One of my most popular designs in the Winter 2012/2013 season has been the Mickey and Minnie Beanies. I have done MANY of them throughout the last couple of years. At first I had just done a single circle for each ear. They were adorable!

But they were a little floppy, and a hair see through. Anyone who knows me personally will tell you that I am pretty easy going, but with myself and the work I do for others I am a perfectionist. So I set out to do it better!
I tried using two strands of yard together, but they still didn't stay up as well as I would have liked. And then I had a Eureka moment. A pattern for a different hat I had been working on said that I needed to make TWO of the same shape and stitch them together, forming a thicker, more stiff accessory. I tried the Mickey and Minnie Ears again, this time layering two circles together and crocheting the edges, almost all the way around. Not only did this give me a stiffer and more solid ear, it gave me a flat surface to sew to the hat AND the ear was more concave, like a real Mickey Ear would be.

I love it when my creative problem solving (and help from other experienced crafters) helps make my hats that much better!