Bouncy Bouncy.

(If you just want to get to the good stuff, here's a link to the pattern for the Bouncy Hat and here's a link to the Rav Page). 

If you know me at all you'll know that I luuuuuurve Beyonce. What a woman! What a voice! What a career! What a body! What an everything! Seriously:

The day before Valentine's a lovely lad came into the shop asking nervously if I could do alterations - I usually just say 'nah - I knit' but I liked him and he was smiling (which is unusual believe it or not...). Turns out, his girlfriend had seen a hat that Beyonce was wearing at some sports game...

(Jay Z looks a bit gormless there doesn't he but Queen Bey looks beauts as ever?).  

...and fallen in love but he couldn't yet find them in the shop so he'd been to River Island (I think) and bought two bobble hats and he wanted me to move the pompoms onto one. Dead easy for us lot ey? But not for the muggles. Mwahahaha!

I liked the look and it gave me a bit of inspiration for my challenge to make a knit and crochet shop sample in every single yarn in the whole entire shop! Yeah! Because I will run out of inspiration you know. Already I keep thinking 'no, stop with the bloody scarves, cowls and baby knits for a minute'. So I came up with this: 

 

Really, if I'm honest, the pom poms are a little small but boyf had never made pom poms before and I wanted to make sure it was as easy as possible for him so we used a pom pom maker rather than our hands (or a barbeque fork as one customer delightfully does... in the summer I am totes trying this!). 

It's worked in the delectable Merino Blend Aran on a 5mm hook and the front post, back post ribbing means it's thick and cushy like a good hat should be. I reckon it's pretty simple but if you've been on our Learn to Crochet 1 and 2 lessons then it'll be a good introduction into patterns - especially as there's a gauge (so often there isn't with my patterns because I like people to think about things... and I'm lazy...).

I made another one today because a). I couldn't actually remember what I'd done and b). it's been in my head that this would be a good bloke's pattern - perhaps without the pom poms (or with!). And I think it would be! It's quick and interesting enough to crochet without being overly chunky or too complicated for men's tastes (actually v. sorry to generalise but if there's one thing I've learned whilst running this shop it's that masculine taste is preeeeeeetty conservative...).

Just on another note, please please please, if you're using this yarn (and I recommend that you do because it is beautiful!), make sure to block it, it stretches and relaxes so much once you bathe it in warm soapy water, much like ourselves, and the pattern definitely gets better because of it.

So, without further ado, the Bouncy Hat and the Ravelry link. 

(I totes photoshopped myself for the photo - can you tell?! Goodbye chin spot! Your time is up!). 

Love Eleanor. 

xxxxxxxxx

P.s. I've also updated the Finite Cowl to actually have a stitchtionary in there and a few bits like commas that were missing. Let me know if you find anything else wrong! Click here for the link. 

P.p.s. Tomorrow I have a sweet little tale and a request. Hopefully.