A Friend Of The Devil Is A Friend Of Mine

This might just be the creepiest bit of origami I have ever seen.

Halloween is just around the corner, so what better way to round off this month of spooky hats than with a post all about devil hats? Can you think of a better way? I can't.

LadyLinoleum over at Monster Crochet whipped up this devil hat while recovering from surgery. Which makes her a BAMF as well as a cool crocheter.

In an interesting variation on the theme, these devil hats come in both red and orange.

As to how you get an orange devil, I leave it up you to figure that one out, Internets.

I'm not sure which I'm more intrigued by; that this hat has quite possibly one of the creepiest expressions on it, or that the hat has taken over the wearer and is drinking her drink.

This devil hat stands out purely because it has a bifurcated tail. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like the pattern comes with directions on how to make a pitchfork, so you'll have scrounge one up on your own.

I have to admit; half of the reason I like this hat so much is that little tab of Velcro. More adult clothes/accessories should come with Velcro, in my humble opinion.

And finally, I bring you a devil hat that appears to subscribe to the philosophy of "go big or go home":

All I've got say about this one is that I hope it's lighter in weight than it looks. Otherwise, that girl's going to need quite the neckrub. Or a chiropractor.

And on that note, that's it for this week. Here's wishing you a Happy Halloween (or Samhain or All Saints Day or Reformation Day or whatever it is you're liable to celebrate this weekend) and I'll see you Monday!

The Masquerade

Could I interest sir in a Guy Fawkes mask?

When it comes to Halloween costumes, they're rather like any other milestone in a person's life, as that you never forget the first. In my case, the first Halloween costume that I can recall Bozo the Clown, which basically consisted of a loose-fitting nylon jumpsuit that tied at the back of the neck (so I could slip it on over a layer of clothes, natch) which thoughtfully had "Bozo the Clown" emblazoned across the chest so adults would know what the heck I was dressed up as, and a molded plastic mask, complete with Bozo's iconic Pippi-Longstocking-meets-Ben-Franklin hairdo.

Mind you, I don't recall ever being a major fan of Bozo. Looking back on it now, the only things I can clearly recall about the show is the bucket toss and that he had a sidekick named Cookie, so it's kind of a mystery as to why I had this costume in the first place (I'm thinking it was a gift from my grandparents. It's the only rational explanation I can come up with.)

But the thing that strikes me the most about that costume is that it was the only one I ever wore that came with a mask. This is probably because that mask annoyed the stuffing out of me. If it wasn't the chafing of the elastic band, it was the condensation on the inside of the mask from my breathing. I think I made it halfway around the block before I gave up and just pushed the darn thing up and off my face. Add that to the fact that my jacket covered up the "Bozo the Clown" business on the chest, and the whole costume was a major bust.

After that, we didn't really get into masks on Halloween. Oh, I wore more face paint than Dee Snider of Twisted Sister ever did, but never again did I wear a mask.

So how's about looking at some masks? As an added bonus, I don't think a single one of them comes with an irritating elastic band.

This bronze-colored mask makes me think of Dave McKean's art designs; it looks cool, yet somehow slightly unsettling.

That's probably because it looks like it'd scrape the crap out of the roof of my car, but whatever.

...Did anyone else get Adam Ant's "Kings Of The Wild Frontier" stuck in their head when looking at this mask? I hope it's not just me.

Originally, I was wondering whether or not I was going to include this mask in today's post, but then I saw the following:

This would be Erika Moen, most infamously known for her comic DAR: A Super Girly Top Secret Comic Diary (which has a habit of being NSFW, so be careful with the clicking,) wearing a custom-made octopus mask made by the very same dude who made the phoenix mask.

So, yeah. You get to see both, and you can see more at Phillip Valdez's site.

As a palate-cleanser, this little mask does a pretty good job. It's not as fancy as the prior masks, but it's still pretty snazzy.

And finally, for those who prefer something simple when it comes to masks:

Maro Designs is pretty much an entire shop of felt costume pieces attached to sticks. Because--as the slogan states--everything is better on a stick, and after having pored over the shop, I can't really argue with their logic.

Also, I want the pirate set. Just sayin'.

See you Friday!

Eight-Legged Freaks

Creepy spider brownie bites by Bakerella.

Confession Time: I am a big-time arachnophobe, to the extent that I lose any and/or all dignity when faced with spiders. Since arachnophobia is considered the most common phobia of them all, the odds are that many of you reading this feel the same way. But if there is one thing I've learned over the years, it's that there's always someone out there who wants to bring rationality into the mix. They start in about how spiders aren't really that scary, that they're actually quite helpful and that there is no logical reason to be frightened of them, so could you please get off the counter top and stop screaming? It's disturbing the other customers.

They like to think of themselves as being intelligent and reasonable; I like to think of them as completely missing the point.

