How Not to Become A Lobster.

     I'm headed to the beach in a few weeks for some sunshine and relaxation. The problem? Sunshine and relaxation don't coexist so peacefully in my book. I burn so easily that I inevitably spend a lot of my relaxation time worrying about my next SPF reapplication. I'm pretty good about reapplying my sunscreen, but somehow I always manage to get a little too much sun on my face, ears, and neck, no matter what I do. The solution? A big-ass hat. Unfortunately, the hat I happen to already own was a little too cutesy and "Sunbonnet Sue" for my liking. I like to bring a little more edge to my beach look. 

     So I set to work making this thing more my style. First I took off the ribbon and that wooden ring. It was just a matter of popping out a few stitches here and there where it had been tacked into place. 

     But then it was too boring! I added a black ribbon, tacked it down with a couple stitches here and there, and decorated it with an old pin I had lying around. I think it came on a dress I bought long, long ago. 

Bonus kitty ears!

     Gettin there! I could have stopped at this point, since this is much less country bumpkin, I think, than what I started with. But I felt like it needed something more. Something to really kick it up a notch. After all, if you're going to be wearing a hat this big, it should make a statement! So I busted out the black paint and painted every other row of the hat's brim black. This part was really just an exercise in patience: I took it nice and slow to make sure the edges of my stripes stayed neat and the straw got completely covered where I wanted it to.

     Now we're talkin! I considered taking the stripes up onto the rest of the hat, but I didn't want to make myself a literal bulls-eye for passing seagulls. I love the way this turned out! It gives the hat some interest and makes it seem like more of an intentional fashion statement, rather than "Woops, my face is burning, I'll buy the first hat I see!"