busy, busy, busy

Uffda, it's been crazy around here! Between all the holiday Etsy traffic, the custom work & filling nonstop wholesale orders, I scarcely have time to breath, much less grow a baby (yes, I am growing a baby -less than 2 months to go!).

meanwhile...

...while I sold my brains out, my husband Matt & almost-3-year old, Xavier, explored the city. They grabbed this fantastic shot of Seattle from atop the Space Needle.

Seattle, I love you!

Oh my goodness, what a wonderful weekend we had at Urban Craft Uprising in Seattle! We knocked together this amazing little booth & sold the ever-loving-bejesus out of the Hoo Hats. I think we maybe had 20 left by the time it was all over. It was fantastic! We were swamped & loved every last minute of it. I can't wait to go back next year (fingers crossed!).

introducing...

Sage & Honey!

(so, I had a few wool scraps laying around....)

a little bit about me

I did a little vendor interview thingy for Urban Craft Uprising....just a little somethin' somethin' to tell folks about the Hoo Hats mastermind (moi!). If you're curious, go on over & give it a gander!

sweater lover

I did a little guest blogging for NW Kids Magazine this month. It's all about all the wonderful things you can do with those beautiful old woolens in your wardrobe. Don't throw 'em out! Check it out!

Who's in Helsinki?

Hoo Hats, that's who! Hoo Hats can now be found perched on the shelves of a fabulous new shop called Paloni in (of all places!) Helsinki, Finland.

Curated by young entrepreneur Minna Särelä, Paloni (meaning "my passion" or "my fire" in Finnish) is a concept shop that features exclusively handmade items from over 65 undiscovered independent designers from all over the world. Of particular importance to Minna is that the items all be crafted ethically & sustainably by the designers themselves. For more about the shop, see this piece from Elle Finland Magazine.

Of course, we're so very pleased to be a part of such a unique venture. If you happen to find yourself strolling the streets of downtown Helsinki, please pop in at Eerikinkatu 7 & say hello to my Hoos!

Hello, Seattle!

It seems way too good to be true, but we've just discovered that Hoo Hats has been accepted into the fabulous Urban Craft Uprising, Seattle's largest indie craft show! There were over 450 applicants & by some amazing miracle little ol' Hoo Hats made the cut! Of course, we're elated & marginally panicky -it's our very first show & we have so much to do & sew before December 3rd. And did we mention we're pregnant too? Um...yeah, so it's going to be a very crazy winter. Crazy wonderful, that is!

Check out these links to the show & the incredible vendor list. We are so excited to be keeping company with so many other amazing artists! If you're in the area on December 3rd & 4th, why not do a little Christmas shopping at Urban Craft Uprising? And of course, you must stop by our booth & say hello! See you there!

Farewell, my sister, fare thee well!

I know it might seem silly, but I have a pretty hard time parting with some of my favorite Hoos. Once you've spent that much time with 'em - from the moment you spot that perfect wool sweater in a long, dreary row of endless blah-schmah acrylic garbage at Value Village, until that last tie gets tied & the ends gets snipped - you can really get pretty attached.

It was especially tough saying goodbye to this feisty little girl, a custom Hoo Hat for a lucky tot in Cottage Grove, Minnesota:

I love how the muted, classic brown wool contrasts with the flashy pink & orange eyes. At mom's request, we broke all the rules on this one (a pink nose!!) in order to make it extra girly & fun.

Do you have a special Hoo Hat idea in mind that you'd love to see on your favorite kiddo? Send me a note! We can try to work something out! Since all my wool finds are completely random, I cannot guarantee I can make your dreams come true, but you have my assurance I will do my level  best to craft something fun & unique.

Wool hats in summer?

Why, yes! It's been a busy summer here at Hoo Hat headquarters. I've been cutting & sewing up a storm in preparation for the coming craziness of winter (crossing my fingers & hoping things explode!). We've designed & printed all our marketing materials, including the cutest, sweetest little hang tags. It's starting to look really professional around here, despite the fact that we're still routinely trashing our dining room in order to make it happen.

