Sara In Akko

For some, the circus holds magical memories of childhood captivation and entrancement. For anyone who knows me well, they would probably guess that the razzle dazzle of the circus was simply not for me. The noise, the people, the enourmous tent and large animals are overwhelming to my sensibilities.

But this magical place- Peru Indiana- for me, has the makings of a circus I could wrap my mind around. The home of the circus hall of fame and the winter home of many of America's greats of the big-top, Peru is like a scene from some strange and slightly cautionary children's tale, a mesmerizing and curious world in a bygone time.

Some of my photos from the visit explain better than I ever could.

I'm not sure what it is that compels me to make my kid's costume instead of buying them. It just goes against my DIY nature. Also, I'm fairly sure I never had a store bought costume in my lifetime.

So here's the princess dress made entirely out of T-shirts.

I pulled this photo of a possible necklace remake a mere month ago from the Anthropologie online catalog but it has already been overpriced, marked down, clearanced and pushed aside. Time to make my own.

I have lamented before, but if you are new here you should know that my child is a "fancy" child. I'm learning to work with it.

After seeing a small strip of rainbow ribbon I'd been storing away in the stash, my 4 year old became wide eyed and full of delight.




Lo and behold, it was true. "Fancy Nancy, Every Day is Earth Day," features Nancy (or Mancy as she is known to us) with a rainbow headband. The kid already saw the supplies, how could her mother not agree to make one for her?


 Step 1). Draw a cloud shape and cut two from white felt.

Step 2). With white thread, stitch around the outside of your clouds.

Step 3). Draw interlocking hearts on one side of your clouds, break out the rainbow thread and start embroidering your pattern. Set aside for about 2 minutes to make headband.

Step 4). Measure your head to make sure it isn't much larger or smaller than my measurements. Press ends of ribbon about an inch (give or take) turning inward, *secure the elastic so that the final measurement of the headband will allow it to fit snugly on your head. Secure your embroidered cloud to side of headband.

*the elastic only peeks out a few inches at the bottom but should be strong enough to keep your hair back and the ribbon on your head.

When visiting the States a few months back I was drawn to quite a few retail items that should clearly be craft-it yourself projects in the making. One perfect example, these silly yet ingenious earmuff headband wraps found at Target (sorry about the shoddy camera phone picture).

My husband literally had to pull me out of the accessories aisle to stop me from buying them for a ridiculous $20, if I recall correctly. And then came the magic words..."Why don't you just make them?"

Wait, did my husband really just green-light a whole new project to *sit dormant around the house until my creative juices lulled me back toward the memory of how badly I wanted this thing again? Why yes. I do believe he did.

*Expected completion time for any given project can be months or hours depending on how long my adrenaline and interest carry me. I hear some people find this quirky and endearing.


So here's a free pattern for the Crocheted Earmuff Headband
*Warning this is my first pattern so bare with me and let me know if you find mistakes also, if you've ever crocheted anything, you probably can eyeball this project and crochet it by instinct fairly easily.



Materials
Bulky or Extra Bulky Weight Yarn (way less than one ball will do)
5.5 MM "I" or even "J" crochet hook  (Check your gauge hooks on preference)
Craft needle 

Notes: You can either work continually in rounds or Slip-stitch your final stitch to your first in the row and Chain 3 to count as first Double Crochet stepping up in your next row (my example steps up each row). Also, I used a fairly bulky acrylic which gave a finished size of about 4 inches or 10 cm diameter, they're one size fits most unless you'd like them bigger or smaller.

Earmuff (make 2)
Starting: Either Chain 3 and return to first loop to start or create Magic Circle.
Round 1: Double Crochet 10 into loop (10 stitches total)
Round 2: 2 DC in each stitch (20 total)
Round 3: *2 DC in first stitch 1 DC in next, repeat from* (30 total)
Round 4: *2 DC in first stitch 1 DC in next 2 stitches, repeat* (40 total)
Round 5: *1 DC in first 2 stitches, 1 Decrease in next, repeat* (30 total)
Slip-stitch to finish and weave in ends.

Headband (make 1)
Chain 36 (or check length you need from ear to ear, chain to that length)
Row 1: Double Crochet in each stitch, work in round (both sides of stitch) for 2 rows of 36 DC.
Continue around until reaching desired thickness. Slipstitch to finish ends.

*For my some one round is enough but you can continue with another "Round" of 36 DC on each side until you reach desired thickness of band. I chose this method so I have clear front and back to the headband to hold better to the top of the head as the edges curve in a bit.

Ties (make 2)
Make a simple 3 or 5 strand braid of about 8 inches to attach to bottom of of each earmuff, you can finish with a simple knot or a pompom if you're feeling extra cheeky.



Assembling All the Pieces: Check the crown of your head measurement one more time for final placement for each round earmuff piece and then stitch securely. Find bottom center stitch of each earmuff and secure braid. Have fun dancing around your house wearing your new creation because if you live where I do this is too extreme for the sweater weather we are experiencing and if you live somewhere with real winter like the Weather Channel  describes I can't imagine you would dream of going outside. Stay in and make another pair for your spouse, or a miniature pair for your cats, or some for the kids. Whichever creative drive strikes you.