Getting Sneaky with Birthday Presents

As a homeschooling mom who loved handmade gifting, I find that I hit a little snag when it comes to gifts for my daughter.  Since she is home all day with me and I am pretty tired come 8:00 when she is in bed I have to find ways to get creative with how and when I can make her gifts.

Take this adorable hat I just finished.

She thinks I made this for my friend's little girl....when in reality it is for her birthday all along.  She fell in love with this hat pattern when I made it for my other friends little girl and kept saying how much she wanted one too.  I decided then and there to work one up for her for her birthday but needed a way to do it without her knowing.  So I asked her to design a hat that a girl her age would love under the pretext that it would be for my friend's daughter, I know some people might gasp at that BUT I want her to be surprised with her gifts so I had to think of something that she would believe and still be able to try it on her without her asking too many questions.   I had her pick out the yarn, the colors, and the buttons.  She knows this little girl is a lot like her so I told her to just pick something she would love because we both knew that little girl would love that too. :)  

I wanted to add two more rows to the hat but my daughter liked it the way it was because if she tilts it back, a little more of her forehead is exposed and if she wears it like this its a shorter hat.  Since it was going to be for her, I let her call the shots on it. I am going to make another one with the called for hook for her to wear for Christmas photos {I am making one for me as well}, that way it will have the more retro vintage cloche feel. 

Pattern for the hat can be found here. 

I worked up the child size but used a 4.00 hook and took out the last two rows.  I did this because A.  I knew my daughter was looking for a hat that fit snug but not too snug that she could not pin back the top part of her hair to get it out of her face when wearing this hat.  B. She told me she wanted it to be shorter and more loose fitting as I was trying it on her as I worked it up. She loves the way it fits and told me after trying it on and snapping a few quick pics {which is totally normal because I like to take photos of all my projects} that she wanted a hat that fit/looked just like this. 

I guess its her lucky day because in a few short weeks this hat will be all hers. :)

This hat pattern works up super quick and on the web posting their are directions for many sizes.  Perfect for family photos or quick and easy holiday/birthday gifts.