Sam Borton's Blog =]

Will there be over over 2400 ????

Titfer

Winter editopn 2012

Content

Hat collection …

6-7 and 22-23

Pictures from Hat collection …

1, 3, 5, 7, 11, 23, 27, & 28

What face shape are you …

8-9

Doggy Fashion

12-17

Philip Treacy

Hat Cat walk 2013…

18-21

Knit your own hat …

24-25

Hat Collection

How many hats do you have?

For couple, Tim and Sarah Vinal its a hobby, Since they have been together it was the one thing that they both love to do, where ever they go they have to get a new hat.

Through out there house insted of having pictures or bookshelf, they have a wall of hats, old and new which overs from corner to coner.

Tim says “ we met in a hat shop when we both reached for the same hat, sounds a bit silly but it felt like fate ... i bought her that hat straight away, collowed by a coffee, which then turned into dinner, since then our whole lives have been hased around hats”

There story doesn’t stop there, there wedding day was a themed hat day, dress to work with your hat, they explained that it made there day complete

as everone joined in and it was an amazing turn out, even the vica agreed to wear one. The day was a massive sucsess ...

Sarah says “He is my dream come true, my life was unclomple without him, we are going to spend our lives being happy and get old together still wearing our hats to match out outfits”

So for the last 15 years that they have been together they have been collect hats to go with there outfits. Where ever they go they there looking for that next hat

The collection has been suck a hit they have been ask to put them in an exerbition for a week in the Victoria and Albert in London from December 27 - 31, Check it out!

Photography and article by Sam Borton

What face shape are you ????

Now it’s time to ‘work’ the hat on your head and ‘play’ with the angle of the brim. A hat can flatter the face much more when worn on a bit of a tilt. Start with ¼ inch tilt and go from there, trying the tilt to one side of the face, then the other. This emphasizes the eyes by letting in some light and helps to draw the viewer’s eyes upward. If you wear glassews, this can also give some room for the frames. Try all other possible positions of the hat on your head: sideways, forward over your brow, even backwards… this is the only way to find the best position of the hat on your head, and it’s often a surprise to see that a minor adjustment can make all the difference.

Different styles of hats will flatter different head and face shapes, so it helps to be familiar with your own face shape. You may find a face shape chart helpful.

As a general rule, those with round faces should avoid narrow-brimmed or close-fitting hats as they will make the lower part of your face look wider. Those with longer faces should avoid a high crown as it will elongate your head. Heart-shaped faces should avoid wide-brims and baseball peaks which tend to obscure and add weight to the top half of the face while making the lower part of the face

disappear. As you can see, when considering the right hat silhouette for your face shape, and the tilt or position of the hat on your head, it’s wall about

BALANCE: how the overall

hat shape balances with your

own face shape.

Consider other physical traits such as your height, weight, body proportion, neck length – does the hat provide balance and create a harmonious look with your body type? Try to get a full-body and back view of yourself in the hat. Don’t be afraid to ask another person for their feedback. Friends, family, and even strangers passing by most often get a kick out of being asked for their opinion.

After a successful hunt, enjoy wearing your hat! …Your perfect hat should put the emphasis on YOU; it should add to your style or put a special twist on a simple outfit. Wearing a hat with confidence is a remark-able thing. It’s certain that people will stop you to say “hey, nice hat!”, or even better “you look amazing!!”

Doggy Fashion

Dress ypur fluffy pets in clothes this winter !!!

The Crazy revulsion of doggy Fashion while the country’s growing trend for dog ownership might seem innocuous enough, it has spawned an £8 billion-a-year industry that offers adored pooches the sort of over-the-top luxuries usually reserved for the wealthiest humans.

Families increasingly regard pets as an alternative to having children – and are lavishing all manner of privileges on them, including dog kimonos, fake fur coats, £1,000 Hermes leather tote bags, £230 designer jeans and even school uniforms.

