Unforgettable

My new Unforgettable Slouch is here. It's a quick, versatile pattern that will become your new staple accessory. I have big plans for the new year so I hope you'll agree that it's off to a good start.



Ravelry: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/unforgettable-slouch
Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/listing/262914148/crochet-pattern-unforgettable-slouch
Craftsy: http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/crocheting/accessory/unforgettable-slouch/184343

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Baby Top Hat - Free Crochet Pattern

Halloween. It's one of my favorite holidays. Not in a dark way, but in an I'm-so-excited-it's-Fall-and-the-holidays-are-about-to-start sort of way. Also, candy.

This year I've been getting some really fun costume requests from my friends. I'm up for a challenge and for making something new so I can't help but say yes.

One of my friends just had a baby and they're doing a Thomas the Train family costume theme. The baby gets to be Sir Toppem Hat, so naturally she needed his namesake accessory. That's where I came in.

I made it up as I went and decided to write it down for you. This is an easily adaptable pattern. Feel free to play with it, make it bigger, smaller, shorter, taller, add a hat band, a flower, or a button... whatever! Just make it yours. Upload it to my Ravelry page so we can all see. And be sure to give it heart so you can find it later.

Yes, that's a lot of single crocheting... but look how cute!

Click the "PRINT FRIENDLY" button at the top of the page to download and print the full pattern. Or find it on my Ravelry page. Here's some quick info for you:

MATERIALS:

• Worsted weight yarn (10 ply/8 wpi): 1.8 - 2.5 oz
• US G-6 / 4.00 mm crochet hook

FINISHED SIZE:

• Newborn - 12” around
• Bigger babies - up to 18” around (9-12 months)

play hard ... play hooky

Don't think of it as Monday...

Think of it as PATTERN DAY!!

I'm so excited to finally bring you my first design of 2015... the Snowdrift Slouch.

Swirl, twist, roll… whatever you call it, you NEED this hat. It’s as fun to make as it is to wear. Versatile, cozy and comfy, with undeniable style. Make it in a solid color or with a color pop. Just make it your own today!

Here's your chance to enter to win a free copy of my new Snowdrift Slouch pattern:

Follow this link to Pin the picture to the left.
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/109071622201360202/

Then head over to my Facebook post and leave your Pinterest ID.

Tomorrow (1/13) I'll pick FIVE random winners from all the entries to win a free copy of the Snowdrift Slouch pattern (or another pattern from my shop if you already have it)!

  

  

play hard ... play hooky

Big new design, little bit of madness

Sure you can skip ahead to the pictures, but I'm in a particularly verbose (word of the day) mood. If you have the time, this is the story all about how my life got flipped-turned upside down... wait no. This is the first look at my new design, the Boulder Beanie, and just how trying being a designer can be sometimes, but in the end it's totally worth it.

I was awake at 3:30 the morning of my son's first day of kindergarten. It was a mixture of nerves for his first full day of school, mentally running through my to-do list, and my brain throwing me random 90s TV theme songs. Some of them are still stuck in my head.

Either way I got up at 5 motivated to get through my list before anyone else in the house was up. I folded laundry, cooked breakfast, cleaned the living room, packed my son's lunch, checked email... you get the idea. By 6:30 the sun was starting to light my backyard and it became the perfect place to take pictures.

I pulled out my tripod, attached my remote shutter, drug my wooden bench half-way across my yard, and started blindly shooting, and shooting, and shooting. Hoping that if I took enough pictures I'd get at least a few keepers.

Backing up a little... I'd first had the idea last winter, just not the time to work on it. So this Spring I finally attempted it. Fail. It was ok, but it wasn't what I saw in my head. I knew I could try to force the design, but instead I put it on the shelf and took a break over the summer. 

The break was exactly what I needed. I spent a lot of time playing with my kids, I read a little, and my house was actually clean on a regular basis. About a month ago inspiration finally hit. So I dusted off my hooks. That's when I found out just how many different ways there are NOT to make this design.

I changed everything, EVERYTHING about this design more than a few times. Yarn weight, hook size, colorwork, multiples, stitch counts, brim styles... it goes on. Welcome to my world.

Here're just a few of my failed attempts. I didn't take pictures of most of them. I just couldn't. Warning: bad phone pics and unfinished hats coming your way...

Yuck. I can't bare to make this picture any bigger.

