Day 20 hat 20 Peacock Hat

Hello Everyone.... This is the final hat of the project... the peacock hat. I would like to try something more bold next time I work with feathers, such as doing an entire hat out of feathers. They are much harder to work with then you would imagine. They are supposed to bend but I think I was bending them in al the wrong places. I rested on doing a medeival type hat and sticking a feather in it to give it some flair instead... but I still have a idea burning in the back of my brain about what i would like to do if I could get ahold of a bunch of feathers at one time. Thank you to everyone who participated in the hat contest. I will do it again next year in November. This is the last post before I draw a name tomorrow. I will draw the name when I get home from work tomorrow so check back for the results. Cant wait to give one of you a free hat!!!!!! I will continue to post to my blog as I work on my other projects/ orders.
Until tomorrow.

Hat number 19, day 19.... in progress

Hello Everyone.... This picture was taken at almost 10 at night...... so be kind..... This is a picture of yesterdays hat, it is in transition, and is not complete yet. It has to be felted more and turned over to the pearl side and have its band adjusted and felted more. It is going to have a gorgeous flower on the ride side and when it is done will look more like a 1920's hat. I will be working on this hat tonight while hat number 20 is felting. My peacock feathers arrived yesterday so todays (number 20) hat is going to be a peacock hat. I am going to do something creative.... usually when there is a vision there is a way, but that is yet to be determined, so come back later for hat 20 and I wish you each luck in the hat contest drawing.

Hat number 18, Day 18 ( from yesterday)

Good morning everyone... I worked on this hat while we were over at friends house for dinner last night.... We got home so late I didnt have time to post this last night so here it is... Its Andean wool, 4 tone pink.
This was a hat order that I am fulfilling. This hat is going to have a scarf to match it and so when the set is done I will post another picture.
Right now I am knitting todays hat.... number 19.
-Cherie

Day 17, hat 16 and 17...

 Hello Everyone!!! Sorry about the goof-up yesterday... every once and awhile ( and I know that fellow knitters can sympathize with this) one has to pull out the work they have done and simply start over again. This is true for any project or craft, but knitting is especially kind to re-do's. Basically I overshot on the hat band and I made it too thick but I realized this before i felted it and I had to unravel it and re-roll it into a ball and start over again this evening. I am glad I started hat 16 over again and I am really happy with how it turned out. I have seth modeling it for me because the hat was made for a head that is larger than mine, actually my husbands head is the exact same size as my customer. This is for demonstration so that she will know that this hat will fit her head. Tonight I was also trying to get caught up with todays hat number 17 and it turned into a scary baby hat..... You can see the scary baby hat on the top picture...  Seth thinks it is a good hat for a garden gnome and he might just be right. Have any of you read that book about gnomes.... the one they put out in the 1980's.... well this is dead on... sigh... Anyone have a garden gnome in desperate need of a winter hat.... don't want him to get cold outside in the Vermont this winter... got to protect those who protect the garden.

Tomorrow I will be knitting a hat with 3 shades of pink. It is a special order and It is going to be in the same style as a had I did early on that had 3 shades of blue.
until then...
Thanks for following my project and thanks for heaving me suggestions on my facebook page.
All hats that are not special order will show up on my etsy store in a few days...

Day 15 Hat 15 Put a bird on it

 Hello Everyone....
Today's hat came about because of portlandia. If you have seen the episode " put a bird on it" you will understand. I couldn't resist...... I just had to put a bird on it.
This hat is child sized, and it is made from alpaca.
I am working on taking some etsy worthy pictures of all of this years hats for my web store and should have most of them up by the weekend. ALSO....... I will be having a black friday sale on my etsy store. My store will feature some of my inventory at highly reduced rates up to 40 percent off of my normal prices. Catch that sale while you can. You might find just the right Christmas gift for that hard to buy for person. I will have purses and jewelry and shawls/ scarves on my web store as well. Many of these items are not currently up on my store, only a small fraction of my inventory is actually on my page, and that is because I am updating all of the photography.

