Russian Ice Hat! Part III

(Part I for planning and Part II for construction.)

Hat people are like cat people: we are sure that anyone would join our ranks if they only found "the right one"!  I am a hat person, and this may just be the right hat for my sister! 

(That skeptical look on her face is at the mere suggestion of being a cat person!)

So one wintry day, my sister wore the hat outside for a photoshoot.  Here's the finished chapeau!

PHOTOSHOOT (click for enlargements and comments)

While all pictures on this site belong to me, I don't own my sister's face and nor do you, gentle reader.  I use these pictures of her on my site with her permission.  Please respect her by not using the pictures elsewhere. If you want to share this page, feel free to pin or link to this whole page so people can see her in this context.  Thanks!   

REACTIONS TO THE HAT!

There are four significant reactions to chronicle:

The first from my sister: she was surprised at how much she liked it, and the scarf I whipped up to go with it!  She experimented with wearing it as designed (diagonal slash of brim) or symmetrically (balanced brim) and preferred the original design.  She also agreed that it looked Russian, and she liked the comfortable fit when her hair is up.  She has worn it outside several times. 

The second is from myself.  I just love it on her!  She looks so classy! 

The third is from her husband, who has veto power if he hates something.  He doesn't hate it.  He did, laughingly, call her "Ruskie", which shows how well my inspiration translated.  Yet hats of the same shape are found around the world, so what about it is so Russian?  Anyway, I think he's filed this hat away under the category "unobjectionable". 

The forth reaction is from my artistic friend.  She loved it, examined it closely, and declared it scrumptious.  She's got good taste in these things.  She also waxed rhapsodic about my skills and talent.  Clearly I've got good taste in friends.  ;) 

DO BETTER NEXT TIME

No project is complete without some lessons learned.  In this case, I'd only change one thing: the brim of the hat is inclined to roll into the hat over time.  Not a lot... a quarter inch here, an eighth inch there.  Just from being pulled on and off.  (I'm the only one who notices, of course...)  But it does change the crisp cylinder into a melty ice-cube shape, so if I make it again, I'll sew some buckram or other stiff fabric into the bottom of the hat so the brim can't roll under.