Spring hats for girls

Pink bucket hat for girls

It’s Spring and time for a new hat for your little girl! Let me tell you about a couple precious, oh-so-girly hat designs that Beanie Designs sent me to review for the blog.

First of all, here’s the entire luscious collection of spring hats for kids, both boys and girls. Today I’m sharing with you the sweetest little girl hats, starting with a bucket hat, a beanie visor cap, and an adorable sun hat.

Girl’s crochet bucket hat with flower

This little number has an adorable rim all the way around. You can flip it up or down to protect your little girl’s eyes from the sun. The crochet hat style allows for plenty of airflow, so she won’t overheat on those coming hot spring days. Available in sizes 0-3 months up to preteen. There are

Girl's visor cap bursting with color

tons of other colors and styles of bucket hats, so check out the sun hats category for more choices.

Girl’s visor cap with flower

Okay, so maybe you consider your little girl more of a tomboy. Then a beanie visor cap may be right up her alley. (It’s still pretty girly, but perhaps it says “cool” more than “glamorous diva”. See the sun hat next if that’s your girl.) The visor cap is pretty similar to the bucket hat in that it’s crocheted for great airflow, but the flower is simpler and the visor gives a brim only in the front. Love the saturated teal and raspberry/burgundy colors! Available in sizes 0-3 months up to preteen.

Girl’s brimmed sunhat

Glamorous sunhat fit for a princess

What little princess does not love pink and purple? Deliciously decked out in this sunhat, your little girl is set to melt hearts. If she has a Spring birthday or any special occasion coming up, surprise her with this glamorous sunhat! It’s sure to be her favorite hat when she’s dressed up or just playing around in the fresh Spring air. Available in sizes 0-3 months up to preteen.

Do you have a Beanie Designs hat for the Spring yet? Share with us which one you chose!

A football baby beanie hat that will turn you into a fan

While I just didn’t see the point of football for many years, now I will happily clad my clan in football gear just to watch a game from the couch. This adorable football beanie hat is just about as cute as it gets when it comes to football gear for babies.

Nik wearing the baby football beanie hat from Beanie Designs

Watching football together is the ultimate in bonding rituals. No matter which team you’re rooting for, your little sidekick can cheer them on right beside you and dad in this football hat for babies (in big kid sizes, too).

I didn’t always feel this way. My past was as un-football as you could get. (I’m originally from Canada. Yes, we have the CFL, but I never paid attention.)

And here’s a funny story. Just for kicks I thought I’d join our residence’s girls’ intramural football team in university. I didn’t even know what a quarterback was. I sprained my ankle doing the kickoff for the first game and didn’t even get to play once after that. Yeah, I know. Pathetic.

Now things have changed, you must understand. I live in Gainesville, FL, where the University of Florida is located. Half the population of the city is attending the university, while the rest are probably alumni. A few years back, UF made a major football comeback under the charismatic quarterback Tim Tebow and coach Urban Meyer.

I had no choice but to catch football fever.

We’ll be watching Denver and New England tomorrow night. We’ll be rooting for Denver, just like the rest of Gainesville. (My husband is a diehard Patriot’s fan, but, hey, Tim Tebow joined the Denver Broncos.)

My little boy will be in bed by 8 pm when the game starts. But at some point that day, he will likely have donned the baby football beanie hat in pregame excitement. Here’s the sneak preview!

Green apple hat, as reviewed by a three year old

Rohan models the green apple hat for me

A cheery hat that can perk up any chilly day, the green apple hat is gender-neutral and both fun and cozy for kids. Yacine at Beanie Designs was kind enough to send me one to review for the blog. Here my three-year-old son models the green apple hat for us.

The practical side of a green apple hat from Beanie Designs

Size hat reviewed: 3 – 10 years

My son’s age: 3 years and 3 months

My son is at the smallest range. But daddy put the hat on, too! It looks good worn a bit loose and also fitted. I’d say this hat should last your kid’s lifetime (unless he or she ends up with really big hair as a teenager).

The apple hat also can be rolled up when you want to wear it higher on the forehead and pulled down for more coverage on cooler days.

And of course it’s also available in red.