                                                                 Is your name in this jar.....          --------------->

I hope it is... because that means you have a chance to win a free hat in a few days!!!!! Start getting excited because I am going to announce the winner the day after the hat contest ends.
My wool order came so tomorrow I am working on a custom order hat as well as most of the rest of the project. You will see some very colorful and unique items at the end of the project...
Until tomorrow.....

Day 14... Hat 14 Head scarf

Hello Everyone.... Today I made a head scarf... this is the best way I can think to describe it. Its made from alpaca fiber in 3 different colors. Its warm and it tucks right over and behind the ears.
I am hoping that the wool I ordered arrives tomorrow....My order is full of vibrant and colorful wool.... and frankly I think I need some more colorful wool to work with for the next 5 hats...
Thanks for following my project for the last 14 days. Also thanks to everyone who is participating in the free hat contest. 
Until tomorrow....

Hat 12

Hat 13

Hello Everyone!!!
I knit 2 Hats today.... here they are. They are both knit from mostly fishermans wool. I was toying with doing half of the hat knit and half pearl and I made this different for both hats. Check back tomorrow for hat 14.
-Cherie

Day 11, Hat 11 A birthday hat

Hello Everyone,
Today's hat was a special hat that I made for my father in law (pictured). I knitted it with triple amounts of yarn, so it is very thick. It is made from alpaca. I wanted to make him something warm that he could wear in the woods when he went hunting. Look at that smile!!! Its a winner. I think he's happy!
If you haven't entered to win at hat there is still time, I have 8 more hats to go...
Also I will be posting my hats to my etsy store at
www.vtwoolgatherer.etsy.com

until tomorrow.

Day 10, Hat 10 , 10pm

Hello Everyone...
Tonight we had dinner with friends and so I took my knitting with me and I knit this hat in about 2 hours. It is a extra bulky weight yarn, and it is not plyed, so it is almost like roving... Its a green/blue ultra soft wool. I choose not to felt it, since we just got home and it is after 10pm. I kind of like it this way... I might just leave it as a knit hat instead... Any suggestions???
Until tomorrow.

Day 9, Hat 9, beige alpaca hat

Beige Alpaca Hat

Hello Everyone!!!! Its Friday!!!!!
Here is todays hat.... its a beige alpaca hat. It is very much like the hat that I made for myself last year. Seth mentioned to me that I didn't actually own one of my own hats (while we were on vacation) and didn't I want to make one for myself since I had the time? I am usually making hats for my website or making special order hats and purses and don't have time to make something for myself... so I took his suggestion, and today I decided to make another one like the one I made for myself.
Hope you like it!!!
Check back tomorrow.... another hat another day.
www.vtwoolgatherer.etsy.com
 And thanks for participating in the hat contest... I cant wait to give one of you a free hat.

Day 8, hat number 8...

from the front

from the back

Hello Everyone!!!'It has been a dark and gloomy cold winters day.... so I found the  brightest colors I could to knit today's hat with. I used a deep purple and a turquoise Icelandic wool, mixed in with those two colors is a very bright orange wool. This hat is very soft and light.
Thanks to all of the participants on my facebook page!!! If you haven't entered the free hat contest you have 12 more days to enter. I ordered some beautiful wool this morning and I am waiting for it to arrive next week. You will see some very interesting pieces next week. There will be another 20's themed hat with a flower in a black and deep red, and you will see a red hat with a strongly defined band, as well as a hat with three shades of pink. These are just a few of the hats that I have planned for next week. I am still trying to decide how to make the peacock hat, and trying to figure out where in the world I can find an actual peacock feather. If anyone has any ideas leave a comment. Tomorrows hat will be a neutral felted alpaca hat, that can be worn by either a man or a women. It will be a beige color.... and its one of my favorite yarns to work with.
The hats you have seen me make the last 8 days will be on my etsy store for sale this weekend.
My store is at www.vtwoolgatherer.com. Thanks for following my hat project. I hope you are having as much fun as I am. I am thinking of putting a tutorial up how to make your own hat, does this interest anyone that is following my blog? I would take a very simple design and show you how to do it. Let me know if this is something you want to see me do.... until tomorrow.

