It's starting to feel a little Autumnal here in London. As I gaze out of the window grey clouds hang overhead and spots of rain appear now and again. The height of summer with its 30°C+ heat is slowly fading away. This is a glorious time to be a knitter as we can start to fantasise about all the woolly goodies we can create to see us through the colder months. So what better project right now than a hat knit in a light 4ply yarn to add a little comfort to your head.

We have just had a delivery of the gorgeous Skinny Singles from Hedgehog Fibres with a whole host of fun colour combos. So on looking through Ravelry I came across the Pianta Hat (link takes you to ravelry.com) by Lavanya Patricella.

image - Lavanya Patricella

Lavanya says her inspiration for this design came from a wheat plant and is made up by clever increases and decreases using brioche stitch. The wheat motif caries on up and decreases at the crown creating a dynamic and striking design. Knit in the round and starting at the brim it's knit up and decreased for the crown. Choose two contrasting colours to make the design pop or a more subtle contrast with two similar tones. Speckled yarns would give a less defined stitch compered to solids but both would work equally well. I would probably choose a solid for the brioche knit stitches giving you a good contrast and a speckled one for the background. A great project if you are familiar with brioche but curious about how decreases and increases work with this stitch. Small enough to not be too intimidating but a satisfying enough project to feel like you have mastered it.

Of course I couldn't resit having a play with the new colours of Hedgehog Fibres Skinny Singles and put together some suggestions. Have a look below and see what you think.

Hedgehog Fibres Skinny Singles in Artichoke and Pesto. An earthy combo and a favourite of mine. I love the muddy greens and greys of Artichoke.

Hedgehog Fibres Skinny Singles in UFO and Bijou. A subtle contrast here but not a subtle colour choice. This is such a vibrant combination which would have interesting areas of contrast and not so contrasty when the yellow in Bijou appears next to UFO.

Hedgehog Fibres Skinny Singles in Clay and Matchstick. A stylish combination with earthy tones. There is something a little animal about it that reminds me of a cat.

Hedgehog Fibres Skinny Singles in Purr and Heron. This combination works so perfectly together. There is a subtle lilac greyness to Heron that plays off the purple of Purr.

Hedgehog Fibres Skinny Singles in Glacier and Macaroon. This has a similar vibe to the UFO and Bijou combination but not so bright. The areas of blue will merge together but give you a nice contrast with the browns.

As I finish this blog post the sun is peaking out from behind the clouds. Maybe summer is still with us for a little longer yet. ☀️