Earlier this year, a young couple, soon to be parents, approached me with a request. When the father-to-be was younger, he had an afro. Yep, full on “Brady Bunch” style afro. So, their request: can you make an afro wig for their little boy that was on the way?
Hmm. A baby wig? I haven’t even made a hat for a baby before. My first reaction was to say no, worried about making sure I had the right size to fit his head. Then, a vision came into my head of what it would look like.
Challenge accepted.
But, where to start?
I started where I usually go with ideas…Pinterest. Someone has to have a pattern out there for a baby wig involving tight curls. Right? Scouring the various posts, inputting various search words, I couldn’t find what I had visioned in my head of what it would like. Yes, there were several patterns for wigs made with yarn. Several of them were, of course, crocheted. Several were hats with incorporated loops of yarn to create a “curl” affect. I just couldn’t find what I was looking for, as a knit pattern.
Hmm. What next? How in the world was I going to do this?
Elements of how I could do it swam in my head. The next question was how to execute it them. Through all the ideas, two ways to put the puzzle together started to formulate. Okay. I had a plan; well, two plans. I picked one that I thought would be the easiest; creating each individual curl as I worked my way up. It started out well.
However, as I made progress, the wig began to grow in a way that was counterintuitive to a wig. It was looking more like a slouch hat. Not good.
Back to square one. Time for Plan B.
What’s Plan B?
Well, my idea was to knit the hat itself, then individually add the curls to the stitches. That way, the wig size would remain as it needed to. I used a Yarnspirations ® pattern called the Cozy Baby Cap, using Red Heart Yarn ®.
Yes, I added the curls individually. It took…forever. Individually knitting stitches into a tight curl. The more I worked at them, the more my fingers and hands grew sore and tired. I had to take several breaks from the project, even with wearing compression gloves to alleviate the pain. As the days and weeks passed, the curls multiplied.
I reached a point where I just needed to see what it looked like on a head. Taking my second Cabbage Patch doll, who is bald, I placed the hat on its head. I know a Cabbage Patch head is not exactly the same as a baby’s head, but I really wanted to see if I was, in fact, moving in the right direction.
Insert chuckle. I mean…how adorable was this turning out?!
The closer I reached the peak of the hat; I pushed through the pain in my hands to reach the finish line.
There may be a better way to make this wig, one that is less stressful on my hands, but the end result is exactly what I had visioned in my head.
Friends tell me if I post it, I’ll have more people wanting one. My response: there won’t be any more. This was a “one and done” project. The toll it took on my hands; it was definitely a labor of love for this young couple, who are good friends of ours. As of right now, I don’t think my hands could take making another one. A couple weeks out, and they’re still a little sore.
But, I also know myself…it was a challenge; never say never…
Will I write it up as a pattern for others to make? I don’t know. Right now, I just want to look at pictures of the finished product, laugh at the cuteness overload vibes it gives and shake my head in wonder at another masterpiece that I created. Creativity is amazing.
Oh, and the couple love it…I mean, immensely love it. And I can’t stop laughing at the picture of the wig on their son; it is hilariously adorable.