I've been following Darleen Hopkins on Facebook since 2015 when I saw some of her designs featured on another website. (The WHOot) I was looking for a cute hat for girls and I found the exact hat, the very sweet "Waiting For Spring " hat (with matching hat for an 18 inch doll) on Crochet by Darleen Hopkins. I was a little surprised to find that I hadn't included Darleen Hopkins in my Indy designers but I will be correcting that oversight now :) I know you will appreciate her gift for creating both beautiful and fun patterns for both children and adults.
Darleen Hopkins body of work is pretty extensive and wonderful. Today will just be a starting place for your own investigation of Crochet By Darleen Hopkins. Darleen Hopkins is a Raveler and writes this in her Ravelry introduction: "Hi! I’ve been crocheting for a number of years now and am somewhat addicted to designing hats. I love making silly hats for silly kids. My passion began when I came across a fantastic group, Halos of Hope, (on Ravelry too!) that distributes handmade hats to chemo centers around the country. My heart breaks when I think of young children having to go through chemo treatments, and I am hopeful that my hats will bring some happiness and silliness to them. I am proud to be a Halos of Hope volunteer. If you like my hats, please make one or two or more for Halos of Hope (www.halosofhope.org) or find a local organization that distributes hats to kids’ chemo centers. I plan to add additional patterns as I create them so please check back often." www.ravelry.com/people/DarleenHopkins It's so cool that Darleen was inspired by Halos of Hope to design great hats for kids with cancer. Many of us have started out in our career volunteering for charity and it became the inspiration for much more. Okay so since hats are Darleen Hopkins specialty let's check out her collection of patterns!! Some of the patterns are free and some are paid patterns. You'll find some of the patterns on a separate website, Free Crochet Patterns by Designer Darleen Hopkins Or just Free Crochet Patterns Free patterns for hats include: Chirp! Chirp! Tweet! Tweet! Is a super cute hat in two sizes for kids through adults. (As an Angry Birds fan I'm tempted to make this hat for myself LOL) The Football Chemo Hat is a perfect fit for boys having to face chemo. (though I know plenty of girl football fans too :) The Bunny Rabbit Costume Hat is adorable, comes in Small/Medium and Medium/ large sizes, and would also make a great chemo hat. Kids love dress-up why not give kids going through chemo a little dress-up too? Paid patterns (very reasonably priced) include patterns that are Unisex and sized for both kids and adults. My favorite is Crocheted Harmony. A Hat and Cowl Set. Beautiful pattern which really has the potential to become a most sought after pattern by friends and family! (be sure to have plenty of yarn on hand!) Bentley is one of those great hats that suits nearly everyone. Darleen Hopkins designed it to fit most people who are over the age of 10. It can be made very manly if made with the right colors. If you are looking for a perfect guy hat for Christmas... no it's not too soon. Of course I couldn't close this section without adding the cutest hat EVER! The "Kissy! Kissy! Fish Face Hat" I love it! Darleen Hopkins designs beautiful shawls and scarves. I like making and wearing shawls! They are great for many occasions, and of course when weather is variable a shawl is a great addition to the wardrobe. Black Raspberry is my favorite shawl in Darleen Hopkins collection! I love the texture and the trim. Moxie has a lovely light elegance and would add a touch of class to any outfit from jeans to a Easter dress. Its beautiful. Offered by both Darleen Hopkins on Ravelry and also by Knit Picks.com. My personal choice for the best Darleen Hopkins scarf is the Tiffany scarf. This scarf has potential galore. Depending on the yarn used this scarf can be worn to a very special occasion or every day at the office. Really gorgeous. For the perfect cold weather scarf check out the Glacier Hat and Scarf. Basic kicked up a notch. Darleen Hopkins created a whole line of baby blankets, and bibs. The bibs are picture perfect for holidays or for family photos. Keeps those oh- so- cute outfits clean. (also great for teething babies) The blanket pattern collection is really amazing. Some of the blanket patterns are a bit above my skill set which is a bummer because they are super cute. Bib patterns include patterns for all occasions. They make great photo props! Christmas is covered in sweet style with the Gingerbread Baby Bib. Sometimes the commercially made bibs just can't compete with handmade adorable. If the occasion calls for a bib for Winter and not necessarily Christmas the Button Nose Snowman Baby Bib would be perfect. But of course there is also the super adorable Preppy Penguin Baby Bib. Often babies are dressed in the best of the best outfits for Easter. Why not protect the best of the best with the Adorable Bunny Bib . Sweet Baby Bear Bib is really the perfect everyday bib! Priceless :) Naturally the baby blankets designs are not to be missed. They are just as perfect as the baby bibs. I love the Peek-a-Boo Lion blanket. It would be such a great addition to a baby's room decor. Snuggly nights with Nighty, Night Blanket, what could be sweeter? Loveys are very popular right now and this fun and funny Bobble Head Blanket . A couple of home decor designs that really jumped right out at me. Darleen Hopkins really has a very diverse selection of designs to choose from. There are some projects that I know would be very popular with friends and family. These Peppermint Pals Hot Pads are great ideas for gift giving and also to give your kitchen a holiday feel. The pattern includes instructions for a Peppermint Candy, Gingerbread man, and a Snowman. Christmas stockings have always been a fun part of our Christmas traditions. Therefore, I had to include the Elf Socks. A Christmas Stocking to the list of home decor ideas. In a very clever twist on the card making craze Darleen Hopkins has patterns for creating Mixed Media Love Notes for Valentine's Day. Adding your crochet to lovely cards makes it extra special. I think I've covered at least a portion of what the very talented Darleen Hopkins has designed. She's pretty awesome. You can share ideas with her on Facebook , Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, and some social media platforms I've never even heard of because she's a maven :). Thanks to Darleen Hopkins for ALL that you do to make crochet awesome. If you do choose to make something by Darleen Hopkins won't you consider giving a hat to Halos Of Hope? Thank you
2 Comments
Lyn VJ Bennett Wilson
8/21/2017 11:18:27 am
It was a great joy to write. I hope it generates interest for both yourself and Halos of Hope!
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