“As one observer admits: ‘I’ve seen owners cry more for the loss of their pet than they do for a parent or grandparent, because to many people think their pet is the child they don’t have.”

Such wardrobes are accessorised with nappies, hats, jewellery and designer dog buggies of the type favoured by yummy mummies, all ‘must-have’ items for any image-conscious dog owner. After all, one must look one’s best when travelling to exclusive restaurants where dogs sit on chairs to eat specially prepared organic food that can be shared with their owner.And if such pampering gets too much

Doggy Fashion Continues...

there are yoga classes

‘lotions and potions’ and hot spring resorts to help the frazzled pups

destress.

If becoming a fully fledged dog ‘parent’ is a little daunting or expensive a miniature dachshund or Pomeranian can cost £4,000, even before the vital accessories there is always the option to rent one for an hour’s walk.

Customers are supplied with a leash, some tissues and a plastic bag should the animal need to do a spot of business along the way.

But there is a serious point behind this showy extravagance. In Japan where this all started, there is an increasingly obsessed with dogs because, even with designer accessories, they are a more affordable substitute for children in difficult economic times. And that is leading to a demographic time bomb, a documentary for the BBC’s World Service revealed last night.

There are now more pets (22 million) than children (17 million) in Japan, and if trends continue the country’s population could be reduced from 128 million to 85 million over the next century – which would have a devastating effect on the country’s already struggling economy

Lady Gaga

The latest style by Philip Treacy

Lady Gaga is the main event for this years cat walk intraducing and showing of philp Traceys 2013 collection

Philip Treacy 2013 Cat walk

“Ladies and gentlemen, the greatest milliner in the world: Philip Treacy,” Lady Gaga declared from beneath a fuchsia shroud that once belonged to Isabella Blow, kicking off Treacy’s explosive catwalk debut in London.

Models — including Joan Smalls, under a giant smiley face headpiece, Alek Wek and Jourdan Dunn — sported the designer’s wild creations, which were teamed with the original clothes from Michael Jackson’s tours and music videos, which Treacy had secured from Jackson’s estate.

The King of Pop’s music also provided the soundtrack to the show that featured such creations as a gold mask that grew into a tall organic spiral, a silver conch shape that looked like a drop of mercury, a black cornucopia filled with gold roses, a big gold sun that sat in front of one model’s face and what looked like a traditional Thai headdress, covered in a diaphanous black and gold shroud.

It was an emotional outing — the show was dedicated to Blow, Jackson and Lee Alexander McQueen — and as a gospel choir emerged at the end, there were tears in the front row.

“It was based on Africa getting rich,” said Treacy of the extravaganza. “A future Africa and they just happen to be wearing Michael Jackson’s clothes. Jackson was exceptional — his talent, the dancing, the image, and I was touched to be able to work with his clothes. They were at my studio for a month before the show, and they were really freaking me out. I’d lift up a box, and there’d be a sparkly glove.”

Sarah: “This is my favourit hat, it shows what I’m all about. I wore this on my wedding day with a silk black and cream corset dress”

Knit your own hat

Step By Step how to made your own hat, don’t be afraid try it your self !

Knit the Body of the Hat

If you want a hat with a brim that rolls up, knit the entire body of the hat in stockinette stitch.

If you want the brim of your hat to lie flat against the head, knit an inch or so of ribbing before beginning to knit in stockinette stitch.16

1 x 1 (knit 1, purl 1) or 2 x 2 (knit 2, purl 2) ribbing works best for this.

You can add stripes of color to your hat by simply changing the yarn color as you begin a new round.

Here’s why it’s important to make your cast-on number easily divisible: Decreasing.

Example: Let’s say you cast on 90 stitches for your hat. 90 is easily divisible by 10. So for this example, think of your hat as 9 sections of 10 stitches. To decrease, you will knit 2 stitches together (k2tog). So in each section of 10 stitches, you will knit 8, k2tog. (This equals 10 stitches worked in each section.)

