Let the Ordinary Become the Joy You Give to Others 🧶

 If you have talked to me in the last several weeks, you will know that I have been fully invested in making a friend of mine 10 Curling hats. What is a curling hat? Great question! As you know, the Winter Olympics ended at the end of February. One of the sports that is included is Curling. You know, when they do an extended lunge and then slide a big stone down the ice while a bunch of people with tiny brooms help it move along? Yea, that one. Well, my friend has requested to have 10 hat made that resemble the curling stone. (Don't worry, there is a picture below.)

These hats have been all consuming over the past several weeks. That is ok with me as I know that my friend and his teammates love them. I had made these several years ago and this is their second set.

Now, I know what you are thinking. Ok, not really. I don't even know when you are reading this. If I could read minds, it would make being the mom to a teenager 1000 times easier. But I digress.

So if I had to GUESS what you are thinking it is "Maria, how did you know how to make those?"

I didn't. There aren't patterns out there for Curling hats. I had to figure it out with just the knowledge I have about knitting construction. And let me tell you, this is my favorite part about knitting. I absolutely love (and I mean LOVE) knitting things that don't exist in the knitting world.

In 2022, I asked my daughter and her friends to draw hats that they would wear. I could only imagine what a group of 11 - 12 year olds would come up with, but I was in fact, excited with the results. The pictures they drew were not elaborate in the least, but it gave me an idea of what they were looking for. One wanted a hat that looked like a bear. Another wanted one that was Harry Potter themed. One wanted a hat with strawberries on it. One wanted a blue butterfly. They were all different.

After 3 months, I had recreated all the hats that were drawn. I had all the girls come back over and I had a fashion show. They modeled all the hats for their moms. We had a catwalk and served fake champagne (ginger ale) and had dainty snacks. The girls got to keep their hats at the end.

Now, I dont know if the girls ever wore their hats after that. But that is ok with me. I got the better end of the deal. They gave me the ability to recreate their vision. They gave me a challenge and I was able to take a drawn picture and make it a reality. Similarly to having a construction company give like to an architects idea.

I realize that not everyone has this same desire. Some knitters just wanted to knit a pattern. They don't want to create something from scratch. And that is 1000% totally fine. So why would I bring this up?

As creators, as artists, we find beauty in the mundane and the simple things. We see colored string and know that it can create a beautiful scarf, sweater, hat, or blanket. We take the something ordinary and make it into something tangible and beautiful. This is magical.

You are a creator. You are an artist. Let the simple things around you inspire you to continue to create things that add beauty to your world. These items will bring you and those around you joy. Someone might see a friend wearing at hat that looks like a Curling stone and smile. That right there is something that YOU did. You created that smile, that joy in that person. What an incredible power that is.

So with that I say, continue knitting. Continue creating something out of ordinary string and spread joy in this crazy world we live in.

And always remember:

There are no mistakes. Only design elements.  

Peace, Love and Knitting,

Maria

CURLING HATS

RECREATED HATS