Swish!  Down the hill you go in your new hat!  The wind may nip your cheeks (but not your ears). It's oh-so exhilarating!  

Whatever your outdoor winter passion is, you can bet that you'll need a little protection from the cold. But, who knew that it could be so much fun? 

The long design of this hat, with its duo-color pompom at the end, is perfect for all ages. The snowman embroidery adds a perfect seasonal touch. I can see myself wearing one in our family's annual Christmas Eve snowball fight, or when I'm sledding with my nieces and nephews.

Supplies needed:

• 3/4 yard of polar fleece fabric

• 2 colors of yard - ends and scraps will do nicely

• 14 inches of strong cording to match

• Pattern - a free download from www.WildGinger.com

Embroidery Designs from Embroidery Library:

• Snowmen and Snowflake Trio

Getting Ready:
Wild Ginger (www.WildGinger.com) has a free software download called Wild Things, which has great patterns that you can print out and use. You will need to fill out a short registration form, and then you can download the software and run it on your computer.

While the software is downloading, measure the circumference of the head of the person you are making the hat for.

Once the software is downloaded, open it and click on Create Wild Things!

Editor's note: For detailed software instructions, you can click on the word "Help" at the left side of the page.

You will see a screen that lists choices of patterns. Click on the button next to "Ski Hat."  To create the right size for your pattern, take the head circumference measurement you made and choose the nearest number from the dropdown menu. At the right, you will see the size of the pattern pieces change according to the dimensions you inserted.
 

When you have finished adjusting the size, click "Print." This will take you to a page that shows you how the pieces will print out. You can click and drag individual pieces closer together so that they print on fewer pieces of paper.

You can click on "Page Select" and select the pages you want to print, or simply click on the Print icon for all the pages.

Use the corner and page markings on each page to line up the pages in the correct order. Tape the pages together and cut out the pattern piece.  

Constructing the hat:

Place the pattern piece on the fold of the polar fleece fabric, and determine where you want to place the embroidery on the hat. 

The band of this hat is constructed by folding the bottom edge into the inside of the hat, so the embroidery needs to be above the fold line of the band. The fold line falls half-way up the widest part of the hat. I made a small mark on the pattern to help me remember where it was.

Mark where you want the embroidery to be placed. I wanted the embroidery to be centered above the forehead, so I placed the bottom of the embroidery just above the fold line, and centered it on the hat piece.

Embroider the design on the fabric, and cut out the hat piece.

Editors note: Use a 3/8 inch seam allowance throughout this sewing project. Stretch the fabric slightly as you sew, so that the seams will stretch with the fabric.

Sew the straight and diagonal side seam.  Leave the small end open.

Fold the band up, and to the inside of the hat, and edge stitch to the body of the hat.

Making the Pompom

Use a 4-inch wide piece of stiff cardboard as a template.  Wrap the yarn around the guide, 100 times for each of the two colors.

Slide the wound yarn from the cardboard, and, keeping the yarn in one big bunch, tie the center of the bunch tightly with the cord. On either side of the tied cord, there will be lots of loops.

Hold the pompom by the tied cords and, at the farthest point away from the center, cut all the loops so that there is a big furry bunch of strands.

Trim the strands so that the pompom is even and round.

Tie the ends of the cord together about 2 inches from the pompom, and insert into the narrow end of the hat.  The tied cords should be sticking out the narrow end. Stitch the narrow end shut, catching the cords in the seam. (The knot of the cord should be visible; this will anchor the pompom in place.)

Turn the hat right side out, and wear it out on a fresh winter day. It will keep you warm, and it will keep everyone you meet smiling!