Knit one round of decreases.

In our example, this means to knit 8, k2tog, to the end of the round.

Knit one round.

You will only knit each stitch on this round. Do not decrease.

Knit the next round of decreases.

As you continue decreasing, the number of stitches in each section will be smaller by one. In our example, on Round 3 you will knit 7, k2tog, for the entire round.

Knit one round.

Continue on, alternating the decrease rounds with a round of plain knitting.

If you are using a circular needle, you will eventually have too few stitches on the needles to continue working comfortably. At this point, you will need to switch your knitting to DPNs.

Finishing

When you have decreased to the point where your decrease round is k2tog around, it’s time to finish!

Clip the working yarn from the ball, leaving 6 inches.

Thread tapestry needle.

Weave yarn through the stitches that remain on the needles, slipping them off the needles as you go.

Pull the yarn through the hole in the top of the hat and pull tight from the inside of the hat. Your hat should be closed up with no hole in the top.

Weave in the ends.

One of knitting’s cardinal rules is “no knots!” However, it’s okay to secure a tiny knot on the inside of your hat. Nobody will ever know!

Grading is generally the primary consideration when purchasing a Panama hat, but be very careful because there is much misinformation and inconsistency. Unfortunately, even the large Ecuadorian exporters differ on assigning a grade. The international standard is to count the number of weaves along the bottom of square inch template and subtract twelve. Given the international standard, the typical grade of a commercial Panama hat is around five. The largest exporter of finished hats uses the international standard. One exporter counts the number of weaves along the template bottom and subtracts ten instead of twelve. The other large exporter counts the number of weaves along the diagonal and subtracts twelve. Customers inquiring about grade should keep these different standards in mind. Use caution particularly with the terms Fino and Ultrafino. Ideally, viewing pictures to visually compare the grade of the hat is best.

Grade is not the only quality to inspect. A consistently tight weave is also a measure of quality. Another indicator of quality is the company’s return policy. Experience shows that companies with large U.S. warehouses will quickly accept returns. The higher-quality producers have very few if any quality issues and therefore will have liberal return policies.

Style selections are really a matter of personal preference. The predominant styles are fedora, outback, gambler, and sometimes safari (see Styles). A consideration in purchasing your hat is how it is to be utilized. Some hats provide a 100% UV sun protection and have a special weave. Other hats are treated with a guard like DuPont to protect them from water and stains. It is important to know the features available before purchasing a hat.

A big “buyer beware” caveat is making sure you’re actually purchasing a Panama hat. The term “Panama hat” is not trademark protected, and thus some imitations will be sold. Panama is not a style but rather a hat specifically made from toquilla straw and normally woven in Cuenca, Ecuador. Hats made from raffia, toyo, shantung, paper, and other synthetic materials may copy the style of Panama hats but are poor substitutes. They are less expensive but do not have the light weight, breathability, craftsmanship, or durability of an authentic, handwoven Panama hat made in Ecuador.

When buying a Panama hat on the Internet, try to contact the seller directly with any questions. Talking to a customer service agent will help you determine the knowledge and reliability of the seller.

A final note: Just because many styles and sizes are available does not ensure the product or company is truly the best. A review of Ecuador’s export information shows that over 75% of sales come from fewer than ten styles. Also, to maintain production integrity, most manufacturers produce the four sizes of small, medium, large, and extra large. The specific numeric sizes should be custom fit and will have an upcharge at a U.S. hat finisher, ensuring custom fit. True XXL-sized hats require a special hat body and special form for finishing and are not widely available. Certain suppliers do offer special runs. Again, it’s important to ask questions to ensure that the hat is an original Panama hat handwoven in Ecuador.

Work out you Head Size

Hat Size Chart

Small

Medium

LARGE

X- Large

XX- Large

XXX- Large

Meters (cm)

54-55

56-57

58-59