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hand knitted baby hats…for warm heads & warm hearts

Lessons learned from Dory {hand knitted baby hats}

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“Starr”

We all love Dory from “Finding Nemo”, right?   The great Ellen Degeneres never fails to make us laugh – even in animated form.   Thinking of her speaking Whale – and doing it myself – never fails to crack me up.   I think it’s one of the funniest things ever.

So what did Dory teach me?  Besides how to speak Whale?  I use her line “Just keep swimming” a lot, especially at the studio, where life can just get overwhelmingly hectic.   And when things are just too much to handle – I ‘just keep swimming’ and somehow I’ll get through it all.

Well, that’s what I was thinking of the aqua colored hat right here.   This is actually the 3rd hat I made- in a row – trying to get the shape and size just right.  I try to come up with all of my own patterns, so it’s often trial and error before I get it right.   And when I finally got it – woo hoo!  I had to put down the needles for a couple of days to let my elbow and wrist recover.   I loved the idea of huge poms on the sides – I think it will be so cute for everyday – as well as professional portraits.   I’ve name it “Starr” – after my older sister – I don’t know why I picked this particular hat for the name.  It just makes me happy, and made me think of her.

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“Autumn” – new

Now….speaking of ‘swimming’ – I decided to remake the “Autumn” design to the left.  I wasn’t happy with the way the roll brim turned out on the original – and well…I just wanted to change it up.  So here is a new Autumn.   This yarn is the thickest I’ve ever seen – and I had to special order the needles for it.  So, this is a one of a kind (size: 0-3 months) – and will be available in other sizes by custom order, but it may take a couple of weeks.   I love the way the texture of the ribbing looks now.   It just felt right to redo it.  Kind of like Dory knew it felt right to go through the trench when Marlin wants to go around.

Sometimes you just need to go with your gut.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/94398367/hand-knit-baby-girl-hat-knit-newborn-0-3?

https://www.etsy.com/listing/162677127/hand-knit-baby-hat-with-pom-poms-knit?ref=listing-shop-header-2

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Can you miss what you never had? {hand knitted baby hats}

One of my greatest sadnesses is life is that I never met two of my older siblings.   David and Starr.   Both were born and passed long before I was even thought of – but I’ve often wondered what my life would have been like if I had those two as a guiding force.   I was lucky enough to have an older sister, though, and I’m so thankful.   I have 5 siblings in total – so I wasn’t lacking for sisters or brothers, but I still miss David and Starr.   Even though I never knew life with them.   I wonder what they would be like, funny like my older sister or artsy like my younger?   Would he be tall like my uncle and have my Grandpa’s great jaw line?  Or would she be petite like my mom and laugh just like her, too?

I wonder.
One of my favorite movies of all time is “Secrets and Lies”.  It’s a British film (I’m a huge fan of British cinema and tv – I long to be Dame Maggie Smith someday).  In this great work (well, I tDSC01229hink it’s great), an infertile couple is having a conversation about someone never knowing their father, and the wife says “You can’t miss what you never had”, but as soon as she says it, she realizes, as her husband does, that yes, you can.  They miss what they never had.  And I do, too.

So, to that point, one of my most popular hats is the one shown to the right – with a pom pom added.  I’ve sold more of these than any other (without the pom) but I now have a photo of it with a pom for added variety.  I’ve also done it in the gnome style, below.   On etsy – and previously on here somewhere, it’s listed as the “Seaside”.   I wasn’t feeling particularly imaginative that day (it’s the name of the yarn color!)   But now I think it should be named “David” in honor of the coolest older brother anyone could ever have had, as I’m sure he would have been.

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