It Takes A Village to Make a Toque
You know the saying, it typically applies to raising children, but I would argue the same (same, same but different) when it comes to making a toque!
This is the story behind the process in preparing a single beanie for sale. Start to finish. Of course this can look a lot of different ways for folks, however this will paint a picture of what the exact process was in creating the East Bay Beanie pictured below, which is also available for purchase:
0. You Must Already Know or Be Willing to Learn How To Knit
Let's be real, it has to start with learning or already knowing how to knit. This skill alone can be quick or long to pick up and it won't be without many hours or trials and errors. I highlight this because I don't think it gets mentioned enough. There are lots of sellers out there with gorgeous websites offering beautiful handmade ready to ship items. They make it look so easy, when really behind each listing was hours of blood sweat and possible tears poured into each piece. On top of that many of us have had to learning web design and website building? I'm not up on the tech terms but there is so much energy behind these handmade websites is the point I am trying to make.
1. Purchase Pattern From Small Business Designer (or design your own)
To begin it started with the design, which you can read more about in my previous blog post. I couldn't have come up with the design with out countless hours, weeks, months, and years of practice and learning beforehand. A simpler way, and how I truly got started with making toques, was by purchasing a written pattern made by another designer.
Once you have your design decided, next it's time to pick out which yarn you will use. If you are just starting out, perhaps a more affordable blend such as a wool/acrylic or acrylic would be a good place to start. As you become more experienced, or you simply want to experiment - who am I to stop creativity - then you may want to play around with luxury 100% wool & merino wool blends. For this particular East Bay Beanie, I went to visit Tracy's Rolling Yarn Shop which is a local gem! It was there that I discovered Fleece Artist, a brand a yarn I hadn't heard of nor worked with before. I was delighted to find out that it was made in Halifax and now these East Bay Beanies have even more East Coast love! I picked up two hanks of the Flouf which is a super bulky weight 6. I find it very comparable to Sugar Bush Chill, which was a crowd favorite yarn that was discontinued.
Fleece Artist's Flouf
If you go the luxury route, often times you also have to wind up the yarn before it's ready to be used. If you don't wind it up and try to use it from the hank, you will most likely lose your sanity and end up with a huge mess that will make you wanna throw out your very expensive luxury yarn. So taking the time to wind so you don't lose your mind is advised, but an added labor.
Lichen & Lace's Supwerwash Worsted
4. Actually Make The Toque
Now, it's finally time to sit down and actually knit up the toque. This can take anywhere from 1.5-5 hours for a toque depending on the weight of yarn used, needles used, how intricate/complicated the pattern/design is, and whether or not there is a double brim or not. For me, when I am working with luxury yarns, it often takes me much longer to complete a project. This is because I stop much more frequently to admire the beauty of the stitches worked up together. Each stage of the toque needs its own admiration, and I thoroughly enjoy each stitch.
5. Branded Tags
Once the toque is made, it's time to add your own branded tag for an elevated professional finish. Now this of course takes some sourcing, collaborating and designing. I have gotten my tags from Brick Bubble in Alberta and Angie & Britt in Tennessee, USA and have never been disappointed!
6. To Pom or Not To Pom
That is the age old debate, is it not? I find this topic often controversial but I myself can hardly consider a toque finished without a pom! The question really becomes - will it be a yarn pom, or a faux fur pom?
When going the yarn route, you will need purchase an additional tool that is a pom pom maker. I love the clover brand of these, but whatever is carried at your local Michaels or Amazon will do. Yarn poms take more time and are more small batch. Each pom is individually made and they use up yarn supplies, time, and labor.
When going the faux fur route, you buy your fur by the yard typically, and you decide on your size and go to town cutting up squares. Once the squares are made, each must be sewn around the edges so that it can be pulled tight to hold form. Finally it is stuffed with some polyfill and cinched up and ready to be tied on top of a toque!
7. Block The Toque
I will be the first to admit that this is something I never use to do. I saw it as an extra step that didn't really do much. I am not ashamed of not knowing more back then. But now, oh boy do I ever notice a difference and it gives me much more confidence in the products I am selling.
I personally steam block my items, another way is fully submersing your finished item into luke warm water and allowing it to fully dry. I learned a trick from SmallBranchDesigns of taking a styrofoam ball (got mine at Dollarama) and placing it on top of a cup. Then putting your finished toque over it to set while it's blocking to give it perfect form. It's brilliant, it's genius, and I will never stop doing this.
8. Remove Lint
Okay this is my favorite step. The toque is done, you've blocked it so the pattern is absolutely poppin' and now you get to work magic and make the toque come alive! I bought my Singer brand lint remover from Michaels and this is my favorite tool yet! Just compare the two photos below to see for yourself.
Before After
Also peep the difference in coloring in these two photos. The time of day you take your photos has such a big impact - but I'll save that for another blog!
9. Sell!
Well, there's not much left to do now, but sell! HA! Just kidding, in this day in age to sell feels like it takes a micro degree to do. If you do in person markets, it makes things a little easier because people are already coming to you. But to sell online you need to be able to take product photos that accurately display the products, write up listings trying to use SEO strategies, and then post about it in enough places that the right customer finds it! It's not all stress, in fact learning the process can be quite challenging and rewarding all at once.
I hope this has helped to paint a better picture of all of the efforts it takes to make a toque. As you can see it takes the collaboration of many small businesses of different backgrounds coming together to bring you a single item. An item that has been so lovingly and carefully curated together hoping to bring you warmth, comfort and love. With each handmade item you buy, know your are receiving little pieces of the hearts of many small business across the country and/or world.