The feel-good factor

Side view of the green apple hat

This sweet green apple hat design is knitted from organic cotton and exceptionally soft. It’s not a bit scratchy, as of course you wonder when it comes to knitted hats. I just wish you could reach out and feel for yourself how comfy cozy the knitted fabric is on this.

The darker green stem and leaves knit onto the top add a surprisingly adorable touch. The stem stands up a wee bit (not quite as much as in the product photo on the website, at least for us).

My son loves wearing it. He’s not one for drama, but the fact that the apple hat is a bit different definitely comes in handy when I’m trying to convince him to put a hat on when he goes outside to play.

When I asked him what he thought of the hat, he said:

“I like that hat. I like wearing it so much.”

And of course seeing his little green apple hat bobbing around in the back yard brings a big smile to this mom’s face.

Kids’ animal themed hats – how to make the most of the trend

With the bounty of kids’ animal themed hats around these days, it’s starting to feel like a jungle out there. Online children’s hat retailers are pushing them. They pop up on daily deal sites regularly. Animal hats for kids can even be found on the shelves of many major retailers.

Here’s how to choose the right one for your child.

Go for timeless design in the animal hat you choose

There’s just something a bit extreme about the animal hats making the rounds this year. Maybe it’s that many of them have complete animal faces on them, making it look like your kid has an extra set of eyes and ears on top of her head.

Bear ears hats have been around as long as mommies have thought it was cute to imagine their offspring as chubby, cuddly baby bear cubs. The traditional animal hats just had ears, letting a baby or child’s face take the spotlight.

If you want to buy an animal hat that will last beyond the current fad, go for one with the classic, timeless look of simple ears or eyes on top.

Focus on quality construction for a hat that keeps its good looks

I’m a hat snob now that I’ve tried out a few Beanie Designs hats.

A photographer who took some shots of our newborn showed up with her own little animal ears hat as a potential prop. But next to the one I brought, it looked sad and worn.

I’m sure it was adorable by normal hat standards, but after becoming used to the quality construction of Beanie Designs hats, I can’t go back.

Many of the quickly made fad hats look drab and dingy after a few wears. Beanie Designs animal hats wash wonderfully right in your washing machine. And because they’re constructed using high-quality techniques and materials, they will last and last.

Tell me, have you picked out an animal themed hat for your child? What sort of animal hat did you go for? And how is it living up to your expectations? Let’s talk hats here.

Hats and etiquette – when to take off your beanie

Cowboys always removed their hats when entering a home or in the presence of a lady. Tipping the head and touching the brim of a hat was a polite way to say hello, goodbye or excuse me.

But what about nowadays?

While it used to be that men and women wore hats as a regular piece of everyday clothing, hats nowadays seem to be reserved for special occasions or when it’s cold, for sun protection, and on bad hair days.

Hats as fashion accessories are making somewhat of a comeback, though. So it’s a good idea to keep in mind rules of etiquette when it comes to hat wearing.

Why not add some fun for your little ones by teaching them the basics of hat etiquette when you present them with their new Beanie Designs hat!

Hats should be removed in these situations, especially if the hat wearer is a boy:

• When at school
• When eating or in restaurants
• When entering someone’s home
• At places of worship (unless the religion requires a head covering)
• When speaking to someone in a respectful position (elders, teachers, parents, etc.)
• When the national anthem is played
• If a funeral procession passes
• When being introduced to someone

When deciding whether or not to remove your hat, you need to consider the reasoning behind the “rules”. Normally, removing your hat is a sign of respect, demonstrating humility and good manners. It also facilitates communication, as a hat sometimes hides part of the face or casts a different demeanor on the wearer. By removing your hat, you are displaying a more true “you” that’s not dressed up or hidden.

Do the hat-removing rules extend to girls, too?

It’s normally acceptable for a lady or girl to keep her hat on. It’s thought that the different rules for men and women evolved because women’s hats were traditionally much more elaborate and often fastened on with hairpins.

What about a girl wearing an earflap hat, stocking hat, or a sun hat, though?

My thought is that a sun hat or bucket hat more resembles the traditional women’s hats of the past because of the feminine brim, so they are more likely to feel acceptable.

But the earflap hat and stocking hat are more clearly worn as protection for the head, so it would seem courteous to remove them indoors.

