Crochet bakerboy hat

I’ve finally finished this crochet baker boy hat, almost a month later than planned! The pattern is on sale now in my Etsy and Ravelry shops (see link in my bio). I just checked and I’ve already had a sale – that must be a record!

The hat is super-easy to make, although I did have to invent a new sort of stitch to get the shaping right on the peak! To be fair, I may not have invented it, but it felt innovative – it involves starting an sc (dc in the UK) in one stitch, then starting a dc (tr in the UK) in another stitch and then finishing them both together. I’m calling it a scdc2tog (dctr2tog for UK crocheters). It sounds harder than it is!
I used Rowan Summer Tweed for my hat, which is a lovely lightweight aran yarn. I wanted something fairly cool for summer, which it is, but I’ve also been surprised at how well it’s kept me warm on cloudier days as well. Multitasking headwear at its best!
I hope you like it ❤️ Bx
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#bakerboyhat

 

 

Review & resolutions

All in all, it’s been a pretty good year for Make Me Do. Some posts have been surprisingly popular while others have flown under the radar somewhat. I didn’t quite manage my posting once-a-week aim, but 37 posts out of 52 is pretty good.

Since I posted a review of 2013 at the start of last year, I felt like I should stick with tradition and review 2014. From a strictly numbers-based perspective, my most popular posts have been for my peaked baker boy hat patterns, whether that’s sewn like this one…

Denim hat © Becky Skuse

Or knitted, like this one…

Baker boy hat

I love the shape and style of these hats and I like the idea that there could be people walking around wearing a hat made from one of my patterns! You can buy both patterns here. I’d really like to make a crochet version of the hat so I think I’ll make that my first crafty resolution of 2015.

One of my favourite makes, personally, in 2014 was this laundry bag, which makes me smile every morning when I wake up…

Laundry bag

I have the pattern for this bag on my ‘to post’ list so I think I’ll make that my next resolution for 2015, alongwith plenty of other patterns I’ve got ready to post.

Another popular post has been my Doggy doorstop and you can now buy the pattern here

Doggy doorstop

Talking of cute crafty makes, I loved making this crochet amigirumi bear, which I called ‘Cookie’…

Cookie bear waving

Cookie happily sits on a shelf next to me when I’m sat on the sofa in the evenings – he’s no trouble and always has a smile on his face.

Back to the numbers and apparently, the most popular day on my blog in 2014 was in May, when I posted the step-by-step on hairpin crochet…

Hairpin crochet

So in 2015, I’ll try to do a few more technical guides. Any requests?

I think three resolutions is a good start, so here goes for 2015…

 

Flowers in your hair

Do you remember my hat giveaway a little while ago? It was my sewn baker boy hat, using a flowery fabric.

Well, the lovely lady, Susanne, who won the giveaway, has posted a great picture of herself here wearing the hat and saying how much she likes it. How sweet!

If you’re inspired to make your own, using a thicker and more winter-friendly fabric, see my instructions here.

Me wearing the baker boy hat, before giving it to Susanne

 

Hat giveaway winner

Ok, so I only had 3 entries for my hat giveaway, but I’m not taking it personally – I still think the hat rocks!

So drum roll please… according to the random number generator, the winner is… hexe!

Congratulations, and sorry to Pillows A-La-Mode, and Paul (although I’m not sure it would have suited you!)

Thanks for taking part! I’ve sent you an email via your blog, hexe, and this will be on its way to you soon…

Summer baker boy hat

 

Hat giveaway!

Following up from my post last week, where I updated you on the instructions for sewing a baker boy hat, I thought it might be fun to do a giveaway of one of these hats – great if you like the hat style but haven’t got time to sew one at the moment.

Summer baker boy hat

I made this baker boy hat to be featured in Sewing World magazine – it’s in a lovely lightweight fabric (by Amy Butler) that’s nice and cool for summer, but it will also keep the sun off your head and out of your eyes. (And it’s only been worn to take this photo, by the way!)

To enter the giveaway, you’ll need to be following my blog. Then just leave a comment below, saying what you like about the hat. I’ll choose a winner at random next Wednesday (17th July) at 2pm UK time. It’s very light so I’m happy to post it to you wherever you are in the world. It would be great if you could tell at least one other person who you think might be interested in the giveaway. (I’ve not done anything like this before so if you have any questions I’ve not covered, just leave a comment and I’ll get back to you.)

I’ll announce the winner here next week. Good luck!

 

Make: sewn baker boy hat

If you like sewing baker boy hats as much as I do, you’ll like this pattern!

Denim hat © Becky Skuse

To get the pattern to make this hat, please visit my Etsy shop for MakeMeDo here.

The A4 pdf pattern includes detailed diagrams and text to make it easy for you to make, plus template pieces to print out onto A4 paper and use to cut your fabric pieces. There’s also a template for adding a plastic or cardboard insert to the peak to make it firm.

Finished hat measures 56cm in circumference (fits average ladies’ head), but pattern also includes advice on how to adjust the size.
Designed for confident beginners, the hat involves sewing along a curve, topstitching, making and attaching binding, and slip stitching by hand.

This stylish baker boy hat is handy all year round and can be made in almost any fabric. The segment design makes it simple to construct so you could make as many as you like!
Hat A is made in a lightweight, floral quilting cotton fabric, which is perfect for summer. It will keep the sun out of your eyes without making you hot.
Hat B is made in denim fabric cut from an old pair of shorts, which is great for spring and autumn.
Try using a heavier fabric to make a winter version.

To make this hat, you will also need:
• 50x60cm fabric.
• One 1.5cm-diameter button (optional)
• Matching and/or contrasting cotton thread
• Sewing machine
• Hand-sewing needle

 

Denim hat

The sun came out this week and it’s felt like summer is finally here! If you’re anything like me, you’ll have delved into the back of your wardrobe and pulled out various summer clothes you’ve not worn since last year.

So what do you do, as a crafter, when you try to put on your favourite pair of denim shorts, only to find you can’t do them up any more?
Answer: you cut them up and upcycle them into a summer hat! (and think about doing some more exercise…)

Here are my beloved shorts pre-refashion:

Denim shorts © Becky Skuse

They were nothing fancy, but they were the perfect length (not to short, not too long), they had lovely big pockets, the fabric was cool but not wafer-thin, and they were (once) very comfy. By refashioning them into a hat, I can keep the nice memories of the shorts, but give the fabric a new, useful purpose.

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you’ll know about my love for baker boy hats. So why break the hat-habit of a lifetime?

The fabric really is perfect and it’s made the hat lovely and cool, while also keeping the sun off my head. Incidentally, those big pockets turned out to be particularly handy – they were just big enough for one of the eight segments I needed to make the hat.

So here’s the finished hat:

Denim hat © Becky Skuse

If you wanted to sew your own baker boy hat, you can now buy the pattern on Etsy here.