The 5th Playful Woolly Toppers pattern has been published today! Meet Sproutling.

This design has a bit of history... it was originally designed to be part of the Bambeanies collection, so it's been sitting around here for two years, patiently waiting. There was something about the way the pattern was originally worked that niggled me, and one of my testers had a bit of trouble working through the joining that occurs at the top of the Hat. For whatever reason, these niggles remained niggles, and I wasn't going to publish a pattern that hadn't had all of it's kinks worked out. So it was shelved.

At some point last year I picked up the design again, and low and behold, the solution to the niggle was as clear as day. Isn't that always the way? Sometimes the simplest solutions will be staring us in the face but we won't see them until we're ready to. It's not even a difficult thing, more a fiddly thing, and now it's explained much better. My tech editors have gone over it all again too, as those picots (which are fully explained in the pattern) like to mess with the maths, and it's already to go.

Once the photo shoots for Playful Woolly Toppers were under way, it was clear this Hat was yet again proving difficult. We modelled it on Silvia, yet her short hair did not suit this deep Hat one bit, and it was way too unflattering to share. I whipped up a whole bunch of samples in different sizes, and had one of Aran's girlfriends model (the young lady who shares the Bambeanies cover) and yet those shots were lacking, mostly I suspect, down to our lively model being unable to stand still.

I then asked whether Elsa - who's in these photos - would be willing to try, although I wasn't sure that the Hat would fit her, but thought we'd give it a go anyway. And in a 10 minute photo shoot, squeezed in between showers of rain, we got the best shots of this Hat that I could ask for.

And so this Hat finally has it's moment! Which I'm very glad about, as it works so well with the rest of the PWT Hats.

Life's a little bonkers here, as TNNA gets closer (I'll be exhibiting again in June) and as I start to finalise Playful Woolly Toppers (yikes! Book 6 is almost done!). Amid all the mayhem I've been good and made a few decisions, namely which cover version (that was unanimous, then) and choosing the right names for those two Hats that were hurting my brain.

So yup, no-one tried to persuade me *at all* that cover choice no.3 wasn't the best one for the book. You all loved it. I'll get everything - the webpage, the Rav page etc - all updated once I've caught up on a bit of sleep (else I'll make it go all wonky)

I've spent much of this weekend organising and ordering all my promo printing for TNNA, and it includes a poster of this cover. It'll make me very happy to have my boy's face smiling down at me every day that I'm away.

We also have winners for the naming competitions!

This pinstripe little number...

... is now called 'Mercury', a suggestion made by Barb Foesch. I know this one was super tricky, and I appreciate everyone's thoughts on this! As I sat looking at the words, imagining them alongside the Hat, 'Mercury' really grew on me and it captures the elegance of the Hat pretty well, methinks. Thank you Barb!

And our structured design...

There were a lot of really good suggestions for this one, and thanks go to the folks at Lornas Laces for helping to promote the post and getting extra comments!

The idea that grabbed me the most was the relationship to bees.. I followed a trail of links about bee mythology and history and yet somehow the right name didn't quite jump out at me.. I learnt that my favourite suggestions had been used many other times, or had other meanings or were used frequently in different contexts. And then it struck me - 'Beelore'. Whilst there isn't a specific story behind it, 'bee lore' as a google search brings up everything relating to the myths and legends surrounding bees; it summarises it all. It also rolls off the tongue rather nicely, methinks.

For this one, as there isn't one winner exactly, I've decided to send out a bunch of coupon codes to all the commenters who helped me along the bee idea path - does that sound fair enough?

I won't be getting the winners' emails out until tomorrow now, as my brain needs a little rest this afternoon. Do keep an eye on your inbox tomorrow though! 

And now I'm going to switch off this machine and knit for a while. This week has been pretty testing as a whole number of things hiccupped and we've found ourselves running around and spending more money than we wanted to. The plan is all coming together nicely though, and it's all (finally) working out for the best. There's also been a lot of things to work through, including a new template for the Woolly Toppers books and lots of tech editing and test knitting feedback on the final few designs. I do have a habit of forgetting just how exhausting all of this can be... someone kick me next time I think it'll be a good idea to publish a new book AND prepare for a big show all at once, please?

Remembering that our naming theme is mythology/folklore/other-worldly type things, how does this pinstripe architectural Hat fit?

