Red, White & Blue Beanie

I've been holding off on posting this hat because I didn't want to ruin the surprise, but I think I should be safe now, as I dropped it in the mail yesterday. I made this little visor beanie as a thank you gift for a photographer friend who took photos of us last week for E's first birthday. The pictures turned out amazing. I'm not normally the sappy type, but I think I actually teared up when I first saw them.

In any case, her daughter is really into all things Americana, so when I saw this yarn at the store, I couldn't resist buying it to make something for her. It's self striping, which was nice because it meant almost no loose ends to weave in, although it did make for some wonky "stair-step" effects in the striping. But I think I'm the only one really anal retentive enough to notice. I also struggled with the sizing because I have no idea how big kids' heads are, other than my own, and that's only because I can take a tape measure to her.

This week, my in-laws are here visiting, so I'm hoping to get some extra craftiness in since I'll have lots of help with the baby. Oh, and just as a bonus, here's one of my favorite pictures from our photo shoot last week.