The MAD HATTER Initiative.....!

ANNOUNCING THE MAD HATTER INITIATIVE and some wonderful spin-offs! 

This year at Artisan Knitworks,  I’m going to play around with the idea of warm and wonderful hats.

First, hats to buy:  As some of you already know, each year I go on a hat-making binge and try to fill the shop with knitted and crocheted hats – a few of them with scarves, though I don't much like matchy-matchy hat/scarf sets.  Buy 'em for yourself, or buy 'em for gifts.  This year, I’m going to make OOOOODLES of them.  They will be ready by Thanksgiving – so (ready for a bad joke?) hold onto your hat.  In the meantime, I’m leaving one or two around the place for everyone to contemplate.  Some will be slightly insane, as hats ought to be.  They will be made up in all kinds of patterns, colors, and weights – though probably not in fingering yarn.  Nobody would want to have to pay for the labor!

Second, hats to make:  I am going to organize a couple of special hat-making sessions on Sunday at about 2:00.  I hope to persuade Judy Champagne to run one of them.  You may have seen her wonderful top-down I-cord hats in the shop.  She will show you how to do it in any weight yarn during one of the Special Sunday Sessions (Larry will think of a name for them).  In another such session, I will show you what fun you can have with the Mad Hatter pattern (bottom-up knitted hats, sometimes with big flowers).  And in yet another, I’ll show crocheters how to create fabulous crocheted berets with free-form tops.

Third, hats to make you rich (well, sort of ...):  We are going to have a hat contest.  The deadline for entry will be December 10^th.  Pick up an entry form anytime after Labor Day.  Hats will be on display from December 10 through about December 15^th or thereabouts, so that you can give them as gifts if you wish.  The contest has two divisions (children, adult) and several gift-certificate prizes.  We ask only that you invent the hat yourself (you can base it on one of our patterns, but it has to be inventive, original and well crafted – no internet or published designs allowed).  And we ask that you use our yarns for the hat.  All winners will be published in our newsletter.

How’s that?

Fall is coming!!!!!!!!!!   I will go to the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival in early September – a really wonderful regional festival that is growing by leaps and bounds – in search of yet more fabulous materials for everyone.  In the meantime, KNIT AND CROCHET YOUR WAY TO GOOD HEALTH!!!

svb