is actually willing to pay my wife for something she made! I talked to her about it and she agreed.

So, yeah, she doesn't exactly have a small business going. Not at all, actually. But, I think that was another instance that opened my eyes into the talent and incredible abilities that my wife possesses.

I asked my wife about this hat and she said it was a good beginner hat and is pretty easy. So, if you're flirting with the idea of crochet, or want to make a cute hat for yourself or a special little lady in your life, this might be a good one for you to try out.

The pattern for this hat can be found in the Bernat pattern book Accessory Crazy at this link. It is also available on Amazon at this link.