One clearer instance when a girl should remove her hat is if it’s a baseball cap.

Your thoughts?

Leela wants to know: which hat do you like?

Leela looking sweet in the multi-color two poms little girl hat

Hats are where it’s at now, with Old Man Winter on the way. Little girls everywhere are presented with the challenge of choosing the right hat to get them through the chilly days ahead.

So I put two hats to the test by an adorable and very discerning almost-three-year-old little girl, Leela.

Now Leela looking gorgeous in the brown earflap hat...

Leela lives in Toronto, Canada. Here she models for you both hats in size 3-10 years. (Beanie Designs is based in Georgia but ships worldwide, in case you didn’t know.)

Earflap flower hat or multi-color two poms hat?

Both hats are warm and cozy for the coming winter months, but here’s where they differ:

The multi-color two poms hat is soft and floppy. Leela’s mom says, “This hat is adorable! It’s light, super soft, hugs her head rather than gripping it and doesn’t seem the least bit itchy. Leela loves it!”

Hard at play in the two poms hat

The brown and pink earflap hat is crocheted, so it has more structure and thickness. This makes it a little less stretchy, but the chunkier weave also gives rise to great breathability.

Leela’s mom comments this one is a “little bit heavier and the weave is a tad bulkier. But it’s still light and soft, and she really likes the flower on it.”

She also notes that the earflap hat “is a bit bigger than the other one so I imagine the first one will get more use this season.”

Great grow-with-me coverage with the earflaps

Leela is not quite three yet, and both hats were sized for 3-10 year olds. However, my thought is that the multi-color two poms hat will fit easily through a range of sizes simply because it can be worn with the pom poms flopped down when your little girl is small or with the hat completely filled out on a bigger head.

The earflap hat will still work at the younger range, but you’ll want to make sure it is tipped back on your little girl’s head. And of course those earflaps mean you can fasten it on for stay-put convenience through snow fights, skating practice and all manner of horsing around outside.

Leela wants to know, which do you like?

The people who knit our baby hats

So, who are the knitters behind the baby hats we sell at BeanieDesigns.com?

For the most part, our knitters are people just like you and I. They have children and care about making the world a better place for them.

For many, knitting these hats for you provides a means to a livelihood that lets them work from home and spend more time with their children.

You can shop at Beanie Designs knowing confidently our hats are not produced in factories or sweatshops. We’re proud to be supporting WAHMs both here in the U.S. and overseas in China.

In China, we work with a British husband and wife team who are helping bring a good means of living to stay-at-home moms and dads. This helps those parents remain at home with their children, free from resorting to working long, taxing hours in a factory with unsanitary conditions. They earn a good wage and learn our specially created knitting techniques, also helping to increase their skills.

Many of our knitters are also located throughout the U.S., too. Over the years, the many women (and a few men!) who knit for us have become part of the Beanie Designs family.

We’re a close-knit organization (pardon the pun!) focused on creating special, unique hats for children. And improving the lives of those around us as we do it.

Why a Beanie Designs baby hat is the best quality you can buy for your baby

Today’s blog post is a peek behind the scenes at Beanie Designs. Just in case you’ve ever wondered how we can provide consistently high-quality hats that are all handmade, here’s a look at how we do it.

Soft, organic yarns

Some customers order our hats for their kids because of the cute designs and then are surprised by just how soft they are.

We’re parents, too, so we know a hat has to be comfortable and soft. This is on our minds as we source the highest quality, softest yarns produced organically. And because the yarns we start with are organic, you can also rest assured the end product is free of pesticides and other harmful chemicals.

Hand knitted with organic cotton for breathability

Our knitting and crocheting techniques, in addition to the natural fibers in the yarn, allow our hats to keep your baby’s head warm while letting air circulate. That’s why our hats are suitable all year round, anytime you want to dress up your baby or protect his or her head.

Acrylic yarns, on the other hand, don’t make for very soft baby hats. Unfortunately, most knitted children’s hats out there use acrylic. So your baby ends up with a hot, scratchy head.

Many of the stretchy headbands and mesh girls hats we make are created using acrylic, but you’ll notice they are smooth fibers and always have a very open weave that lets in air.