It was only when my in-laws came to my house for the weekend that I finally had the best idea yet and the day to devote to it (a huge thanks to my awesome mother-in-law, Karen, for letting me work while she played with her grandkids). It came together seamlessly in the end, the way it was meant to. Not forced, just easy. So without any more rambling, I proudly give you my first design for Fall 2014...

the Boulder Beanie

This mah Abercrombie shot... now all I need are the half-naked guys.

It comes in a kids size too

I hope you liked my little preview and look into my sometimes crazy life. Let me know what you think of my new Boulder Beanie. It's coming out Monday, 8/25 so get ready!

play hard ... play hooky

HE WORE IT!!!

An idea... thousands of messages... a year and a half... one country singer... the dream came true!

Zac Brown honoring my daughter Bryn by wearing the hat I made him.

I'm in tears and a bit of shock as I write this. Forgive me if my words are inadequate.

It started a year and a half ago on a particularly hard day. I had just released my Shockwave Beanie pattern and the picture I posted of my husband reminded one fan of Zac Brown. She had the crazy idea of sending him a hat in hope that he would wear it in memory of my daughter Bryn. The idea grew and became a campaign. My family, friends, and of course my fans got involved and flooded the band's Facebook page, Twitter, and website asking for a response. 

We waited, but never heard back. And I was ok with that. Maybe a little disappointed, but the point of the whole thing was to remember Bryn and help lift my spirits during an impossibly difficult time. You did that tenfold, so for me it was already in part a success.

Back to my amazing fans. A few very dedicated and loving people continued on the hunt to find someone, anyone, who could get the hat in Zac Brown's hands. A full year later, one found success. I got in touch with a friend of Zac's who volunteered to do whatever he could to help. I immediately made two new hats to send, the original Shockwave and an Avalanche, to give him a choice. I also couldn't resist making a matching one for his baby boy on the way. 

More waiting. I thought about the campaign off and on, I'd get the occasional message that someone saw him wearing my beanie only to find out that it wasn't. But again, I was honored to have come so far with the dream. 

Yesterday it came true. I got a message of another sighting and I thought, "here it comes, another false alarm." I watched the video and as the camera panned in I thought, this might be it but it was still too far away. And then I saw it. Instantly I had tears running down my cheeks through my smile. I felt overwhelming joy knowing that he was giving Bryn this little shoutout. For a brief moment, she touched his life too. It was like an inside secret and the feeling is indescribable. I feel like I'm on the cover of the Rolling Stone!!!

Thank you's seem trivial, but they truly come from my heart to the woman with the idea, the fans who jumped in, the woman who wouldn't give up, the man who volunteered, and of course Zac Brown himself.

It still amazes and overwhelms me that so many people did all they could to make this one idea happen. It's a testament to the caring and support of our little community. And it was for my girl. Even though Bryn's not here, her spirit will continue to bring smiles, love, and sparkles forever. She and God are definitely watching me smile today. Mommy loves you more than candy.

Find out more...

• The original campaign
• One year later and the hats I sent
• Playin' Hooky with ZBB in the Rolling Stone (the video)
• The news on the official ZBB website

play hard ~ play hooky

Colorado Love

I've lived in Colorado for almost 10 years now. I got married here, had my babies here, bought my first house here. Even so, I've struggled to feel like a true Coloradan (maybe that's because I'm from Texas). Sure, the mountains are pretty gorgeous, watching snow fall is almost magical, seeing people walk around town in ski boots is good for a laugh, and I definitely don't miss sticking to my car seat in the middle of summer. So maybe I do belong here. One thing that I do know is that for me, all of the things that I love about my new home state are encompassed in this one simple beanie.

The traditional CO flag background color is blue, but I have big plans to make one in every color! Here's a start. Ok, you got me, this one's blue. But it's heathered and I love how it gives it a vintage feel! Just watch out. One day this summer, you'll see a picture of me wearing this beanie on the top of a fourteener (my first ever)!

Buy stuff: 

Get the pattern.

Or get your own beanie - what color would you choose?

play hard... play hooky

Zaggy Beanie Relaunch

I took a break from updating my patterns during the holiday season, but I'm back to it! This week it's all about the Zaggy, the what? The ZAGGY! (sorry for the nerd alert).

I picked the Zaggy as my next update simply because I had an order for it so I could easily change the format, check the gauge, add more detailed pattern instructions and tutorials. Plus, it's REALLY fun to make!

If you don't already have the pattern, you can get it in any of my shops. BUT if you check it out on Ravelry use the code HOOKYZAGGY for a special discount through noon on Tuesday (2/18).

