Dec1

The Last of the Hats

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These two large hats are for sale. Both have rolled edges, and both are suitable for adults. Each costs $13, including postage.

These two large hats are for sale. Both have rolled edges, and both are suitable for people over the age of five (depending on head size). Each costs $13, including postage.

I’m not making any more hats for a long time. I’ve reached this decision for a number of reasons.

#1 Yarn takes up storage space. While yarn doesn’t weigh much, it does take up space. Of course, living in a van, my storage space is limited. I’ve decided drawers or bags full of yarn is not space well used.

#2 The completed hats take up up space too. I have a bag intended to store a sleeping bag stuffed with handmade hats. It’s shoved in my passenger seat area. I could probably do something better with the space.

These two extra large hats have rolled edges and are suitable for adults with a large head or lots of hear. Each has a rolled edge and costs $13, including postage.

These two extra-large hats have rolled edges and are suitable for people with a large head or lots of hair. Each costs $13, including postage.

#3 Yarn cost money. Sure, I buy most of my yarn at thrift stores, so I’m getting bargains. However, a bargain is not really a bargain when I’m buying something I don’t need.

#4 I’m not really selling enough hats to make creating them worth the effort. Yes, I sell a hat every now and again, and that’s awesome. But months go by between hat sales and the hats just sit in their bag and take up precious space.

#5 A friend in New Mexico sells my hats while she is out selling the jewelry she makes, but frankly, it’s not worth the cost of sending the hats to her. It costs me about $1 per hat to mail them to my friend. She sells the hats for $10 each, keeps $5 for herself and sends $5 to me. Making $4 per hat means I’m earning around $2 per hour to make the hats. The amount of money is just not worth my effort.

These two extra large hats have rolled edges and are suitable for people with large heads or a lot of hair. Each costs $13, including postage. The hat on the right has a whimsical pompom on the front.

These two extra-large hats have rolled edges and are suitable for people with large heads or a lot of hair. Each costs $13, including postage. The hat on the right has a whimsical pompom on the front.

Of course, I enjoy making the hats. I enjoy making the hats so much, I’ve given similar handmade hats to friends. I have given my handmade hats to friends I suspect will never wear them. The joy I get from making the hats is simply not greater than the money I spend to make them and the space I lose hauling them (or the yarn they’re made from) around.

I currently have 43 hats for big people available, including the six featured in this post. I also have six hats available for small children. The six featured here are the last I am going to make for a long while, unless I take on custom orders. Get ’em while you still can.

Filed under I'm Crafty and tagged , , , , | 14 Comments

About Blaize Sun

My name is Blaize Sun. Maybe that's the name my family gave me; maybe it's not. In any case, that's the name I'm using here and now. I've been a rubber tramp for nearly a decade.I like to see places I've never seen before, and I like to visit the places I love again and again. For most of my years on the road, my primary residence was my van. For almost half of the time I was a van dweller, I was going it alone. Now I have a little travel trailer parked in a small RV park in a small desert town. I also have a minivan to travel in. When it gets too hot for me in my desert, I get in my minivan and move up in elevation to find cooler temperatures or I house sit in town in a place with air conditioning I was a work camper in a remote National Forest recreation area on a mountain for four seasons. I was a camp host and parking lot attendant for two seasons and wrote a book about my experiences called Confessions of a Work Camper: Tales from the Woods. During the last two seasons as a work camper on that mountain, I was a clerk in a campground store. I'm also a house and pet sitter, and I pick up odd jobs when I can. I'm primarily a writer, but I also create beautiful little collages; hand make hemp jewelry and warm, colorful winter hats; and use my creative and artistic skills to decorate my life and brighten the lives of others. My goal (for my writing and my life) is to be real. I don't like fake, and I don't want to share fake. I want to share my authentic thoughts and feelings. I want to give others space and permission to share their authentic selves. Sometimes I think the best way to support others is to leave them alone and allow them to be. I am more than just a rubber tramp artist. I'm fat. I'm funny. I'm flawed. I try to be kind. I'm often grouchy. I am awed by the stars in the dark desert night. I hope my writing moves people. If my writing makes someone laugh or cry or feel angry or happy or troubled or comforted, I have done my job. If my writing makes someone think and question and try a little harder, I've done my job. If my writing opens a door for someone, changes a life, I have done my job well. I hope you enjoy my blog posts, my word and pictures, the work I've done to express myself in a way others will understand. I hope you appreciate the time and energy I put into each post. I hope you will click the like button each time you like what you have read. I hope you will share posts with the people in your life. I hope you'll leave a comment and share your authentic self with me and this blog's other readers. Thank you for reading.  A writer without readers is very sad indeed.

14 Responses »

  1. I’m glad we got some! I love your hats and it was cold enough a couple nights we both slept in them! They are super warm and comfy!

    Reply ↓

    • I’m glad you like them, Wendy! I forgot to take photos of them before I gave them away. If you want to send me a photo of y’all wearing them, I would love to post that on Facebook. So far, Esmerelda is my only model.

      Reply ↓

  2. I have a rather large melon and would love to purchase a darker colored hat. My name is chuck and I live outside of Atlanta, Ga. Please let me know if you have one left also perhaps one for my roomie, dhe would be a smaller hat person.
    Happy trails btw ..heard about you from Carolyn ” Society kills the boondocker spirit ”
    Thanks again,
    Chuck Hogg

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Chuck! I’m pleased you want to buy a couple of hats. All of the hats pictured are available. I will send an message to your email address attached to your message. I can possibly get two hats in the mail to you tomorrow.

      Reply ↓

  3. Hello. I saw one of your hats on Kathy (RVLife) and fell in love with it
    I would gladly pay you $20 for an extra large plus postage. I have PayPal it you have any left please email me. Thanks. Lniv@Hotmail.com. I want a large cover your ears kinda hat otherwise they have a tendency to scoot off my head. I’ll take whatever you have but I’d like it to MOT be clashing colors. I like simple. Like The one above top left. Or the blue lavender one on the front page

    Reply ↓

    • I’m glad you liked Carolyn’s hat enough to contact me about buying a hat of your own. And I’m glad you liked my work enough to look around and chose some other items as holiday presents. The two collages are definitely still available. I will check on the bear necklace (which should still be available), as well as the brown hat. I will send you an email about the entire order. Thank you so much!

      Reply ↓

  5. Also. I like the middle bear on the jewelry page. Thanks

    One more thing. If you like making hats.. . Make them to order instead of having inventory! Then it’s your design. Your. Voice your time and all your profit.

    Reply ↓

    • Well, I make the hats mostly because I like making hats. I usually make them while watching TV if I am house sitting or while watching movies with family. If I’m in the van, I like to make hats while listening to podcasts, especially in the winter when it gets dark early and it’s cold out. I like making hats when I WANT to do that kind of project, not so much when I HAVE to because I have an order. Also, if I have yarn, I like to use it up, not just have it taking up space waiting for a custom order to come in.

      Reply ↓

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