Rainbow Pony Hat!

So many of you have requested this hat and here it is, finally! I hope it lives up to your expectations. You can always change things up a little if you are not satisfied with the pattern. I just look at a picture of the character and try my best to get it close to what the character looks like. There are a lot of versions of this pony out there, however, I usually enjoy designing my own. The process is fun and I always look forward to the finished product. This particular pony requires a lot of colors. If you don't already have a stash that you can use, you are going to have to get a lot of yarn. The good thing is that the
 yarn can always be used in other projects. I panicked just a little when I thought I was going to run out of orange before I was finished. But, I found a little remnant and it was just enough to finish it off.

The pictures do not show true color. Keep in mind that this is a brightly colored pony when choosing your yarn colors. Here is the link to buy a PDF version of this pattern.

Rainbow Pony Hat

This was a really fun pattern to make because as I added more color, the pony just came alive. There is a trick to doing the mane. For the front part of the mane, I sewed it on at an angle with part of it going over the top of the hat and onto the top part of the back of the hat. It is easier to see the eyes this way. Otherwise it will be straight down, in front of the face and the eyes won't be seen very well.

 

The back part of the mane is also sewn on at an angle so that it meet up with the part of the front mane that is on the back of the hat. You can see what I mean in the picture below. Of course you can always sew the pieces on however you would like. That's the great thing about making your own hat instead of buying one already made. You can always change it to make it suit you. 

The eyes on this one are also a little different. I tried to go off of a picture to make them the right shape and to be sure the color was in the right place. When embroidering the highlights in the eyes, I like to imagine a light coming from a certain direction and put the highlights in accordingly. If you forget to put the highlights in before sewing the eyes on the hat, no worries, you can still put them in after the eyes have been sewn on. Just slide the needle under the eye and back up through the eye. Try not to go through the hat because your yarn will be noticeable on the inside of the hat. A clean, finished look on the inside is always nice if you plan on selling your creations.

 

 

In order to be sure the muzzle doesn't look like a pig snout, embroider the nostrils on the corners and slightly to the outside instead of on the front of the muzzle as seen in the picture above and below. 

 

When sewing on the back part of the main, make sure you tack it down about 3/4 of the way down before you get to the front of the hat. This will help the mane stay in place and keep it from falling behind the hat and flopping around when someone is wearing it. 

I hope you all like it. Now off to more designing. Happy crochet!