Day 7, Hat 7... mens wool hat

Hello Everyone!!!! Its Day 7and this is Hat number 7. This is a customer order. It has been made extra thick to keep this person warm from the cold they have to work in every day. Its a grey and black Andean wool from Peru. Its very soft, not as soft as alpaca but pretty close.
Remember you can enter to win a free hat, look at day 6 for the rules of the contest.
Check back tomorrow for hat 8.

Day 6, hat PLUS HOW YOU CAN WIN A FREE HAT

 Hello Everyone... This is hat 6... It is hard to see but the fibers are multi hued. Its a combination of a grey blue and a purple, a close up was taken so you can get an idea as to the color. This is made from alpaca fiber. It is really strong and very thick. I did double the thickness I usually do on my hats with this one.... its very insulating. I will add the hats up for sale on the weekends to my etsy store if you are interested in purchasing one you can go to my store at
www.vtwoolgatherer.etsy.com
I also have scarves for sale on my website.

So.... I know your waiting to hear what you have to do to win a free hat!!!!!
 Do you remember last year when I made a alpaca hat and gave it away to a lucky winner from my facebook page??? This year I am going to let the winner choose between one of three hats. I have taken pictures of these hats and I am going to post them in this blog post...
In order to get your name in the drawing you need to do the following.....
1. Share my blog post of the day on your page.
( You can share a post one time per day on your page, this counts as one entry per day).
2. Post to my facebook page to let me know every time you have done this... I am not going to monitor everyone's pages to see if they are posting my entries so you will have to let me know....
 The day after the project I will announce the winner, and they can choose from these three hats.... I will mail your hat to you free of charge.... I ask that you would take a picture of yourself with your free hat to post on my blog and that is it...... Good luck.... the contest starts now. 

                                                           This is a children sized hat

                                              A women's cloche hat made from andes wool

                                                 This can be either a women's or men's hat, also andes wool.

Day 5, hats 4 and 5... A day for hats with Stripes

 Hello Everyone!!! Today I decided to try a three toned blue hat for one of my projects. I was not sure how the colors would blend, but after trying it out I think I like the idea of combining three hues of the same color together.

Also... I decided to try a purple and grey hat. I was going to use off white, but I am out of that color right now... so light grey was the next best thing.Thanks to Yvonne for the idea!!!
Remember tomorrow is the day I announce the hat contest and the rules for it... keep on the look out for tomorrows blog. I will be felting a grey blue alpaca hat tomorrow for my project..... As orders come in I am sending off for more wool, some reds and pinks and greens...... Hope you are enjoying the project as much as I am this year....
Thanks for leaving comments Tad.... I like your idea for the style for the peacock hat idea.... I am still brainstorming on it.

Hello Everyone!!!
This evening I made a premie hat from a burnt sierra alpaca wool. As I have no baby to pose for me I have once again turned to my very good natured and patient kitties.
I will be announcing the contest rules for the free hat contest on tuesday with a selection of hats I will offer as a choice for the winner of the contest. There will be a mens hat, a womens hat and a childs hat to choose from for the winner. Be on the lookout for information in 2 days for how you can win a warm hat for yourself or someone else this winter.

Day 2 Hat 2.

Today I worked on a mens hat with ear flaps. It is not done yet as you can see. I still have to add a complementary band to the hat to tie in the contrasting yarns, which I will have to do later in the weekend. You can get the idea from the picture of the type of hat I was trying to produce. I will post a picture with the band on it later in the weekend.

3rd Annual 20 Hats in 20 days.... Day 1 Hat 1

Its day one of the hat project and today I have chosen a new type of hat to make. I got the idea from a book that I saw when I was on vacation a few years ago. The book talked about re-purposing old sweaters into purses and hats and that sort of thing, this is not re-purposed but it is cut and sewn unlike my other hats I have made up until this point. It was knit first into a fabric and then felted and I cut out two circles that were 11 inches . I took a 6 inch circle out of the middle on one of my pieces and I sewed them together to make a beret. It came out looking more like a 1920's flapper hat..... I used tweed for the brown piece and I used white fishermans wool for the band. Please leave comments. I would like to know what you think, and I am interested to know what you would like me to make. It has been suggested that I make a hat that has a peacock color to it... what about a peacock design??? I am thinking this through right now.... Also I will have a hat contest again this year so keep your eyes out for details.