Princess Mononoke Hat- Sometimes I Amaze Myself

I will be honest, sometimes I really am amazed at my ability to create things without a pattern, just from looking at an image.    Papa Frog and the Froglets tell me it is silly.  They belief in my ability seems to be unwavering.  It is only recently that I have started creating things that don’t actually already have a written pattern.  A friend of a friend contacted me recently about making her a Princess Mononoke hat.  Fans of the anime recognize her iconic wolf pelt and red mask.  But this is where it got tricky.  This friend wanted the hat to be furred to look like a wolf pelt.  I have to be honest, adding that much fur to something is daunting.  If you don’t know what furring in crochet entails, let me tell you- yarn is attached strand by strand over an entire area, and then it is brushed and brushed and brushed with a wire dog brush to achieve a furry look.  I have never furred anything of this size before, and it used almost an entire pound of yarn.  That is one pound of yarn cut into 4 inch pieces and attached to a hat base 1-2 pieces at a time.  Apparently this friend had asked a couple of other crafters to recreate this hat for her, but no one was willing to tackle the fur!  I am so glad I did.  The hat is amazing AND it has opened the door for me to create some other cosplay pieces for her her.  I am beyond excited.