Kristi Simpson of RAKJpatterns has a new book that was released April 1, 2014! Her hands have been on fire! That is good news for us fiber artisans though because this book just like the last does not disappoint! So here it is!
Mommy & Me Crocheted Hats by Kristi Simpson was published by Stackpole Books and can be found on their website here. There is also an awesome preview of the book available there too. I was really excited today when my son came in carrying my book from the mail. He was just as excited as I was! He sat down and "read" the book first and showed me each and every hat he would like to add to his collection.
My Experience With Crochet (Snapshot)
I am still a very, very new crocheter. Some patterns still absolutely leave me stymied. I am all about patterns that are easy to follow that produce a very polished and beautiful end result. The longer you spend trying to figure out a pattern the more you could be crocheting (in my opinion) so ease of use is a big deal to me. I can complete technical patterns and have a good grasp of crochet and the art of it. I have been crocheting for three years and I am a huge fan of Kristi Simpson's designs. They have always been my go to patterns so when she announced a book was in the works I did a little happy dance!
Breakdown Of The Book
This book is geared towards sets of hats. Not a Mommy? Don't take the title too seriously! There are Grannies, Daddies featured too! The main thing though is there are thirty patterns in the book and because it is sets of hats it includes MULTIPLE SIZES for each hat! That is definitely a WOOO! So each of the patterns has several sizes to choose from. Even if your little ones are not so little anymore or you have no intention on ever making an adult sized hat there is a pattern size for you. I love this about the books. I've seen some books that have a few great patterns but only in a single size and that just makes me sad! The book has detailed instructions on how to complete each stitch just in case you need a handy reference while you are working. There are also full page photos of each of the completed projects as well as smaller photos showing detail and special techniques. Best of all is all of the photos are in full color which makes it so much easier to follow. I am a visual learner and having good photos helps so much more than a page of text. Speaking of text- Kristi has a great writing style. The patterns are always super easy to follow and the use of abbreviations is kept to a minimum which means the ease of use is a maximized.
I have worked up many of the hats in the book. Everyone from beginning crocheters to the most advanced will be satisfied by the patterns in this book. While they are simple and complicated verbiage is kept to a minimum the finished products are very well designed and they turn out really well. I am usually crocheting in chaos so being able to follow a pattern without the need to mar my book or figure out some way to mark my place on my computer, phone or Kindle while I go is always a plus for me. Also, with Kristi's first book she offered to autograph any book that was sent to her. It may be worth your while to see if she is honoring that with book two. Get the books autographed! She will be famous some day! Mark my words! (I am also a huge fan of having authors autograph their books.)
My Projects From The Book
I find it really helpful to see work that others have done from the patterns sometimes. Because I am still such a newbie to crochet seeing work that was not done by a designer who obviously knows their own work is super helpful. It gives me some inspiration and confidence too! So with that here are some of my finished projects from the book:
I will admit I have a bit of a soft spot for animal hats. I have two young kids and a gaggle of nephews and nieces and they are all fans of animals. This is the Horse Hat. I made this for my husband's cousin who was visiting from out of state. He loves horses and when he got this hat he was so excited! He definitely knew exactly what it was and was totally in love with this cutie! The nose is actually puffy and stands out from the hat with I also love. 3D Can be so much fun in crochet.
This little sleeping beauty is modeling the Thick & Thin Hat. I was so excited to finish it I put it right on her while she was asleep. What was super exciting was just how fast this works up! If you have ever worked with TnT yarn you know it goes fast. This was no exception. If you have not worked with TnT this pattern is absolutely fantastic and I love it. I especially love that border is in a contrasting yarn because it really shows off the artistic touch of the TnT- and it allows for a cute button stack to not get lost in the work. I have a few more of these on my to-do list! (Hopefully with some of my own handspun TnT yarn!)
My little model once again. She is modeling the Ocean Air Cloche. It is my favorite hat from the book. I love it. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it! It is the perfect hat for any occasion. You can dress it up or down or vary the color or the look of the yarn to wear it with anything from a nice dress to a pair of jeans and rain boots. I do also live in California so a lightweight hat is a must have wardrobe staple. It can be worn summer, winter, spring and fall! It is nice and warm but airy enough that your head stays cool. It is also very chic and feminine which I really love too. I picked a few yarns today to make a few more of these hats! Plus they work up quick! Which also means it is perfect for the shop owner! You can make it in many colors and sizes as a great stock item!
