I’ve been working on a Christmas Elf Hat Pattern…

So, I’ve been terrible about updating anyone on what I’ve been creating of late.  And while I want to tell you more about the TARDIS, I also want to share photos of the latest crochet related projects.

As it turns out, the Christmas Elf Hat photos are more easily available at the moment to show you.  So tonight, I’ll fill you in on this.

See, a friend of mine asked me about making a red elf hat for her grandson.  Seems he’s a big fan of the Elf on the Shelf.  And he’d like his own elf hat.

I went digging across the net, but just wasn’t really satisfied with any of the crochet patterns I came across.  And, of course, who am I kidding anyway.  I never stick with a pattern I didn’t write.  I don’t stick to recipes as written, I don’t stick to sheet music without modifications and I don’t stick to any crochet patterns as written either. Often not even my own.

So, I started playing with ideas and working out how I wanted the shaping to work out.

The main thing I noticed while looking at elf hat photos for various patterns is that they don’t always pay attention to how the pointy hat slopes.  And the Elf Shelf guy specifically has a hat that’s generally quite tall and “dunce” like cone in shape.  It’s a gradual incline, and it takes a bit of doing to make sure the lines are subtle in their increase, while also having to contend with a completely different kind of material to make said hat than a little toy with a felt cone on his head.  So I wanted to pay attention to that detail while making something that will actually work on a human head.

Also, I want there to be options.  I haven’t published a ton of patterns mainly because I prefer to write patterns with variations.  There are several in various stages on my computer and in my notebooks.  I like options and I want my fellow crocheters to enjoy those options too.  So I wanted to figure out, what about a brim, what about without, what about this tall, and what about not tall at all?

Right now, I’m working on a toddler size hat.  With variations just for that size, it’s been a lot of work to bring everything together according to international yarn and pattern standards.

I’m also getting some help finally from a friend who is a photographer.  I don’t have toddlers at home anymore, so I need to test my design out on someone else’s kid(s).  And I need good photos, not just my cell phone snap shots.  Hopefully I will  be dropping hats off to her for a photo shoot next weekend.

Here’s a sneak peek of one of the variations I’m working with.  It’s getting there.