Easy Beginner Women's Hat and Mittens Crochet Patterns

I am always on the lookout for unique and stylish winter accessories. Unfortunately, I was unable to find the perfect winter hat in stores. That's when I turned to Pinterest, where I stumbled upon the ideal beanie - but as a crochet pattern, not for sale. With the help of my talented mother-in-law, I rediscovered the art of crocheting, which I had learned as a child from my grandmother.

I spent countless hours perfecting my skills, starting with simple wash and dust cloths and gradually working my way up to a scarf made from practice yarn. Finally, I felt confident enough to tackle the hat pattern that started the relearning process, so I splurged on some luxurious alpaca blend yarn (you can buy alpaca blend yarn similar to the type I used here ) and followed Crochet Dreamz's DIY Crochet Hat pattern the Jenna Beanie. To add a touch of fun, I topped it off with a leopard print pom pom (you can buy similar faux fur pom poms like I used here.) (Disclosure: I am including affiliate links for your convenience.)

 

But then, as fate would have it, I finished the hat just in time for Spring. So it sat untouched until this December, when I finally had the chance to wear a winter hat. Let me tell you, it was worth the wait! The chunky alpaca yarn keeps me toasty warm, and the softness of the fibers is the most luxurious I've ever felt (and I have many, many knit and crochet gifts that I love and use.) 

 

This is the warmest winter hat I own 

Some may argue that I should have used 100% alpaca fiber yarn for this project, but as someone who is forgetful when it comes to chucking all of the laundry from the hamper and into the washer and dryer, I prefer blends that will survive a machine wash. 

 

With one skein of yarn left over, I was in search of a one skein project that I could work on while traveling. That's when I discovered Make and Do Crew's 3-Hour Crochet Mittens pattern. I've always struggled to find gloves that fit my small hands, so I was excited to try my hand at crocheting my own. Though the pattern proved to be a little more challenging than I anticipated, I still managed to complete a cozy pair of custom size mittens (which took me longer than three hours, because I crochet slow.) 

 

I am smitten with my chunky crochet mittens! 

I also learned through this project that the best way for me to actually finish a crochet project is to be either be trapped in an airport or in a metal tube hurtling through the sky. Good to know. 

 

 

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What’s the Sustainable Story with Hemp Fabric Underwear?

This post is made possible from samples provided by WAMA. As always this did not influence my opinion, as all opinions are strictly my own.

One of the easiest and cheapest ways to get sustainable clothing is to buy it second hand. Who knew combing though thrift shops looking for funky clothes as a teen was considered so environmentally friendly? I was just looking for stuff to wear to school that no one else had or dared to wear.

Who am I kidding? I still do.

I’m all for wearing more sustainable clothing, there are some things I’m not willing to buy second hand, like underwear. Sorry environment. No. Nope. No way. No how.

I tried organic cotton fabric. While organic cotton is super soft, the items I have are very thin and wear more quickly. Swing and a miss.The folks at WAMA Underwear reached out to me and suggested I try their hemp fabric underwear. Up until now my only experience with hemp fabric is seeing scratchy Baja hoodies at flea markets. I already knew that hemp fabric is made from industrial hemp (not to be confused with its stoner cousin marijuana) uses less water and does not need pesticides to grow quickly, similar to bamboo.

 

 

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18 Cozy Gift Ideas for the Whole Family

This year is like no other. Staying home and snuggling is in and large group activities are out. With that in mind, I created this gift giving idea guide for families, moms, dads, kids, and friends who are spending your time indoors and need a little self care, pampering, or indoor activities to keep you from going crazy!

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100 Things to Do After Quarantine Interactive Poster   this interactive poster gives 100 activity ideas with family and friends you can look forward to scratching off the list to reveal the artwork underneath. (Disclosure: I am including affiliate links for your convenience.)

25 of the Best Gift Ideas Under 25 Dollars

Tis the season to think about gift giving! Fa, La, La, La, La. La, La, La, La!

My 2017 gift idea guide has something for every one on your give giving list whether it be a co worker, boss, or teacher, to the man, woman, or finicky teen in your life.

Pop on over to my food blog Lazy Budget Chef to read:

25 Unique Gift Ideas Under 25 Dollars

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18 Gift Ideas for People Who Are Always Cold

I am that person who is always cold and as luck will have it I’m also the one who is assigned the frozen tundra polar ice cap infused office at work. Because apparently most office buildings think you have to keep the IT department people as cold as the servers and computers we work on – or at least it feels that way.

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Influenced by a unseasonable cold snap and freezing while I shuffled around the house while wearing many layers, I put together a holiday gift guide for people who work outside in the cold, inside a cold building, or just like the snuggle up at home when it it cold outside.

Holiday Gift Ideas to Keep You Warm When it is Cold

36 of the Best Zero Waste Lunch Bags for Back to School

I'm on a bit of Zero Waste kick lately. Well, more like Trying to Reduce Our Household Trash Each Week Without Living Like Little House on the Prairie Because Electricity and Indoor Plumbing Are Fantastic but that is too much to write over and over in one blog post.

Specifically, I'm looking for low waste lunch bags and container ideas.

I'm finding it is better for me to pack a dairy free lunch, dinner, or snack to better deal with my food allergy when I'm on the go. I like to travel as light as I can (especially if I'm at an event and have to cart stuff with me all day,) I don't want my food to dry out before lunch (which means cloth snack bags are out) and as much as I love my glass food containers they are too heavy and impractical.

All of that and it must be attractive without looking like something a preschooler would carry.

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11 PVC Plastic Free Shoes for Back to School

When I buy a plastic item, I check for the recycling number 3 which stands for PVC (polyvinyl chloride.) If the item is made from PVC, I don’t buy it.

It is unlikely that I will lick my shoes and inject PVC. If I do I think my problems are bigger than ingesting PVC plastic! However, I might if I handle those PVC shoes by putting them in the closet and then inadvertently put my finger in my mouth or eat an apple or something. Then I’m transfer PVC particles from the shoe to my hands to that apple and right into me.

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It’s just easier to avoid buying shoes made with PVC. Fortunately, many companies make PVC free shoes. I was happy to find that many of these shoes are already in my closet including my husband's favorite brand of running shoes!

1. Adidas (learn more about them here) Their sandals the have EVA (Ethylene-vinyl acetate), rubber outsoles; their sneakers have molded EVA insoles and midsoles. I personally have a pair and love them. (Disclosure: I am including affiliate links in this pot for your convenience)