A WOMAN has turned her pastime of knitting in front of the television into a snuggly part-time business.
Tracey Chapman, from Stainton Grove, likes to keep busy, even when she is relaxing watching television in the evenings. So prolific is her skill with a set of needles that she launched That Hat in the summer. And you could be forgiven for thinking there would be little demand for woollen pom-pom hats when temperatures soared at last month’s Eggleston Show – but you would be wrong.
Ms Chapman’s hand-knitted, multi-coloured creations went down a storm with weather savvy residents keen to snap up a snazzy hat for the cooler autumn and winter months.
The keen crafter was taught to knit by her mother and grandmother.
“Who doesn’t like a bobble hat?” she said. “I do like to be busy, even when I’m watching TV, I have to have my hands busy and I like to be creative.”
Ms Chapman, who also works part time at Andalucía, added: “I started making the hats over the summer, selling them through my social media page.”
Needless to say, the multi-coloured hats were a hit. Since then, she has attended agricultural shows.
“I’m hoping to do flat caps and trilbies as well using recycled materials. I have a lot of hair and I usually find I can’t get a hat to fit with all my hair, so that’s the aim.
“The flat caps and trilbies will be made out of old tweed jackets so it’ll be a bit of recycling and repurposing. I have got patterns and I’m going to be trialling them first.”
Ms Chapman has plans to expand her part-time business, creating a website but wants to get more established first.
“At the moment I’m looking at doing more craft fairs and shows as the reaction has been great, but I will have an online shop as well at some point.” For more information on That Hat visit https://bit.ly/3URoo7Q
