Viking Hat
It started out, on my part as a bit of a joke. I put this up on Twitter:
Imagine my surprise when Tom Brittney replied back. Being me, and not quite believing he’d respond back again, offered to make him one – provided he DM me some needed information. The info I requested showed up shortly thereafter. *blinks* Well, ok then. Looks like I’m making a hat.
It took me a couple of days to get to the stores, to find the yarn I’d want to use. Since I was given pretty much a clean slate to work with, I was going to have some fun with this one! Mr. Brittney did say he likes blue, when I asked if he had color preferences.
Keep in mind, I’ve never made one of these before. Using my hat as a reference point, I began construction. I didn’t get too far, before a beta viewer suggested I look to see if any of this type of hat patterns were available. Someone, somewhere, made them before. It’s highly probable there’s a pattern floating around on the internet that I might be able to use as a guide, and can modify as needed. 
It took a few tries before I’d gotten the texture and size I wanted. A couple of strands of worsted weight yarn gave me the durability and the warmth I was aiming for. 
It wasn’t too much longer, and I had the main color done. As the ‘helmet’ on mine is two-toned, I was making this hat like that. I was surprised at how fast this was going together. Normally, single crochet is not one of my ‘go to’ stitches. Before too long, I had the helmet finished, complete with the slots for where to put the braids. I ended up making three horns. Why? My thought was to give myself a better chance of making a matching pair. (Ok, so maybe the first and second horns didn’t match. A third one would decide which of the previous horns would be used.)
My next steps would be to stuff the horns, attach them, and then start on the braids.
I was trying to figure out how I was going to get the horns to line up and keep them semi-level. My first thought was sewing pins. Even my quilting pins weren’t quite long enough to do what I wanted. Time to come up with a new idea. (Picture a light bulb going on) I have 4″ double point knitting needles that I usually use for knitting fingers, toes, and cording. These were perfect!! This made sewing the horns on that much easier!! 
I gotta admit, there’s a certain amount of charm with how cute this project was turning out. 
Next up were the braids. How was I going to get the braids to be about the same length? Heck, how was I going to cut all that yarn about the same length without causing myself too much grief? Again, another hobby’s tools came in handy.
Warping boards. Not just for weaving any more. They’re also good for setting up for yarn braids. I wish you could have heard how much I was laughing at myself. I have a variety of hobbies that seem to come in handy in the oddest ways.
I purposely made the braids long. Why? I have no clue what Mr. Brittney’s preferences were. The braids can be kept long, or he can shorten them up to whatever length he enjoys. Either way, he had options open.
All told, the hat took me about two days to make. It took me longer to get the yarn.
It shipped out this morning. I hope he enjoys the hat. I know I had a lot of fun making it.
Why Fibre Ninja... Partly because it's a neat name, and mostly because I can work with so many different kinds of fiber and craft mediums. I do a lot of different kinds of needlework and create even more things using those skill sets. I like to make things. I grew up in a household that firmly believed in "make do or do with out". If you could make it, all that much better. I come by my skill sets naturally. Or, if you prefer, my dad was a mechanic and mom was always doing some sort of needlework. My grandmothers, on both sides, were pretty handy with needle crafts, too. What skill sets I didn't grow up using, I learned. Some of skills were self-taught, while others I was fortunate enough to have friends help me out. I don't kid around when I say books are some of the most important tools a person can have. If you're willing to read and figure it out, you can teach yourself how to just about anything. Speaking of getting to know me, here are some basics, I've been - Quilting since I was 20 - Crocheting since I was 5 - Knitting since I was 38 - Bobbin lace making off and on since I was 32 - Embroidering since I was old enough to be trusted with a sharp needle and scissors - Tablet/card weaving off an on since I was 42 So none of this has been a "flight of fancy" for me. I'm not saying some of things I've made haven't been for the pure joy of "why not?" Because, let's face it, if it's not fun to make, why do it?