I really am stumped with this one.. I really can't think of a suitable name that describes the Hat AND fits with the naming theme.. and so dear friends, there's a competition for this one too. What does it say to you? The Hat comes with options for a 3-peak or 4-peak finish at the crown, and the vertical stripes are created through stranded knitting. The recommended yarn is Brown Sheep Naturespun Sport, which comes in the most amazing array of colours, and creates a wonderfuly warm and soft fabric.

As with our previous naming competitions, there's a copy of the Playful Woolly Toppers eBook on offer, or if you already have it, you can pick another of my eBooks or a selection of single patterns to the same value.

I'll leave this one open until the end of this week. Currently, the last naming competition is still open too, and I'll extend that to the end of the week too, so I can go through them together.

Fire away!

PS/ please leave your suggestion here, on this blog post, as this helps muchly with keeping track of comments. Thank you :)

ETA/ this competiion has now closed & the Hat has been named - thanks so much for your help!

This was one of the first ideas I had for the cover, way back when. I like the composition of the photo, it's certainly playful, but I don't think the photo packs enough punch.. it may be styling, it's most likely the lack of colour or contrast. It's  still a contender, though, as the composition fits the theme just so.

This was the next version that I liked, and it's the one you'll be familiar with as the temporary cover. The Hat really pops in this one and although baby Urban is looking away from the camera and his eyes aren't drawing you in, the Hat design and composition are strong enough by themselves. I love the contrast of the colours of the Hat against the background, and how the robots compliment the wheel.

This morning we tried another photoshoot, and as much as we have nearly 200 photos of a heavy bottom lip or slouchy, begrudging shoulders we managed to get one or two great shots, of which this is one. It's not as playful as the first and is more grown up than the second but it has something... bright and inspiring about it. It invites you in, and although it doesn't quite capture the full theme of the book I think it will do a good job of getting attention.

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And now I can't decide which one to use! I think it's gonna be a toss-up between the second and third options; part of me would really like to *not* use Aran on the cover and let someone else have the limelight (baby Urban in this case) but I am also ever so slightly biased about this last photo because it's such a great shot of my boy.

Think I'll sit on this for a week before making my final decision. I'd be intrigued to hear what you think!

This Hat's working name has been 'Raygun' 'cos, well, it sums it up pretty well. But I'm not convinced that the name fits very well with our more folklore/mythical inspired naming theme! 

What does it say to you?

Worked in Lornas Laces Shepherd Worsted, the colours very much emphasise the structure, just like they did with the last Hat in need of a name (now called 'Labyrinth') and Selkie. These are my favourites from the book - it's no news that structure is my thing, and so to marry the use of colour with that makes me a very happy bunny. Not all of the PWT patterns are heavy on the structure but me being me had to squeeze a few in ;)

As with the previous naming competition, the prize on offer is a copy of the Playful Woolly Toppers eBook OR another of my eBooks or single patterns to the same value. Please leave your comment here on this blog post, rather than Facebook or Ravelry etc, so I can keep track easier, and don't forget to leave your email address in the right field so I can get in touch!

I'll leave this competition open for a week or so, and I'm very much looking forward to hearing your suggestions - fire away!

ETA/ this competiion has now closed & the Hat has been named - thanks so much for your help!

The suggestions were good, *really* good - well thought through ideas - and reading those made me very happy, in that way that realising that folk *get it* does. In the end, the one name that spoke to me most was 'Labyrinth'. Yup, it's a big word with a lot of meaning, yet this Hat lives up to it. It might not look like a true labyrinth but it's construction, with all those short rows, very much follows the path. 

There'll be another Hat in need of a name over the weekend so do look out for that! The next one will be a smidge more challenging ;)

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Purchasers of the Playful Woolly Toppers eBook pre-release would have received a notification this week that the 4th pattern from the collection, Elfdans, was now available.

This is the first PWT pattern that I've photographed on a grown-up, so it does look a little strange alongside all the shots of Aran! Once we've finished the shoots, there'll be more of Silvia modelling as well as some of Aran's girlfriends.

The offset circles in Elfdans are, well, one of my favourite stranded designs just because they're circles. The way they interact with each other makes me smile, and the design lends itself to a whole range of colour combinations.

An offset pattern like this can create a sticky issue or two when working in the round, whereby you get a jog similar to that found with stripes. This pattern uses a clever little trick that allows the pattern to work without interruption.. it's a little unusual, and one of my test knitters didn't question it (which is fine, that's their job!) as she hadn't seen it before and was used to things being worked a little differently. The trick works a treat if followed as directed, creating a perfectly seamless - and jogless - finish.