And I've managed all this while being just a little bit pregnant. That's right, we're adding a girl to the Hoo Head family & she should make her appearance by early February. It's going to be an insane Winter 2011/12 on more than one front & we couldn't be more excited about it!

Hoo Hats=1 of 5 amazing things

The talented Amy K over at the incredible 5 Things blog notified me via Facebook that Hoo Hats made the cut for this month!  How exciting!  Amy writes:


...As stated on the Hoo Hats website “Hoo Hats is a wee hat company owned by Charlotte Cooper & operated out of the dining room of her humble home in Southeast Portland, Oregon.” I love these stories. And I love these kinds of people!  Her cute felt hats for kiddies are so incredibly designed & sewn. Go Charlotte go! You can “Like” Hoo Hats on facebook. I already have. Spread the word!!


Thanks so much for the kind & encouraging words, Amy!  And for helping us get the word out about Hoo Hats!

And check out Amy's badass graphic. Seriously. What an honor to be featured along with so many amazing things:

Hoo Hats on Project Artisan

It is with a thrill of pride that I announce our launch on the fantastic new online designer shopping portal, Project Artisan.  Project Artisan is committed to supporting new & emerging designers who produce products that are sustainable & socially responsible.  We are keeping some pretty fabulous company on this site, so please take the time check out some of the other featured designers. 


We were asked to join a month ago & have been scrambling ever since to get our ducks in a row to open our shop. I sewed up a whole host of extra fancy Hoo Hats especially for the Project Artisan marketplace & I am very pleased with the results. 


Here are a few of my favorite:

ethersphere explosion!

Okay, okay...so maybe I am overstating a bit, but that is how it feels when we see all the fun blurbs that are popping up all over the internet these days.  We can thank the lovely Julie Knapp over at Inhabitots for the first little push.  Our favorite line from her sweet review? -"We're calling it -the Hoo Hats craze has officially begun."  Wow! -We sure hope you're right, Julie!

And if that wasn't enough, the Inhabitots piece was promptly picked up by someone at Trend Hunter the following day & from there it was forwarded all over the place, if my email inbox is to be believed.  Incredible!

Meanwhile, Hoo Hats is on a brief sabbatical.  Yes, it's true -taking a teeny tiny break from nonstop sewing to soak up some Vitamin D poolside in sunny Puerto Vallarta.  We've got some exciting things to announce as soon as we return, so stay tuned!....

believe it or not...

I'm so very far beyond excited to share some news with you!...The meticulously curated Portland Art Museum Gift Shop is now carrying a select few extra fabulous Hoo Hats on their exclusive shelves.  Yes, it is true.  I would not have believed it had I not seen it for myself tonight when I crept in, camera in hand, & sneaked around like some kind of weirdo shooting photos of the Children's section.  But I am not above that.  Oh, no.  Anything to secure a shot of a bevy of my beautiful Hoo Hats so nobly ensconced.  Plus, I wasn't sure if you'd believe me:

So, next time you're at the PAM checking out some Lee Kelly craziness or Thomas Moran's amazing landscapes, pop into the shop & say "hello" to my Hoos!

hoo hats come to london town!

 

Thanks to Julianne for sending along these awesome, puddle-stomping pics!

newborn hoos for a brand new year!

I don't know about you, but it seems like everyone I know either just had a baby or is pregnant or is trying to get pregnant or is thinking about getting pregnant someday soon (I hope it's not contagious!).  And so I'm pleased to introduce a brand new size of Hoo Hats make expressly for the newborn Hoo Head.

Here are a few that just listed on Etsy today:

These hats are all made from the softest wool I can find, typically cashmere (although I've been known to use a little angora, merino, rabbit hair & lambswool here & there so long as it's extra cozy), so they're extremely light, soft & flexible.  They don't have any straps, but still sport the cozy ear flaps to keep your little newbie warm during those cold winter outings.  They fit babies with head circumferences in the 12-15" range (please email if you're interested in purchasing a Premie-sized Hoo Hat -I have a few available).

The Newborn Hoo Hat makes a perfect shower gift, not just during the winter months, but all the year round.