Hat stands a recycling how to

A query to the knit list about creative solutions for displaying kid's hats at a craft fair inspired this post. I will be emailing the link to the list member who asked and may or may not emerge from my sleepy lurkdom to post to the list.

When I was on a wild Afghans for Afghans hat knitting tear a few years back, I was confronted with a similar issue when I wanted to photograph the work.

While wig stands aren't terribly expensive, they also aren't very portable, take up space and Styrofoam isn't very environmentally friendly.

I reverted to my crafty scouting past and came up with cardboard and wooden skewers solution.

The only must do part of this is to use the sort of cardboard with an corrugated centre layer -- you run your skewer through one of those channels to tie base and head together

For my example, I used a very ugly duckling box. For a craft faire you'd probably want one a bit nicer and sans tape. Don't forget the value of spray paint in sprucing up an otherwise suitable box.

Cut three circles, ovals or similar shapes of the same size.

Two of the three shapes will for the head and the third will act as the base.

Cut a strip in the centre of the two head shapes as shown.

The strips should be long enough to allow the shapes to interlock.

In a perfect do as I say, not as I do, my box's real estate didn't give me enough space to create an ideal base.

The ideal base would be created by cutting the third circle/oval in half across the widest point -- that gives your stand more stability.

My base isn't as stable as I'd like but the rules of construction remain the same.

In one of the base pieces , cut a centre strip from the flat bottom up. In the other base piece, cut a corresponding centre strip from the rounded top down.

These two pieces will interlock to form the base and this is where the skewer and the importance of corrugation comes into play.

Run the pointed part of the skewer into the bottom of your assembled base and into your assembled head pieces.

You've got a portable, easily stored hat stand that is also recycled.