I'm very fond of the way the 'ears' on this Hat work with the stranding - I felt it better to go with a hassle free shape to the crown, one that works for all sizes and age range, rather than try and work out something more formal. This book isn't really about being formal.

There are 4 sizes included, and both types of circles are charted (they reflect each other throughout the pattern). At the moment, the ePattern costs £2.50; after TNNA, and after the book is published, that price will go to £3. At the moment it doesn't include illustrated tutorials for the techniques involved (provisional cast-on, joining of live sts & stranded knitting) and instead includes links to the tutorials I have available on this website; the plan is to include all of these techniques, to make it more self-sufficient, and those extra pages will take it up to the £3 range*.

So far I've made 3 of these Hats, with a 4th in progress, and I'm looking forward to sharing more photos from the coming shoots! It's a lovely, rhythmic pattern and it's a great introduction to stranded knitting.

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* my patterns are priced according to how many pages are included - cover+one page = £2.50/$5; any more pages (up to cover+3) is £3/$6. This is mostly based on print wholesale, as more pages equals a higher print cost, although it also works reasonably well as a reflection of complexity and/or content (i.e. tutorials, additional design options etc).

There's a few Playful Woolly Toppers Hats in need of a name, but we'll start with this one.

If I'm honest, this is probably one of my favourites from my book. It's also one that needed more kinks working out than others; those short rows were fun! The Hat is all short rows, and they graduate carefully and cleverly into the crown.

These are also a few of the photos of the shoot we did the other day with Aran - they're not edited yet, these are straight off the camera, but I'm pleased with them.. and considering he wasn't feeling very cooperative these are an achievement!

It's working title has been 'Wonky' but I don't think that sums it up very well, y'know? The naming theme so far for PWT has taken on an folklore type of theme, yet this one (and a couple of others) have proved rather challenging in the context.

What does it say to you?

I'd love to hear your suggestions for names! The prize for the chosen name will be a copy of the PWT eBook, and if you already have that, another eBook of your choice or a selection of patterns to the same value.

I'll be looking for something that describes it's nature and/or structure, and if it fits with the folklore/mythology theme, or at least sounds like it does, even better.

Leave your suggestion as a comment here on this blog post and if I select your name, I'll be in touch (don't forget to fill in that email addy) Fire away!

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Don't strangle that forehead

We all want a Hat that stays put and survives the fiercest of winter gales, but that shouldn't mean that the brim of the Hat has to pinch our heads oh so tightly. Negative ease will determine fit and how well it stays on but the choice of knitted Brim will make a huge difference to how it looks, without affecting fit. 

Brims work for just about everyone, and the deeper rolled edge on this design, Dulcie, provides an alternative to regular brims

Ribbed brims are classic; a soft 1x1 rib suits women better, whereas a 2x2 or wider would be more wisely used on a mens Hat. A short ribbed brim will have the effect of softening the edge, and a deeper brim adds more emphasis to the tight fit and will look more dramatic. One of the most flattering edges I have ever seen doesn't belong in the ribbed category though, and is often considered insufficient on a Hat until it's actually tried – a basic stocking stitch rolled edge. Sure, ribbing has much more stretch than stocking stitch, especially if a ribbed cast-on is used, but do we really want the brim of our Hat to be able to stretch through 5 sizes? It's prudent to remember that a suitably sized Hat with a soft brim edge will both fit better and last longer.

Another example of brims suiting most people – they break up the face and add interest, and are a perfect addition to berets. Here we see Roberta modelling Camden Cap.

Manage your hair

Long hair is easy to please with knitted Hats, especially long straight hair. Short hair can be more difficult, as can a lively curly mane, yet that's not to say that these styles don't or won't suit Hats. The key with hair is to let it frame your face and work for you. Don't tuck it up and under, or squash it under a tight fitting Hat causing it to flail out wildly. Even short hair can be of benefit provided it's allowed to be seen. Hair pulled back or tucked away often looks harsh, which in turn will make the Hat, and your face, look harsh. Have super short hair and don't want to look bald with your new knitter Hat? Allow a touch of your fringe or a few strands either side of your ears to be visible. This works every time.

