Monticello

I have been noodling my way through lots of hat designs since my kits launched on the Black Sheep Wools site.  It’s such a nice way to try out new yarns so you can expect to see hat shaped yarn reviews until the end of the year at least!

My dear friend, Fiona, works for Bergere de France and often comes to stay when she is travelling the country.  We sit in front of the TV knitting, gossiping and drinking Prosecco.  What could be nicer?

She was telling me about how lovely Bergere’s Merinos 4 is, so I had to have a little play.  Well, it would have been rude not to.

I had a hat design in mind and chose 3 colours that have a real vintage feel to them in a kind of  1950s skiwear vibe.  Oh and the orange is just the perfect Halloween colour!

The yarn is made up of 5 ends, which is more than I was expecting.  But, unlike some Italian yarns, it didn’t split while I was knitting it.  The Merino fibre takes the colours really well and the yarn is lovely and soft but also feels quite durable.

I am sure it would be great knitted as a solid, but you know how much I love a bit of stranding.  And I am really pleased how the crown has turned out.

My only dilemma now is how to hide it from my DH and keep it just for me.

The hat is now up on Ravelry, called Monticello, which means little mountain in Italian. Until 5th November you can get a 50% discount by entering the code Monticello17.

I hope you like it.