So, Hallowe'en has come and gone. But wait, no obligatory photos of the children in their All Hallow's Eve regalia? None of the quintessential images of their joy-filled faces out trick-or-treating? Hate to be the bearer of bad news here, but no. Not a one. I felt like being involved this year, and that can be kinda tough when you've got a lens stuck in front of your face (not impossible, of course, just more difficult). Plus, remembering lessons learned from last year, I knew the candy haul was gonna be hefty, and decided I needed both hands free to carry various forms of sugar (as I shoot with a handstrap, which effectively removes one of my hands from the 'useful' category).
But, one thing I did take photos of was my costume. Gypsy and I had a brainstorming session to try to determine what I was gonna wear. We were looking through some of my older crocheted projects, hats mostly, while I was wearing the t-shirt she got me for Christmas (it has a little mushroom guy on it, and it says "I'm a fun guy!"), and we figured I should make a hat that makes me look like a mushroom. I hemmed and hawed at the idea a bit (it'd be quite an undertaking to make something so large), and finally conceded that it'd be a great costume.
Before I continue, a little background. When I first moved in here with Gypsy and The Kids, she taught me how to crochet. First there were some wonky hats and scarves, but as I spent more time making more things, it improved. I'm actually fairly good at it now, and though I don't do it nearly as often as I used to, I still make some fairly cool things, including a huge, detailed 'yarn-sculpture' of a Destroying Angel (mushroom... they kind of lend themselves to being crocheted), which is unfinished; a panda bear, with no face and only one arm (she says she doesn't want me to finish it); and a huge number of hats and scarves (I've gotten much better at that in the intervening years). It's a challenge, trying to form these things, one little bit at a time, from nothing more than an idea in my head and an understanding of how to piece it all together. It's like a fully-customizable, free-form, 3D puzzle I make (up) as I go along. It's a challenge I really enjoy.
Anyway, there's a bit of background for this post. I went ahead with the idea of a crocheted mushroom-hat, and after many days spent stitching and stitching, and sometimes having to pull out hours of work because I didn't like how it was turning out, here's me and the hat, just after I finished it.
I'm drinkin' tea.
You wouldn't like the funguy when he's angry.
Skeptical 'shroom.
I'm sure it shows in the photos, but this thing is monstrous. I used some el-cheapo yarn for the top (dark brown), and got into my Fisherman's Wool (natural, 100% wool with the lanolin left in, so it's pretty water resistant) for the bottom and inside (lighter brown and tan). Fairly expensive wool, but damn if it ain't super-comfortable. Same could be said about this hat. It's done in two pieces, the outer shell and the 'hat' part inside, and then it's stuffed. It's so effing comfortable, it's ridiculous. It's like having a comforter wrapped around the top of your head. Deadens sound, traps heat, and looks great, too! Gypsy thinks I should make and sell these on etsy. What do you think? How much would you pay for it? (Keep in mind that's 2 solid days' worth of work, and probably around $30 in materials alone.) Leave me a comment, lemme know what you think! Here's a photo of one of our cats, curled up inside.
Moni kitty, enjoyin' her brief stay in the Hat of Oppression.
Thanks for readin!
No comments:
Post a Comment