Karenin is a Hat that really hugs the face, yet here we can see that even short hair works with this style if it's allowed to be noticed.

Don't be afraid to let your Hat hug you

There's been a trend of late to wear Hats, particularly berets, towards the back of the head. This can be a flattering look, especially for those with shorter hair or rounder faces, as it can add length to the face. Yet it's not a great look for everyone.

The biggest deal breaker with wearing the Hat towards the back is that it isn't necessarily going to keep those ears warm. There's no reason why you can't pull that beret or slouchy Hat down onto your forehead, even to eyebrow level, if you want. Provided other points are considered (some hair visible, either at the fringe or the ears, proportion maintained with features etc) wearing your Hat more snuggly not only provides you with a good look, but a warm one too. 

Wearing your Hat lower works particularly well for those with long faces and/or long hair, as it breaks up the length, visibly, whereas wearing it back enhances the length, which is something those with long or narrow faces should avoid.

The Meret is a fantastic Hat, as it not only provides that soft rolled edge, but also height and width to suit all face shapes.

Let's not forget glasses

Right behind “Hats don't suit me” the next most common thing I hear is that glasses and Hats don't mix. They do. Glasses are simply another feature to bear in mind, and don't affect how you wear your hair or the shape of your face. They main thing to avoid doing with glasses is pulling your Hat down so low causing the edge of the brim to meet the rim of your glasses. You want to give a little room around your glasses but not too much at the same time. Allow your hair to maintain balance; it's good to see a few wisps between the brim and the rim of your glasses.

Here Piro shows how a classic style, Dylan's Beanie, can be worn with glasses.

It's really just a balancing act

Really, it is. The trick is to emphasis the good bits and distract from the not so good bits. If you have a round face consider a Hat that adds a bit of height without pulling in – tight Hats on round faces really are a no-no. Round faces are also better suited to softer looking brims too, and should avoid deep or tight ribbing. If you have a long face consider a Hat that adds a bit of width without too much height – such as a beret worn lower over the ears. For a square face, consider something with a more upright structure, and again, avoid anything too tight fitting beyond the brim. Those with heart shape faces are lucky, in that they can wear many styles, but would they'd still be wise to avoid anything too tight, especially if it's short in length.

Alyx's squarer jawline is well balanced by the shape of this turban inspired Hat, Imagiro.

Try on a few Hats. Be prepared to experiment. Grab Hats belonging to your friends/family/neighbours and see what works for you. And don't be afraid to try the Hat in different positions. There really is a Hat out there for everyone!

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I hope this article has been helpful! If any shop is interested in having the Hat Clinic then do drop me an email. Personal consultations via email just aren't possible I'm afraid, however, you may wish to check the 'Which Hats Suit Me?' thread in my Ravelry group - lots of great tips and tricks have already been posted. I'm only able to help out there when time is on my side, which it isn't right now, but I do think it's worthy of a read :)

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Get ahead, get a Hat! 
A guide to choosing the right knitted Hat by Woolly Wormhead

I'll confess, I'm not a lover of beanie Hats. The tend to sit there, squashing your hair, making you look like a bit of an egg head. And I'm a little confused too as to why they're the most commonly knitted Hat. Don't get me wrong, I'm not anti-beanie, and like any Hat they have their place. They suit our men folk well, and they do keep our ears toasty warm when they fit properly, yet when it comes to women, they are probably the least flattering style. Unless you have the right shape face for a close fitting Hat like a beanie, you'll want to consider one of the many other styles available.

Roberta is one of the few lucky people who can wear beanie styles like Sumner with great effect – her long/oblong face and long hair are not out of proportion with this style.

I travel to yarn shops with my Hat Clinic, armed with suitcases full of woolly Hats, and I'm often told by knitters that they're not a Hat person. That Hats just don't suit them. Invariably it'll be because they've not found the right style for them yet, or are unsure of how to wear a Hat, and have given up upon seeing the results without trying something different. The aim of my Hat clinic is to help knitters not only find the right Hat for them, but also to learn how to wear that Hat. And that's my aim here today.

When it comes to wearing a knitted Hat, or any Hat for that matter, the one thing we need to consider is balance. For a Hat to look good, to suit us as and to keep us warm, it needs to balance with our features. And as wonderfully diverse as we all are, there aren't any hard and fast rules about how to achieve this. Knowing our face shape is a good place to start, as it will give us an idea of our strongest features, and most of us know our face shape already.

