Week 19: Sunflowers

I grew up on a grain farm--corn and soy beans. I think there are equal parts of dirt and blood running through my veins. When I was a kid, maybe 6 or 7, I planted a sunflower garden. It was a huge, thick patch of sunflowers lining the fence in the backyard. It was beautiful and I was such the proud little gardener. The flowers flourished, blossomed, went to seed, and were returned to the soil. The next year, much to my farmer father's dismay, the fields were full of sunflowers. I moved away from that farm when I was 19, but there was still evidence of my first foray into flower gardening. Needless to say, I was never allowed to plant sunflowers again.

 The hat for week 19 pays homage to the sunflowers of my childhood. 

I made a plain brown hat with some lovely cotton yarn, then made several yellow petals and stitched them into place. It actually looks like a sunflower if you check it out from the aerial view. 

If I were to make this hat again, I would make another set of smaller petals to stitch on top of the other layer, to fill things in a bit. Alas, not enough time for that detail. I finished it at about 10pm Sunday night. We were staying with friends that night and I was very pleased because when my friend Janelle saw it, she immediately asked, "Is it a sunflower?"

We spent Sunday night with my friend Janelle--who I've known since kindergarten, her husband Nathan, and their adorable daughter, of giraffe hat fame. This picture was too, too, too cute. I have plans to display it at their wedding.

Here's the pattern for the hat: http://www.etsy.com/listing/75167848/baby-sunflower-hat-pattern-knit

And here's the link for the hat itself: http://www.etsy.com/listing/75169266/baby-sunflower-hat?ref=v1_other_1

Should you be interested.

Take care,

Kate