Simple Hats

A friend of mine asked me to make two hats for her daughters for Christmas. One of them loves blue and the other loves purple.

These hats are so simple I can't believe it.  You just chain 41, then you turn.  Single crochet in second chain from hook, then all the way across.  Ch 1, then turn.

You do this until you have 90 rows.  Then you sew the two short edges together using the same yarn you crocheted with.  Now you have a tube.

Take a long piece of yarn on a yarn needle, between the 8th and 9th row from the top, beginning by the seam, you weave in and out of the rows until you get to the seam again, then you cinch it tight and tie it off.  Don't cut the ends.  You need to pull them to the inside of the hat and weave them into the crochet.  Then clip off the ends.

I embellished these hats with flowers that I purchased from JoAnn Fabrics, because I wanted them to be removable for laundering purposes.  I also crocheted ribbons from other yarns to decorate the tops of the hats.

I think they turned out pretty well.  What do you think?


- Momma Cat

What is a Bed Jacket?

Momma Cat tells me that there was a time when every classy and modest lady owned a bed jacket, lest someone see her in her nightie when she is sick and confined to her bed. While I would prefer not to let people see me at all when I am sick, I think bed jackets are really pretty and are great for keeping you cozy while reading or crafting late at night!

This is a classic knitted bed jacket pattern that Momma Cat and I found with my Grandma's knitting and crocheting stuff.

Grandma's Bed Jacket Pattern

And here I am, demonstrating the proper way to wear a bed jacket by modeling the one I just made from Grandma's pattern:

For those of you who were wondering: yes, my hair and makeup do look this good when I am sick. (Just kidding!)

And speaking of cute vintage patterns, Momma Cat found this really cool book at the library. It is called  "A Stitch in Time" and has original patterns dating back to 1920 through 1949, along with more recent interpretations of the same patterns. I haven't made anything from it yet, but I think I photocopied about half the book before giving it back to Momma Cat!

-Baby Cat

A Stitch in Time

Thrifty Cottage Find

Last weekend, during the St. Agatha Holiday Bazaar, I took some time to check out Thrifty Cottage.  Thrifty Cottage is a thrift shop owned and operated by St. Agatha Parish.  The proceeds go toward the maintenance of the parish church and school.  

Thrifty Cottage always has a sale within the Holiday Bazaar.  They have a room off  the main floor of the Bazaar where there are always bargains galore!  Almost every year we find something there that we can use for displays, or for our own Christmas decorating.  

This year I found this little darling.  

Zapf Baby Doll

This doll was laying on a shelf with several other, and I almost passed her by.  I just picked her up on a lark, and was surprised at how nice she was.  She's obviously been played with, but there's hardly a mark on her.  

She's a 19 inch Zapf baby doll, made in Germany.  The clothes she has on don't appear to be original, as there are no tags.  In fact, they look hand-made, but very well done.  But that doesn't bother me at all.  One of the reasons I bought her was because I was looking for a doll to crochet/sew clothing for.    This one's perfect.  She's got a soft body, vinyl arms, vinyl partial legs, and vinyl head.  She has sleep eyes, and painted on hair.    

Now the real question is, will I be unable to part with her once I've created a new wardrobe for her, or will I sell her?  

I guess we'll all just have to wait and see.  

-Momma Cat

Holiday Bazaar Great Success!

Baby Cat and I are so happy!  We had a great weekend at the St. Agatha Holiday Bazaar.  Not only did we get to spend time together, we got to see many friends and family members.  Which, to us, is the best part of the Bazaar scene anyway.  

Here's a photo of me and Baby Cat together at our table.

Baby Cat and Momma Cat at the 2012 Holiday Bazaar

 You can see that Baby Cat is wearing her Laughing Cat t-shirt.  Doesn't it look great?  

Here's a photo of some of the afghans that my brother made for us to sell.  My brother was instrumental in teaching me how to crochet when I was just a kid.  He and his wife both crochet, but he's the one who makes most of the afghans!

My brother's afghans and my bags

This year I came up with a star ornament made out of felt.  I really liked them, so I made a lot of them and hung them on trees on our table.  I guess everyone else liked them too, because I sold a lot! 

Star Ornaments

 Here's a photo of me and my good friend.  She and her husband were the first ones to visit and purchase some of the items we had for sale.  You can see how much stuff Baby Cat and I made.  And that's not even all of it!

My first visitor at the Holiday Bazaar

We also found some treasures to buy from other vendors.  Baby Cat and I both bought earrings, Baby Cat bought a hat, and I bought these two cute monster pillows for my two Baby Cats to have at college to remind them of their crazy Momma Cat.

Pink Monster Pillow

Blue Monster Pillow

Baby Cat and I are working on new ideas for future bazaars, so if you have an idea for us, drop us an email, or leave a comment on this post.  

Thanks again to all the friends and family members that came by to see us during the Bazaar!  We certainly appreciate your continued support!

With Love,


-Momma Cat