I love knitting and designing hats, mainly because my DH is such an appreciative recipient. Christmas, birthdays, high days and holidays are all marked by giving him a new hat.
And I am never short of ideas. I find myself looking at buildings or garments in museums and wondering how I could turn that into a hat. I particularly like playing with the tops to create stars and snowflakes. The humble hat is endlessly fascinating to me.
A while ago I was approached by the lovely people at Black Sheep Wools to design a collection of hat kits for men, women and babies in a range of yarns including Rowan, Debbie Bliss and Baa Ram Ewe. As well as my customary Fair Isle designs I have branched out into cables – quite a departure for me but huge fun. These exclusive kits have just launched and would make great Christmas presents, whether you knit one for a loved one or give it to a knitting buddy.
Torshavn was inspired by a trip to Norway a few years ago and uses Debbie Bliss’ Falkland Aran – a lush yarn that has a beautiful sheen.
The Diamond Cable Hat is available in Rowan Alpaca Soft for men and Debbie Bliss Rialto DK for women. It’s a great way to practise your cable technique.
Zig Zag is a fun hat for babies and toddlers in Rowan Pure Wool Superwash DK which is a great choice for this age group.
I love Dovestone from Baa Ram Ewe. It is just such a joy to knit with and works really well for this Fair Isle hat, A Ride In The Forest.
Finally, my favourite yarn of all time Rowan Felted Tweed. Twill is a riot of diagonal stripes that meet in a star shape at the crown.
Each hat comes in a lovely bag with the pattern included. I hope you enjoy making something from my new collection.
A Kingfisher Morning 
I’m not quite sure how I have managed to miss so many of your lovely blog posts, these are all so lovely and would make perfect gift knits.