Cloche Hat, Part 1: Boiling Water is Hot Y'all

And so it begins!  Adventures in hat making.  I am now a milliner.  Alright that isn't necessarily true.  I guess I have to finish a hat before I can officially be a milliner.  Hat maker. 

Anyway let's get started.  You remember my Christmas present from Charlie, yes?

The hat block shown here surrounded by kitchen appliances.  You'll understand why I did this in the kitchen, I swear.  The first thing I had to do was cover the hat block in saran wrap.

Why, you ask? 
A.  So that the hat block doesn't absorb any moisture
B.  So no dye from hood is transferred to the hat block and
C.  Just so I can get frustrated with saran wrap.  I hate that stuff!

One must also wear special protective gear during the hat blocking process!  IT IS ESSENTIAL.

Specifically an apron and rubber gloves.  Aren't my rubber gloves fantastic and stylish?  I can feel your envy.  Before I block another hat though I need to get a different apron.  One that is waterproof so as to avoid looking like I'm ready to enter a wet tshirt contest.

Here's what you make the hat out of.

 Charming, right?  That is a 100% wool hood.  You have to buy them like this.  I look like Dumb Donald from the Fat Albert cartoon, except he could actually see.

The next step was to saturate the hood with boiling water.  This is where the rubber gloves came in handy.  Once it was saturated I took it out of the water, squeezed out the excess, and put it on the hat block.

Then it's just a matter of pulling the hood downward until it is snug against the block.  Once that's done I used the rubber tubing to hold it in place so any more tugging wouldn't mess up the crown.

The last step was pulling the hood down and pinning it underneath the brim section of the hat block.

This is where the waterproof apron would have come in handy.  You use your upper body as leverage against the top of the hat block as you tug a section of the hood down and then pin it underneath the crown.  Here's the entire hat pinned.

Now all I had to do was wait for it to dry.
Wait for it to dry...
Wait for it to dry...
Wait for it to dry...

Still waiting.

Hats!

Hey!  A picture filled post!  Let's start with some Christmas pics.

Since I said I would post some forever ago.

Also I finished knitting the Everdeen Hat.

Now for the new way of hat making!  For the past two years I've gotten interested in making cloche hats.  What's a cloche hat, you ask??

That's a cloche hat!  But they aren't sewn or knitted.  They're made with a hat block.  Again, are you asking wha????

That's a hat block!  Charlie got it for me for Christmas.  It's a three piece set and I'll be able to order different hat tops and brims from the company in London.  Next post will be all about getting started making my first cloche hat, which requires saran wrap, boiling water and rubber tubing.  Kinky!

So This is The New Year

And already it feels very different.

Different in a good way!  New Year's Eve we got a call from our realtor who told us there was a "miscommunication" about a house on which we'd made an offer.  We've been given the go ahead to submit our bid so tomorrow we start the process.  Hopefully things will go well and we can get into this amazing and huge house.  Fingers crossed.

The holidays were crazy busy and oh so much fun.  Yes I have pictures.  No I don't have them uploaded on my iPad, but I will get them posted.  We had so much fun with the nieces and it snowed pretty much every day that they were here.  Love it!  Plus the snow isn't going anywhere now that we're in a cold snap.  Charlie goes back to work after being off for the last week and a half.  The cold has kept us inside a lot lounging around in PJs and drinking hot chocolate.  Yes it sucks that Charlie has to go back to work but I guess it isn't that bad when your spouse works from home.  :)

2012 started off rather crappy but wound up being an amazing years.  There's lots in store for 2013 and I'm happy to say we've already got things started and a lot more planned.  Plus, as usual, I got spoiled rotten at Christmas and have deemed 2013 the year of the hat.  Well, only because Charlie got me a hat block so I can make cloche hats.  Won't that be fun kids???  Hats!  In different colors!  Plus hopefully moving into a house that we will own where we can paint and I can get into all sorts of home improvement messes!  And nieces having babies!  So more baby things being made!

Thank God the Mayans were wrong.  By the way have you repented for all the debauchery you were up to when you thought the world was going to end?  No?  It's  okay, I'll light a candle for you.  No it's no trouble I live right across the street from a Catholic Church.  Aw, how sweet of you to say that!  Well, no, as a matter of fact I'm not Catholic.  What do you mean it doesn't count then??!!?  Fine.  I'll bribe some of the old ladies.  The things I do for you and your soul.