chulo hats – Page 2

An old beloved brown thing…

Published on April 12, 2017January 26, 2023 by Jen8 Comments

jenjoycedesign© 'the original' from Peru My brother has for decades worn this authentic Peruvian hat, the Incan motifs have become signature shapes on his head, almost like fiberous tattoos…

jenjoycedesign© original detail 2

I am not sure where he got this beloved brown thing, but it is a cherished possession of his, and he lent it to me over a year ago asking if I might repair the moth holes (again) and… “maybe ‘add some color’ to it?” he asked , “or maybe just knit it over?”.

jenjoycedesign© repairs

Made of alpaca, and badly moth-eaten since being repaired long ago, it has become a part of his life, and all of our lives, for as we know him, we know this hat.

jenjoycedesign© original detail

This favor asked of me to ‘fix it’ has apparently grown feet and evolved into a project of my trying not to entirely replicate the original, nay, but to design the Quintessential Brother Article, as he does actually wear these Peruvian style hats ( known in trend as a ‘chullo’) pretty much every day, tucking the ear flaps behind his ears. They are as he puts it, his ‘hair’.

Well folks, if you wonder where I am going with all of this back story, the thing is, I have been working on trying to emulate the original, and made a chullo for his birthday, with indeed more color, and a little bit accessorized with little tassels too.

jenjoycedesign© birthday chullo 2017

Actually, I have made him so many of these, but still he is over the moon whenever I make him a new one.

jenjoycedesign© 009

So, my scheming to create an authentic replica had changed to become something I should really call a design inspiration, more of an impression of the original.

jenjoycedesign© 021

The design is in process, and a forthcoming pattern soon available!

jenjoycedesign© 022

The pattern release will be aimed symbolically around a big trip Jeff is taking in May with his son & daughter to Machu Picchu in Peru, and so I have a lot of work to do until then!

jenjoycedesign© detail (2)

So here is the first in the series of prototypes ~~~ my brothers Birthday Chulo!

Pattern: forthcoming.

Yarn: Malabrigo Rios

Details: on Ravelry HERE.

A little something I’ve thrown together…

Published on March 25, 2016March 11, 2019 by Jen14 Comments

jenjoycedesign©Azul chullo2

This colorful & folksy chullo I knit up in the last few days for my chullo-wearing brother, complete with chuflín and Latvian braid, and four hues of blue. I have decided I like it a lot and am considering writing a pattern for it. . .

jenjoycedesign©Azul chullo

Meanwhile, I’ve got my nieces all queued up for a photo shoot for Spring Tees tomorrow morning… I can’t wait! We’re having a bout of brilliant sunshine and warm temperatures after a ton of rain for weeks!

Now all my deadline knitting is finished, I am working on something really interesting, but I will not speak about it until it’s finished in it’s many variations. Its a big piece of work for me. Here’s to Vernal Knitting, chillin’ with cups of tea and coffee and enjoying myself , having reached my recent knitterly goals, and well… life is good.

Otro Chulo

Published on June 1, 2014March 11, 2019 by Jen10 Comments

Otro chulo (another chulo). Chulo de Primavera ! (Chulo of Spring). Here he is, just dry from a bath, so bashful in front of the camera. Ah ! Otro Chulo shows his nice color-work, what the heck , how nice, with his little legs sticking out right & left…

Otro Chulo sits up a little more confidently, and sees the world around…

Okay, now with legs outstretched, quite happy with himself, begins to hum a little tune

(shhh listen…)

About now Otro Chulo is feeling a little sassy, really winds it up for the camera…

tied up & twisted !

But feeling already sleepy again , and dreaming of the day next week when he will stand proudly on my brother’s head ! A linen-cotton blend which is a perfect Faded Blues sort of theme for late Spring thru Summer ~~~ a hybrid style of Peruvian Chulo and sherpa hat ~~~ my brother’s favorite whacky thing to wear.

Anyway, my brother is getting quite the collection of chulo hats which I have made him (you can see some of them here ), but honestly I see no reason to stop, and I’m almost certain my brother would agree.

Seven Days

Published on December 18, 2013March 11, 2019 by Jen7 Comments

Seven days left to make things.

Leafy green is finished !

As is the sea critter . . .

As is the mint-licorice . . .

and also the sherpa hat ! ! !

A dandy one indeed. Wool shell & cotton ‘lined’. I will have to show you sometime how I accomplish this.

Until then I’ll keep you all guessing.

Okay , but that’s not the whole list. There is one more thing I must make, and I will not post until Christmas morning. In the mean time, I will show you the progress of my first lace project . . .

Yes , my first, oh the glorious fun I am having ! And it’s no surprise to me that lace work is so doable while walking the ridge! As this progresses, is blocked out, you will see the lace pattern so much better. Until then, oh the suspense is a little nice. Well, I appear to be ahead of the game and can relax and do some gift wrapping now ! I hope all of you Elves out there are blissfully making.

* All project details on Ravelry HERE .

Lupinus Albifrons

Published on April 2, 2013March 12, 2019 by Jen19 Comments

Lupinus Albifrons. Known as just ‘ lupine ‘, it is one of the more populated native wildflowers of Northern California, and in April fills the mountain meadows, between grape vines in the rows, and trail-sides with deep blue & purple variegation. A small woody shrub when mature, however, where grass is mowed annually (as in the vineyard rows here on the mountain) and where seed is planted from the wind, you’ll see it popping up everywhere as young single stemmed flowers . . .

I luckily had just the perfect yarn handy when I became inspired from my walk of last week. I had a bunch of green which I over-dyed from grey wool which perfectly illustrates the ‘silvery’ grey-green leaves of the plant. The rich deep blue and purple played illusive games however with the camera, which wasn’t able to distinguish the two, and both came out as blue tones in most of the photos. But here it is , un chullo, for my brother’s birthday tomorrow!

I absolutely go wild photographing still-life knitteds ~~ its just one of the things I love doing, in every light possible , which enables me to make an assemblage of photos that catches different tones and characteristics of the yarns and knitted shapes . . .

The detail with which I experimented for the first time on this chullo hat, was to add a running crocheted chain just inside the typically chullo-esque double-crocheted edge, to neaten up the edge.

I love to make my chullo hats a bit of a hybrid with gnome hats by decreasing into a point, then finishing with a braid extending off of the top . . .

They blossom into a hat with a lot of character and playful whimsy . . .

The crocheted edges tame the curling tendency of the stockinette stitch. . .

Braid finishes being made on both ear flaps . . .

(the purple really pops in this photo below !)

Un chullo, inspired from the lupine flowers in the fields of Northern California. To be given to my brother tomorrow, and there could be nobody more appreciative than he, who wears them everyday , and who is also a botanical wizard !

NOTE : I have taken notes as I knit this one, so if anybody is interested, I could assemble a pattern of sorts from it.

Details on Ravelry HERE

Well, I’m off to walk the mountain with Emma, but I will leave you with a little slide show of the early morning walk of last weekend, from which this chullo’s lupine photos were taken . . .