See, the point of a phobia is that it's an irrational, morbid fear--that's what the "phobia" part of the word means. If rationalizing it away actually worked, the freakin' fear wouldn't exist. I could spend days reminding myself that I'm bigger than a spider, that spiders eat bugs or that the chances of my coming into contact with a dangerously venomous spider are rather slim, but as soon as I see something skitter across the floor on eight legs, Rationality is going to take a back seat while Scared Stupid takes the wheel with Survival Mode riding shotgun.

Allie Brosh of Hyperbole and a Half stated that "Spiders are like little pieces of death wrapped in scary." I can't say that I disagree with that statement in any way, shape or form. So seeing as it's the time of year for things that give us the jibblies, let's look at some spider hats, okay?

GAH! Did we have to start off with something so freakin' spidery?! Couldn't we, like just ease into this or something?

*whew* Thanks.

Wait a sec--is there a teeny-tiny little spider on this ha--AUGH THERE IS THERE IS NEXT HAT PLEASE.

Okay, this one doesn't look too terribly bad. It's got an orchid, which is a nice touch, and I like the color.

Hang on. What's that little detail by the gap in the web?

*leans close to computer screen*

*immediately backs away from screen with the quickness*

Um...yeah. Next hat, please?

*dies a little inside*

You know what? I think I'm good for today. How about you?

...Yeah, I'm gonna go spike my coffee before I launch into a level-five tizzy. See you Wednesday!

Hungry Like The Wolf

Amigurumi strikes again; this time, in the shape of The Big Bad Wolf.

You know what? I wanna look at some wolf hats today. Let's do that.

First up, we've got Kate Micucci, one half of the musical duo Garfunkel & Oates, wearing her own little wolf hat.

And might I add, she's doing a pretty apt imitation of the expression her hat is making.

I don't know Johnny from Eve, but seeing as his friend made him this wolf hat, I'd have to say he must be quite the likable dude. I mean, a person doesn't just make wolf hats for any jerk on the street, does one?

Well, maybe one does if cash is involved. But seeing as I'm not seeing anything about an exchange of payment for services rendered, I'm going to roll with the assumption that Johnny is One Cool Dude with a Really Cool Wolf Hat.

While wolves might be somewhat scary, that doesn't mean they can't be somewhat cute. Just take a look at this wolf hat and tell me that it's not cute. You almost want to snuggle with it instead of wear it.

Speaking of snuggly, how's about a fluffy-to-the-max wolf hat? I bet that it not only keeps your head warm, but it also runs the risk of getting your head hugged quite a bit.

And lastly, because no post on wolf hats would be complete without it:

A Max from Where The Wild Things Are wolf hat! But you have to supply your own crown.

This is normally the part where I say that I'll see you Friday, but unfortunately there's not going to be a post on Friday. That will be because I'm going to be out at the farm with The Husband and his grandpa, where I will most likely be taking tons of photos, picking veggies and listening to G-Pa tell some awesome stories, which is great for recharging the old batteries. Also, there's no Internet at the farm, so that kinda makes it difficult to do stuff like update a blog.

So on that note, I'll be seeing you next week!

Owl Hats Strike Again!

Never heard of an egg cozy before, but if they're all as cute as this one by Lucykate Crafts, they should be a household staple.

This is normally the part of the blog where I try to write something funny or interesting and tie it into the post full of hats that you're about to read. But seeing as I overslept by quite a bit and still have bunches of other stuff that needs doing, how's about we skip all that and just look at some owl hats, huh? Will that work for you? I certainly hope so.

First up, we've got this delightful little trio of owl hats. Personally, I'm liking the one on the right the best. There's just something about a cross-eyed owl hat that just strikes me as the pinnacle of cute.

Next up, we've got an amazingly adorable owl hat from TealsCool. Apparently she's quite well-known for her owl hats, as that this photographer did an entire shoot featuring the photographer's kids wearing the hats.

As free ad campaigns go, you really can't beat that, can you?

Awww--this owl hat looks like its beak is in the shape of a heart!

It doesn't get much more precious than that, folks. Well, it could, but it's too early and I haven't had enough coffee yet.

And just because I know some of you out there dig a little subtlety, here's a hat that has a cute little owl patch.

Does that help tide you over? Good, 'cause I've got a few more owl hats to go before I'm done.

This cool-colored owl hat keeps making me think of those The Sak bags. I'm thinking that the straps are what's making me think that way.

And lastly, there's this stripey little owl hat, complete with a set of matching stripey gloves:

Which, I might add, I found at a website that is literally nothing else but owl-themed stuff. If you find yourself really digging owls, you should definitely click on this link right here.

And on that note, see you Wednesday!

Yeti, Again.

Who doesn't love a yeti and his pet snowman, as created by Shawnimals?