Handmade by skilled knitters using Beanie Design’s proprietary techniques

When you think of something as being handmade, often you don’t think of it as being able to match the consistent perfection of machine made products.

But over the years, founder and designer Yacine Diop has worked very hard creating in-house knitting and crocheting techniques to make our hats look as close to perfect as possible.

In her words, “We have searched out experienced knitters and crocheters who are very talented, and I have focused on finding techniques to hide the imperfections that go along with handcrafted items, regardless of that skill.

We changed the way we made some styles more than 5 times because I kept coming up with ways to hide certain things like the sewing where the hat comes together or the alignment where the yarn color changes.”

Hands just can’t be as accurate as machines, but training our knitters in the techniques we’ve developed over the years helps ensure consistency from hat to hat.

Inspected for quality and consistency

Due to Yacine’s diligent focus on creating quality hats, even ones that may appear perfect to others often don’t pass her inspection and make it into our inventory.

So no matter which Beanie Designs hat you choose, you can be sure you’re getting a special handmade item knitted with love especially for you and your little one to cherish.

The mistake that led to a bestselling baby hat

The new baby boy's beanie design created by mistake - turning into a bestseller!

Plenty of times we don’t take a leap because we’re afraid we’ll fail or make a mistake. But sometimes a mistake can lead to a brilliant discovery. Without mistakes and lessons learned, we’d never move ahead, right?

This applies to businesses, too. Creator of Beanie Designs, Yacine Diop, has seen firsthand how one small mistake can actually lead to creation of a popular new product, a new baby boy hat design in this case.

Yacine and all our knitters are fanatics when it comes to quality. If you’ve ever owned a Beanie Designs hat, you’ve likely been amazed at the uniform knitting and near-seamless designs they create.

One time, a new knitter knit ears onto a baby boy’s hat by mistake. The design didn’t call for ears – it was a fairly simple beanie hat. But she found herself thinking about a different hat design, and the finished hat came out differently.

For months, the hat just sat in the Beanie Designs office.  Then Yacine finally decided to make the little boy’s hat available through the site. To everyone’s surprise, that design now outsells the previous designs it was based on!

The original boy's beanie hat design

So, you see, it’s worth taking a chance and making a mistake or two. You just never know when you’ll end up with something better than you started with!

Knitted hats or crocheted hats? What’s the difference?

Our hand knitted cupcake hat

We have knitted baby hats. And we have crocheted baby hats. Then we have knit baby hats with crochet embellishments.

When you’re looking to buy a baby hat, you may not even realize what’s knit and what’s crocheted. Unless you’re an experienced knitter or crocheter yourself, the difference may not be immediately apparent. But just in case you’re the kind of person who likes to learn new facts, here’s a little rundown on the difference between our knit and crochet baby hats.

First of all, much is the same whether you’re buying a knit or crocheted hat

• Whether knit or crocheted, our hats are handmade with high-quality organic cotton yarns.
• Both knitting and crocheting produce soft, breathable designs that keep warmth in while letting air circulate.
• All Beanie Designs hats are extremely soft and comfortable for babies and children.

So, what’s different?

The difference between knitting and crocheting really comes down to technique and tools, according to Jenn Likes Yarn, an avid knitter and crocheter since age 11. Usually two knitting needles are used to create a pattern when knitting a baby hat. Crocheting uses only one long hook, and the crocheter uses her or his (yes, men do crochet!) hand to feed the yarn to the hook.

Crocheted earflap hat with flower detail

If you look closely, you can also sometimes tell that knit and crochet fabrics tend to drape differently. Knitting usually produces tighter stitches, while crocheting creates a looser, often thicker fabric.

Crocheting techniques are better at producing our popular lacy sun hats than knitting could ever be.

Crocheting also produces spectacular details like flowers and patterns that might be more difficult to achieve through knitting. You’ll see crocheted embellishments woven right into many of our hats, whether the hat is knit or crocheted.

While these differences are slight, we encourage you to try spotting which hats are crocheted and which are knit on our site! (If you get stuck, the product description should tell you outright.) Have fun!

(P.S. I’m just learning about knitting and crocheting myself, so feel free to comment below if you’re a knitter or crocheter and would like to add more details.)