Walk on Your Wild Side Day is April 12th, and it encourages us to take a chance. It’s a call to the inner strength within you, to do something out of your comfort zone. Do something wild and crazy, and perhaps a little daring.
Quote from www.holidayinsights.com
But, I’m not actually talking about you, though. Your pup is who I’m thinking about. Let them bring out their inner wild side. How do I do that, you ask?
By making and giving them the gift of a Hua Headwarmer, Wildlife Edition. I already know the question you’re about to ask. What is a Hua Headwarmer? Well, you see, Hua(hoo-ah) is an affectionate term we used in a dog daycare I worked at for a Chihuahua.
And a headwarmer, of course, would be a hat. So Hua Headwarmer=Chihuahua Hat.
Disclaimer: It also fits other small breed dogs similar to the Hua. Psst: don’t tell the chihuahuas that. They think it’s all about them.
Backstory of the Hua Headwarmer
A co-worker at the dog daycare sent me a internet video of a chihuahua wearing a knitted hat with a Pom Pom on top. She asked, “With your rad skills, do you think you can crochet this?” Not one to walk away from a challenge, I said, “Sure, I’ll give it a try.”
The next day to her amazement, I brought in the hat I had made. We popped it on her chihuahua, Banana. The picture below is the result.
A Hua with a Headwarmer! And henceforth, Hua Headwarmers became a hot commodity. They are very popular in the colder weather. All the cool chihuahuas rave about them.
They went a tad viral one holiday season, and I made and sent out over 500 of them in a two month period. There is a Hua Headwarmer in every state. They even went to Spain and France. You can find the original and several other designs, like Puff Stitch, Ribbed, and Double Pom Pom, for custom order in my Etsy Shop.
And because I’m a BIG unicorn lover, you will also find the Hua-corn Headwarmer! I also made a Bunny one. But, I decided to challenge myself even further.
Walk on Your Wild Side Hua Headwarmers
Now, on to the Wildlife Edition. I decided to take the original and add some fun features. A couple of ears here, a couple of horns there, then add a few spots and maybe a mane.
For all my Hua Headwarmers, I use Caron Simply Soft Yarn. It’s soft and easy to work with.
It was so cute. I didn’t want to stop there. Why not create a whole line of Wildlife Editions? I started doodling a bunch of pictures.
Now, imagine the theme song to Jaws in your head as you look at the next picture. “Dun,dun,dun,dun”
Feature in Pet Appreciation Blog Hop
Bzzzz Bzzzz! What is that buzzing in my ear? It’s a Busy Bee Hua Headwarmer, of course. Yea, technically a bee is not wildlife, but the design got in my head, and I had to do it.
This crochet pattern will be featured in the Pet Appreciation Blog Hop hosted by Jo’s Crafty Hook on Monday, August 21, 2023. On that day, you will be able to get a free PDF download of the pattern through Ravelry. Hit the button below to get the coupon code.
Once you have the coupon code, return here and hit the button below to go to the Ravelry pattern. Input your code at check out, and the Busy Bee Hua Headwarmer will buzz it’s way into your Ravelry library.
Hua Headwarmer Wildlife Edition Patterns
After I had made these three cute designs, I realized it was a lot more work to make these hats than the original Hua Headwarmer. I made the decision to sell them as crochet patterns only and not products. You can find all three patterns separately and as a bundle in both of my shops. Click either link below.
Oh, I almost forgot to introduce you to my top model in most of the photos. My chihuahua plushie, “Buttercup”, so named by my granddaughter. She loved her so much, she would steal her from me every time she came to visit. So being a very smart and loving Grandma, I bought another one just for her. She named it “Reeses.” But then, she took it home with her and still steals Buttercup when she visits. Ha Ha Ha! Nice try, Grandma!
What’s Next in this Wild Side Series?
What will be the next Hua Headwarmer Wildlife Edition pattern? Let’s see how good your memory is. What wild animal was in the cover photo at the top of the page?
Tsk Tsk! No fair scrolling back to the top.
If you like to learn some interesting things about dogs, check out my post: 15 Cool Facts About Dogs
If you’re a crocheter, check out my Patterns.
I bet you thought I wasn’t going to show you the next Wildlife Edition that will be coming out. Did you guess the correct animal or did you cheat by scrolling?
I hope you enjoyed my take on Walk on Your Wild Side Day. Now go do something fun, adventurous and wild!
And if you crochet, and make one of my wild Hua Headwarmers, please tag me on Instagram or Facebook @timmelcrochet
I’ve teamed up with some other crochet bloggers. Why don’t you take a look at their take on Walk on Your Wild Side Day!
Have a pawsome day!
Melanie