Ever had one of those days where it seems like everything falls into your lap? You know; getting up in the morning is a breeze, your hair turns out fantastic, traffic is non-existent, work is paranoia-inducingly easy, getting home is a snap, dinner is delicious, someone else does the dishes, your favorite show rocks your face off and you go to bed thinking, "If I'm ever forced to experience a 24-hour time loop like in that Bill Murray movie, I'd be cool with it if it was today"? Well, as far as this week's blogging activity goes, that's pretty much what happened to me.

I'm serious. Monday's post was written by Friday's and Wednesday's was inspired entirely by my sister in geekiness, kaze_neko. As for today, you can thank a sweet young lady who I forgot to ask what alias I should give her and it's still a little early for my imagination to work properly, so I'm just going to call her K-Car* and be done with it.

Why should you thank her? Because she's letting me post this:

Yep, she's rocking the yeti hat, as made by Delux. She snagged it during her honeymoon. I'd say this is proof that her honeymoon rocked, wouldn't you?

So yeah, I'm posting yeti hats. Again. Because yetis are awesome and K-Car is awesome for letting me post that picture of her wearing her yeti hat. Thanks, K-Car!

First up, we've got this ginormous plushy of a yeti hat, which apparently is/was featured in the gift shop for Disney World's Expedition Everest "attraction."

I've never been to Disney World, but I'd say that that hat might be an excellent reason to go. Just get the hat and spend the rest of the day at EPCOT Center getting tipsy.

Next up, we have a rather fantastically obvious Photoshop of actress Rashida Jones wearing this yeti hat by Caseybot. Which I am including not just because the hat itself is cute, but also because I find purposefully bad Photoshopping to be amusing.

I think Fairly Enchanted Designs is working on becoming one of my favorite Etsy stores. Their selection of monster hats is amazing, including even the above yeti hat.

And finally, just because I think they're interesting, here's a yeti bat cup cozy from the appropriately-named Bat Girl Designs:

Hey; I might not be all that fond of bats, but I can at least recognize that others might find them to be pretty cool.

And that's it for this week. But before I head out, if you find that you just need a little more yeti in your life, I would heartily suggest you check out I Love the Yeti. That's where I found the yeti/bat hybrid and there's tons more yeti-related stuff over there, so get to clicking already, would you?

See you Monday!

* This is no way meant to insinuate that she has anything in common with the Chrysler K platform cars, outside of the fact that they were both made in the 1980s.

Cthulhu Fhtagn!

Once again, I prove that you can make an amigurumi in the shape of pretty much anything, as this Cthulhu pattern definitely shows.

Confession Time: I have never read any of H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu stuff. Pretty much everything I know about the tentacular Great Old One, I learned through a combination of pop-cultural osmosis, this Wikipedia entry and a rudimentary Google search.

Yes, I know this makes me a poor excuse for a geek, but I never claimed to be good at this. Heck, I've never even watched a single episode of Dr. Who or read Dune. As geekery goes, I'm operating at a Geek 101 level, whereas the rest of my peers just about have their doctorate in geekiness.

Everybody's got to have a cross to bear, I guess. This one would be mine.

In any event, kaze_neko mentioned yesterday that she was looking for a Cthulhu costume this year. While I couldn't find any costumes per se, I did find some hats that one could construct a costume around; just slap on some green clothes and BAM! You're an old god who's gonna destroy the world when you come back. But what fascinates me is that Cthulhu hats seem to go one of two ways: they're either as cute as all get-out or just plain creepy. There appears to be no middle ground when it comes to the tentacled one.

Don't believe me? Keep reading, and see how the pendulum swings.

Aw, look at this fleecy little Cthulhu hat. Almost looks too cute to be representative of an ancient god that's supposed to destroy the world, doesn't it?

The same could easily be said of this crocheted one. And better still, you can get the pattern and make one for yourself.

Personally? If I could crochet, I'd be sorely tempted to make this sucker in pink, just to mess with the Lovecraft superfans.

On a more "hey, this guy is actually supposed to be creepy-looking" note, there's this knitting pattern for a Cthulhu ski mask.

And as an added bonus, it looks like it fits perfectly over glasses frames. Because that's important when you're making a ski mask for geeks.

And finally, we have this out-and-out unsettling Cthulhu ski mask. How is it unsettling? Just look at it and count the ways:

Let's see...

1. Prominent eyebrow ridge of evil? Check.
2. Profusion of tentacles that hang in a somewhat menacing fashion? Check.
3. Shade of eye-violating radioactive green? Check and check.

Yep, it's official; I think this might just be the creepiest darn hat I've ever seen. And I kinda want it.

And on that note, see you Friday!

Corn That Tastes Like Candy

Please don't sue me, Brach's.

