Today's Unallied Artist: Crochet by Darleen Hopkins.

 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