How super cute is this? This is the Giggles and Twirls Hat. It is a really funky and amusing hat to work up and wear! I love the little twirls the most but the design is different and has a great look to it. The rows give it great texture and the shape makes it really unusual. It is super cute. My son thinks it is really silly and likes to play with it more than my daughter can actually wear it. He especially likes to put it on his head and fling the twirls around. Silly kids. It looks like he needs his own.
More About the Book, Author & My Involvement
I can't say that this book is the easiest crochet book I have ever seen because Kristi's first book Sweet & Simple Baby Crochet is just as easy. If you have not seen the review of that book it is right here. This book is really awesome. There are no professional models used in the book. Every person who is featured is a real person. They are not airbrushed or photoshopped to be perfect and there is no over posing. What you will find is refreshingly awesome. Real, honest and often silly. The people modeling the hats could be your neighbor, teacher at school, teller at the bank or classmates/ playmates of your own children. I love this about the book. The poses are the real deal. Real honest interactions between the subjects. I can honestly say I can't look at the photos without getting a huge smile on my face.
Kristi Simpson is the creative half of RAKJpatterns. There are over 100,000 copies of her patterns in circulation right now. I would say she is pretty popular! Hard not to be when your work is stylish, functional, adorably cute and EASY to make! She started her business as a crocheter and then started selling patterns. She is a true inspiration. Her website is here . Believe me you want to memorize it or bookmark it! I have established a great blossoming friendship with her and I feel very fortunate to call her a friend. She is really remarkable and the fact that she has done so much is really remarkable. I probably would not have stuck with crochet if it was not for her to be honest. Unfortunately for me I live about two thousand miles away. I am a big supporter of small business and while RAKJpatterns is growing but is still run by a husband and wife team. I think that is so great. I will definitely continue my support! In the last three years I have been very excited about new designs because there is never a lack of creativity or innovation when it comes to Kristi's designs.
Oh, did I mention the backgrounds are fake? Yep, pretty much all of them. It gives the book a whole new cool factor. Kristi did all of the photography for the book. She was working without her own studio (but I hear it is in the works now!) so the best option was to add the backgrounds post production. Kristi asked me if I would help in that manner in addition to testing patterns and I of course obliged! How cool is that?! I had such a wonderful time working through all of the photos. It says a lot of I am still looking back at the photos in the book with a smile on my face after pouring my heart and soul in to editing them a few months ago. You will seriously fall in love with the patterns and the sweet models that are featured in the book. I can't wait to see what is next!
I can't say that this book is the easiest crochet book I have ever seen because Kristi's first book Sweet & Simple Baby Crochet is just as easy. If you have not seen the review of that book it is right here. This book is really awesome. There are no professional models used in the book. Every person who is featured is a real person. They are not airbrushed or photoshopped to be perfect and there is no over posing. What you will find is refreshingly awesome. Real, honest and often silly. The people modeling the hats could be your neighbor, teacher at school, teller at the bank or classmates/ playmates of your own children. I love this about the book. The poses are the real deal. Real honest interactions between the subjects. I can honestly say I can't look at the photos without getting a huge smile on my face.
Kristi Simpson is the creative half of RAKJpatterns. There are over 100,000 copies of her patterns in circulation right now. I would say she is pretty popular! Hard not to be when your work is stylish, functional, adorably cute and EASY to make! She started her business as a crocheter and then started selling patterns. She is a true inspiration. Her website is here . Believe me you want to memorize it or bookmark it! I have established a great blossoming friendship with her and I feel very fortunate to call her a friend. She is really remarkable and the fact that she has done so much is really remarkable. I probably would not have stuck with crochet if it was not for her to be honest. Unfortunately for me I live about two thousand miles away. I am a big supporter of small business and while RAKJpatterns is growing but is still run by a husband and wife team. I think that is so great. I will definitely continue my support! In the last three years I have been very excited about new designs because there is never a lack of creativity or innovation when it comes to Kristi's designs.
Oh, did I mention the backgrounds are fake? Yep, pretty much all of them. It gives the book a whole new cool factor. Kristi did all of the photography for the book. She was working without her own studio (but I hear it is in the works now!) so the best option was to add the backgrounds post production. Kristi asked me if I would help in that manner in addition to testing patterns and I of course obliged! How cool is that?! I had such a wonderful time working through all of the photos. It says a lot of I am still looking back at the photos in the book with a smile on my face after pouring my heart and soul in to editing them a few months ago. You will seriously fall in love with the patterns and the sweet models that are featured in the book. I can't wait to see what is next!
I will likely elaborate more later and add more photos. :) Just give me a few days with my new book to allow for some inspiration to happen!
