Holiday Knits 2015: Hats

We have noticed lots of activity towards the holidays in and around the shop. We thought that we would help all you gift knitters out with some suggestions of our favourite projects to knit for others, or as a gift to yourself! This week we are going to look at hats. Hats make such great gifts. They are quick and can use a huge variety of yarns, techniques and styles. The options are endless. The patterns are all available through Ravelry in-store or online. Take Heart is a stunning pattern from Canadian designer Fiona Alice. Originally published in the Winter 2013 issue of Pom Pom Quarterly, it is now also available individually. It would knit up beautifully in Fyberspates Scrumptious Aran, with an alpaca fur pompom on it. Silver with a white pom would be so perfect for winter. Next up we have Bumble, from Tincanknit's book Max and Bodhi's Wardrobe. This hat is sized for all ages and features a simple stitch pattern that would work for many skill levels. We would knit it up in Rooster Aran, in a single colour or in stripes. If a chunky hat isn't your thing, Maya designed a simple free pattern called Rocka. It would be lovely knit up in Sulka Legato, which we just got in 3 new neutral colours. It's a simple pattern that would work well for men or women. If you're looking to expand your lace and cable skills, Peppermint Leaves by Clare Devine may be just the project for you. It's got a great combination of stitch patterns. Hats make such great learning projects since they are relatively small. We would make this one up in Blacker Swan, which we'll soon have in 6 more colours! If you can't decide between a snood and a hat, then your only choice is Howlcat by Alex Tinsley. Is it a hat, or is it a snood? It's both! The ingenious construction means that it can be converted from one to the other with just a twist. It's also reversible, so it can be worn four ways. It comes in two sizes but would be easy to modify to be bigger or smaller. Using two yarns with different textures would make it even more interesting. A yarn such as Cumulus for the inner piece would add softness and warmth, while Westcountry Tweed would have a classic look for an unusual knit.   Do you have any holiday knits on the needles? What are you making?