Here's what's new:
- Detailed materials required, including yarn amounts
- Corrected gauge measurements
- Updated Photo tutorials
- Added area for you to write notes

 (PS - I made the purple hat, photographed it, and edited pics this morning all in under TWO hours! Whew!)

These hats were all made by my awesome testers! They make my patterns look good!

Where to buy:

• Ravelry: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/zaggy-beanie---kids or http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/zaggy-beanie---adults
• Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/PlayinHookyDesigns
• Craftsy: http://www.craftsy.com/user/176644/pattern-store
• Website: http://www.playinhookydesigns.com/#!product/prd1/194516911/zaggy-beanie---crochet-pattern

* If you already have the pattern, you get the update for free! Past Ravelry & Craftsy buyers should receive an update automatically. Past Etsy & website buyers, please pm or email me your order number so I can send you your update.

PLAY HARD ... PLAY HOOKY

Saturday Daily Deal

SATURDAY DAILY DEAL

20% off any beanie when you shop my website. Just use the code HOOKYSATURDAY when you checkout!

http://www.playinhookydesigns.com/

WEEKEND SALE

Are you in search of my patterns?

Use the code HOOKYHOLIDAYS for 30% every individual pattern in my Ravelry shop through Sunday.

http://www.ravelry.com/designers/liz-mcqueen

play hard ~ play hooky

ZBB and Playin' Hooky, a year in the making

UPDATE: The hats have been delivered! They arrived in Tennessee on 11/30 to Zac's friend. I don't know when he'll see him next, but at least I know the packaged made it!

If you've been with me for a while, you know that I lost my oldest daughter, Bryn, a month after her 5th birthday. You may also know that on a particularly hard day, I started a campaign to get Zac Brown to wear one of my hats. All because of a comment on this picture of my husband Colin wearing my (then) newest design, the Shockwave Beanie.

We worked hard and SO many of you posted, tweeted, and emailed the band letting them know that you wanted him to help remember my Bryn. But, we couldn't break through. No doubt he gets thousands of messages a day, so we can't be mad!

Recently I've been in touch with a fan who had some great news. She had dinner with her parents and their friend, a man who is friends with ZBB, and even stays in one of Zac's houses when he's in town. I was stunned. A year later and I thought I would never really get in contact with anyone this close. But it's real! So I got to work.

I remade the Shockwave from the picture along with an Avalanche Beanie that I thought was his style but also a little different than what he normally wears. I also couldn't resist making a matching one for his baby boy when he arrives!

  

Making the hats was the easy part. Writing the letter was a much harder thing to do. It's still very hard to talk about losing Bryn. But this morning, I was feeling strong enough to put into words what I was feeling.

I wrote the letter on the back of a collage I made with Bryn's pictures...

and sent everything on its way to Tennessee.

Thank you so much for all your love, support, posts, and tweets! It means more to me than I can say.

If I hear anything, I'll keep you posted. And if you see anything about it, let me know (I tend to be be out of the loop and the last one to know about things, haha)!

play hard ~ play hooky

Release the Hounds(tooth)

If you've been following me on Facebook, you may know that I've started re-testing and updating my patterns. It'll be a long haul to finish them and even though going cross-eyed is definitely a possibility, I've had a lot of fun going back to them so far. Each pattern's facelift involves a full upgrade to my new pattern format and a detailed re-test by me and my testers. My Avalanche Beanie and Along Came a Spider Beanie were the first to get the upgrade.

Avalanche - Adults Along Came a Spider Avalanche - Kids

Until my Houndstooth Beanie I haven't needed to make any major updates, but that changed with one word... EARFLAPS! A friend put the idea in my mind and I knew instantly that I wanted to try it. I started on them that night and had them perfected by the next morning. They worked up so effortlessly that I can't believe it took me this long to try it. I hope you love them! They are available in the Toddlers, Kids and Adults sizes. Here are the other updates you can expect to see in the new pattern: * NEW options: Earflaps and Adults slouchy instructions * Detailed materials, including yarn amounts * Corrected gauge measurements * Added size for babies * Updated photo tutorials * Added space for you to write notes

Get a copy of the pattern: Ravelry Use the code HOOKYHOUNDSTOOTH in my Ravelry shop today (10/17) to get a special discount! Craftsy Etsy My Website Get your own custom beanie: My Website Etsy

If you've already bought a pattern, you get the update for free - with all the updated information! Past Ravelry & Craftsy buyers will receive an update automatically. Etsy & mywebsite don't have an option to update past buyers, so please pm or email me your order number so I can send you your update. Coming next: Big Waffle & Old School Beanie updates PLAY HARD ~ PLAY HOOKY

Eddyline Sunhat, Headband, & Belt Pattern is here!

