Dr. Barbie, a hat and a public service announcement

After this week's verbal spanking from my dermatologist, I was inspired to try a pattern I've had in my library for a while now. Jansdotter's sun hat. My dermatologist's entire body mass is probably equal to that of my left thigh but she wields the cancer word with authority and I listen.

Actually, my dermatologist resembles this American hero in almost every way except her diminutive height and brown eyes. No exaggeration. In spite of that, I really like her. She is perky and friendly. A bit of a close talker but upbeat and engaging even when pointing out my flaws.

"We can take care of those red spots on your arm!" Oh, uh, red spots? "Yeah, and your face can look virtually ageless just like mine!" I'm sorry to point this out, but when you are over 40 and your face is wiped clean of every sign of living, I call that freakish. That's just me.

Right before sending me off to the receptionist to schedule the removal of yet another suspicious spot and add to my collection of hideous, red scars, Dr. Barbie asked if I was much of a hat person. She explained that she was fond of using a straw hat, one acquired for the attendance of a horse-racing event, which she prefers because it helps dress up every outfit. With my eye on her perfectly coordinated, size zero designer clothes and strappy heels, I smiled. "I'll find something," I said.

Word to the wise: You can have no family history of skin cancer, sunbathe less than the average female, never use a tanning bed and still be susceptible to skin cancer in spades. My only risk factor being my fair skin along with a tendency to burn. Know that darker skin tones are not exempt.

So, hat details. I used some light and medium weight cotton hanging out in my stash and cut an inch off both the brim and the crown after reading in several places about the hat being way too big.















It was a fairly quick project and I am really happy with the size. I did have quite a bit of trouble getting the top part of the hat to line up correctly with the crown, and as a result the fit is a bit wonky. I'm really not sure how to avoid that.






















I don't think that it's meant to be, but it's also kind of reversible.
















It'll serve its purpose in keeping me white, pasty and UV free. Hurray.















Here's a little rant about sunscreens. Dr. Barbie was always telling me to use sunblock with zinc oxide and titanium dioxide but I wasn't really listening. I've known some sunscreens have carcinogens in them but figured the brands I used were fairly safe. I did a little research yesterday and was properly horrified about the chemicals I've been slathering on my family. Try finding a sun product without the chemical Benzophenone (or its derivatives Benzophenone-3 or Oxybenzone).

I had to hit up my local Whole Foods to find something safe. Nature's Gate and Badger are a couple good brands I found. Not cheap, though.