Here, Charlie wears Annular, a slouchy beret that provides warmth as well as great style.

How much negative ease?

For a Hat to stay put and do it's job, it needs to be smaller than the head. How many beginning Hat knitters have laboured over their handknits, only to find it won't stay on because it's the same size as the head? It always fills me with sadness when I hear such a tale, and so the subject of fit is an important one.

Ease is the technical word that describes how much bigger or smaller a garment is in relation to the body. In a baggy jumper or loose fit cardigan, we want positive ease. When it comes to Hats, we're aiming for negative ease. But how much smaller do we really want the Hat to be? Ideally, you'd want to aim for somewhere between 2in/5cm and 4in/10cm of negative ease. How much exactly depends on a) the fabric or stitch pattern, b) the fibre content of the yarn and c) the look you're aiming for. 

Some stitch patterns, such as cables, really don't want to be stretched as much as others, such as ribbing. And some fibres, such as silk or alpaca, really don't have as much elastic memory as others, such as wool. As a general rule, if you're knitting a cabled Hat from an alpaca silk blend, you'll be wanting less negative ease. If you're knitting a ribbed Hat from pure wool, you'll likely be fine with more negative ease.

Beyond the stitch pattern and yarn used, the other fact to consider is the fit or look. More negative ease creates a skinny or sporty look. Less negative ease creates a more comfortable, casual look. This is as much about personal choice as it is practicalities, and a good Hat knitting pattern will give you the finished size as well as the intended to fit size. Armed with this information you not only know the fit the designer intended for that Hat, but you're also be able to decide for yourself which size you'd like to knit.

A word of caution: too much negative ease can make the Hat look too small and cause it to ride up and pop off your head. Too much will make the Hat look to big or fall off at the slightest sniff of a breeze. Which leads us onto our next point...

Once size doesn't fit all!

I have another confession – the 'one size fits all ' tag that you see on Hats bothers me. A lot. Because it's just not true.

Yes, knitted fabric stretches. And if you take an averaged size Hat then you'll likely get it to fit on much larger heads. But will it really look so lovely when it's stretched to capacity? In fact, will it even look like the same Hat? A beret can look more like a beanie on the wrong sized head. And how much will it loose in length? Here we have to remember that as we stretch a knitted fabric out widthways, it shortens in length, as the stitches compensate for the pull in the other direction.

Once we've mastered Hat sizing, we can start to knit more intricate designs; Hats that require a more precise fit – those that use more detailed stitch patterns or are intended for a distinctive or unusual look. 

Taboosh is one Hat that benefits from correct sizing – it's structured shape would be lost if stretched too far.

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Pt.2 of the article will be posted tomorrow, where we get to the meat of the matter and talk about hair, face shapes & glasses, with loads of examples & photos. See you then!

In my usual fashion I tried my damnedest to hide from the cameras, until I was caught out early one morning taking my washing up to the communal washing machine, wearing a tatty old dressing gown and my wellies. Having been caught at my worst I figured I'd little left to lose and granted permission for an interview and for a photoshoot to be filmed.

It got a tad crowded in my caravan, with the camera guy and the sound guy and the director giving the interview, however Tom did manage to grab a few behind the scenes shots from the photoshoot; recording the film crew recording me recording Silvia. 

Gotta say, I found it difficult trying to work with anything up to 3 cameras on us at any given point! And it made me feel like a bit of an amateur, as we weren't having the greatest of luck with lighting and composition (i.e. it was way too sunny to get the angles I wanted). My body language in these photos isn't great - hunching to concentrate on the camera as you do, but methinks there's a hint of "leave me alone..." going on there, too.

That said, we did get some good shots. I haven't finished looking through them all yet, let alone editing, but here's a couple from that shoot..

Yup, that's Silvia modelling Playful Woolly Toppers Hats. I realised with Bambeanies that it's seen purely as a kids Hats book, even though I included adult sizes, because of the way I presented the book and photographed the Hats... so with this book I want to highlight the fact that big people can have fun with these Hats, too. And Silvia is the perfect grown up to show them off! She carries the offbeat and quirky so well.

It's been a tad strange to say the least, though. Having cameras everywhere can get intrusive pretty quickly. Thankfully they've been a friendly and understanding crew. The film will preview at the local film festival in July and when they put the film up for public viewing online I'll be sure to let you know.