Thank you for all your support during this round of Design Wars. Your votes, comments, and shares have made this a great experience and I've learned a lot. I appreciate you sticking with me to the end!

The final results (I don't even know who won yet and it's killing me!) will be posted on the DW blog tomorrow, but you can also see who won in the newsletter, set to go out any minute! Be the first one to know - sign up NOW!

To celebrate the end of a great competition, my Eddyline Pattern is now available! And do you want even better news? The first 20 copies sold on Ravelry are 30% off with the code EDDYLINE. Hurry because I have a feeling they won't last long!
** Update - all 20 sale copies are already gone!! THANK YOU! **

Here's where to get your copy:
Ravelry
Etsy
Craftsy

And now for some eye candy. Here are some of the amazing shots taken by my photographer, Jess at Jlight Photography (and a few I took)...

And the winner is...

Voting for Design Wars 3 is now closed! Thank you so much for all your support, votes, shares, and comments! No matter what the final outcome, you made this a really fun experience for me.

While we wait for the winning design & Red Heart prize pack winner to be announced, I wanted to announce the winners of my little giveaway! If you don't see your name, it's ok, I saved something special for you on the big pattern release day, tomorrow!

AND THE WINNERS ARE...

Free copy of the Eddyline Sunhat, Headband, and Belt Pattern:

• Amy H.
• Brooke C.
• Elizabeth A.
• Martha A.
• Tiffany V.

Eddyline Crochet Kit:

• Holly N.

Custom Word Disc:

• Sarah K.

Playin' Hooky T-shirt:

• Heidi J.

Congratulations!! All the winners have been emailed so be sure to check your inbox if you think it could be you! Stay tuned for the pattern release tomorrow and for a fun surprise to help me celebrate the long-awaited release of the pattern!

PLAY HARD ~ PLAY HOOKY

Design Wars Bribes... ehr I mean Giveaway!

That's right, I have stooped to bribing you for your votes. Well, actually it's just an incentive to keep coming back. If you haven't already heard, I'm involved in this round of Design Wars!! The final reveals have been announced and voting has begun. In fact, you can vote every 12 hours until voting closes!

Here's what you can win:

• 5 winners will get a FREE copy of my Eddyline Sunhat Pattern when it's published
• 1 winner will get to make their own Eddyline with a crochet kit! Includes a copy of the pattern plus up to 4 balls of Red Heart Creme de la Creme yarn (colors vary by availability)
• 1 winner can customize their own word disc, made by me! What would you say?
• NEW: 1 winner will get their own Playin' Hooky T-shirt - winner chooses between fitted/unisex, colors, & size!

Scroll through the pictures on the giveaway widget to the right to see what you can win. Don't forget this is all about Design Wars 3, so make sure you visit the blog to see the other amazing designs and vote for mine *cough* I mean your favorite! ;)

PLAY HARD ~ PLAY HOOKY

Evolution of a Graph

I've had a lot of fun creating graphs to go along with the Graph Beanie Pattern! And thank you for all your suggestions and seeing hats you've made from the pattern - keep them coming! I definitely have more ideas than time to do all of them. I made the decision to test every graph I release, and for some reason, my new TMNT graph has given me a few problems along the way. BUT, this shows you why I take the extra time to test each and every graph. I want it to be the best it can be and sometimes that means going through several drafts to get to the final product! Some of the differences are subtle, but combined, they make a big difference from the first to the last versions. :)

1. Obviously not right - one eye is all wonky
2. The wonky eye is better, but I don't like that he's looking to the side. I also didn't like the overall shape of the eyes
3. So I started completely over with the graph design. I like the shape of the eyes, thought it was right until I took some pictures of the hat on my son. The eyes are too far apart and it looked more like a bug than a turtle
4. Moved the eyes closer, but forgot ad moved them an odd number of rows - the eye went wonky again.
5. YEAH! EUREKA!!

the "bug" TMNT

This is why it sometimes takes me a while to get it right, haha. But I'll either get it right or scrap the graph, so you always know you're getting a quality pattern!! 

PLAY HARD ~ PLAY HOOKY