So for those of you who read Friday's post, you might recall that there was a picture in there that also featured candy corn hats. Originally, that was as far as I was willing to go with the candy corn hats, until yesterday, when I was reminded of this bit by comedian Lewis Black about the aforementioned holiday treat (Note: It gets a little NSFW at the end.) Once I heard it again, I knew I needed to do a candy corn hats post.

You see, Internets, I can't say I entirely disagree with Mr. Black when it comes to candy corn. To my knowledge, I can't recall ever seeing an advertisement for candy corn; those variety bags of "fun-sized" candy bars, certainly, but never candy corn. They also don't taste all that great. They don't taste terrible, but let's face it, they don't taste all that special, either. On the whole, they're like the autumnal version of those chalky conversation hearts that keep reappearing every Valentine's Day; they're an underwhelming "treat" (and boy, am I using that term lightly,) that owes their annual return to the fact that they've got ties to a holiday.

But darn it, they just look so festive. Look at 'em, all pretty and fall-colored and stuff, sitting in that glass candy dish. Like a pumpkin on a porch, the month of October just doesn't seem right without a bowl of candy corn gathering dust on a coffee table.

All in all, the only thing I don't agree with Mr. Black on is that I don't believe that the candy company just keeps reselling the same batch year after year after year. If we've finally been able to prove that Twinkies do have a shelf life, I'm thinking that candy corn probably does, too. The jury's still out on the conversation hearts, though.

So on that note, let's get to the candy corn hats, shall we?

First up, we've got this charming little knit pattern from Material Whirled. And it's FREE.

...Seriously. If you know how to knit, there is no excuse not to make this hat.

Next up, we've got this anime-inspired candy corn hat, doing an impression of the :3 emoticon.

From the same site, there's also this candy corn-inspired hat.

I'm not sure which part of it is cuter; the little candy corn detail off to the side or the pom-pom on top.

Seeing as candy corn hats managed to sneak into Friday's pumpkin hats post, it's only fair that pumpkin hats get to return the favor today.

And to turn the knife just a little, there's even a ghost hat. HOW DO YOU LIKE THEM APPLES?!

And finally, just because I like 'em, here's some decorative felted candy corn:

Well, if you're concerned about the possibility of wasting money on a bowl full of candy that may or may not get eaten, I'd say these make for a handy decorative alternative. Plus, they're the perfect size for lobbing at people. You really can't say the same for the actual candy; it's like comparing boulders to pebbles, really.

See you Wednesday!

Pumpkin-Headed

Pumpkin patch pic from Farm Crawl 2010.

Reminiscence Time: When I was in the second grade, I remember my teacher having one of those cutesy wooden perpetual calendars (like this, but with an old-timey schoolhouse in place of the apparently headless Amish-inspired frontier children.) What I remember most about it was that it had certain pictures that you could slide in between the numerical ones to represent a holiday; a decorated tree for Christmas, a Pilgrim hat for Thanksgiving and--most relevantly for this blog post--a pumpkin for Halloween.

Which, y'know, makes sense. Especially seeing as Halloween is a fall holiday, and pumpkin season is definitely in the fall. But as someone who has a rather unabashed love for pumpkins, I have to wonder why even today--what with all the advances that agricultural science has made--pumpkins are still strictly relegated to the autumnal season of the year. Seriously, just try and look for a decent-sized pumpkin any time after October 31st; all you're gonna find are those smallish ones for those Martha Stewart-types who insist on making pumpkin pie from scratch and the ones that grocery stores refer to euphemistically as "Assorted Gourds."

And frankly, that's just not fair. If I can hit up my produce section in the middle of winter and get a watermelon (which, as I've said before, is a definitively summer thing,) I should be able to get a darned pumpkin any time I want. Not that I have any idea as to what I'd do with a pumpkin in May, but a girl likes to have options.

And on that note, let's get to the pumpkin hats, shall we?

SmidgeKnits hits two seasonal birds with one stone; they're offering up pumpkin hats and candy corn hats.

Meanwhile, Karlen Knits has this adorable little pumpkin hat, perfect for your own little pumpkin-head.

Which is pretty much the case for the majority of pumpkin hats; they're all made for kids. But luckily, there are those out there who recognize that adults might want to get in on the pumpkin love, too:

See? Thank goodness for Etsy stores like Chains of Sunshine. Otherwise, I'd have given up on knitted hats a long time ago.

(Okay; not really, but I'd definitely complain a lot more.)

Of course, if plain old orange isn't quite what you fancy, there's nothing stopping you from making a different-colored pumpkin hat. Personally, I'm rather fond of the lighter green one.

And finally, because no holiday season is complete without something that makes your dog look ridiculous (or ridiculously cute, depending on your mileage:)

Voila!

And that's it for this week. See you Monday!