Many of you know by now, my obsession with hats. I love to knit them and I love to wear them. I have a huge cedar chest of them in the basement, a tote in the hall closet (which my mom has coined “everyday woolens”), totes in two bedrooms, and you will also find them on just about every hook in the house. I love all types. And to my delight, I bore a child who looks precious in a handknit hat. I think it’s the chunky cheeks.
In the last year, I can’t get over how many hats I’ve had to retire. He’s growing so fast. But for a knitter, that’s not too bad of a problem. It just gave me an excuse to go to the archives! Lots of Anne’s hats have several sizes, so I wasn’t limited to only the kid section. I was narrowing down my search (ravelry is awesome for that), because I had skeins of Confection I was dying to knit,
when I came across Woodcutter’s Toque.
Oh man, was this perfect! Not only did the photography of the hat sell me, but the words…
It’s a rustic, cabled toque in three sizes (S/M/L) and two yarn weights (worsted/bulky) for doing battle against deep-winter cold. Rich cable panels create a double-thick fabric that offers the ultimate in cozy protection for ears and forehead.
really spoke to me. I dug through the blog archives and read Anne’s original post.
I loved seeing the hat in different weights, fibers and colors.
I told Anne about my plan and she was thrilled. It’s one of David’s favorite designs and he owns several different versions. That’s all I needed to hear!
I crossed my fingers and began to swatch. To my delight, Confection was a match and I settled on the Milk Chocolate colorway. I have very little knitting time with a toddler, but I knit on it everywhere I went – knit nite, guild meeting, people’s houses, and in the car when I had the privelege of a driver.
It took me forever to knit it and not long ago I realized why. I would stop every couple rows to pet and admire the cabled fabric. This pattern really makes cables pop and it’s more than exciting to watch them grow. This is a bad habit of mine and really cramps my knitting speed. I really need to curb this and keep those needles clacking.
The hat was finally done and time to graft. You can either use the Kitchener stitch (my personal fave) or a three needle bind off. I chose the latter, because I thought it would give it a nice sturdy top. If you’re not familiar with grafting or need a refresher, Anne has a great Craftsy class
where you can watch clear videos on many techniques. It’s FREE here.
After blocking I was thrilled with the finish. We happened to be at my parents recently and they have a wood pile in the backyard. I couldn’t help myself. You know I love a theme, so a photoshoot with Matt and Buddy was born…
He is so close to walking on his own, and he loves his independence. He kept eyeing up the woodpile that Buddy was chasing chipmunks in. We let him loose and he was much happier standing up on his own!
This is my new fave! I love how the hat has so much body and character. And I know it will fit for two seasons because there’s a lot of stretch and height to the hat. That’s what I love about Anne’s patterns. There’s so much flexibility and careful thought into her designs. For example, my mom knit Baby Knitspot a Hot Waffles last year. It fit great with the brim folded even though it was an adult small.
Today he had it on, brim down, and there’s still a lot of room left.
What a great, practical baby gift! For his toque, all I did was eliminate one repeat (you can see details on my ravelry page here) so it wouldn’t be too tall. I think it’s time to make Matt one to match. With the ability to knit Woodcutter’s Toque in two weights, there’s plenty of yarn options. I’m thinking another baby version would be great in Ghillie Sport DK. Or this would be stunning in handspun!
So tell me, what yarn would you knit this hat in? I need some ideas. Tell me in the comments by 9 pm EST Sunday Dec 15 and I’ll pick a winner to receive the Woodcutter’s Toque pattern for free!
In case you didn’t get enough views of the hat, here’s a few more…
33 thoughts on “Vintage Knitspot – Woodcutter’s Toque”
Seriously cute photos! I cannot believe how much he has grown. Padraig still has eyes to die for!
Adorable. I have some Debbie Bliss Cashmerino in my stash it would look great in!
I would use Cascade Eco Wool. It is my go to yarn for warm hats and sweaters. Love the pics!
handspun… im thinking of the unbelievable jade sapphire handspun cashmere, very soft but rustic looking, thick and thin bulky yarn with enough twist to hold up (i hope) i have a few i have been hoarding, maybe its time to knit one
That hat is cute, but that little man sporting it is so much cuter – in that hat or any others in this blog. Love that he is so photogenic.
I love the hat and the pics, of both Padraig and David sporting the hats.
I’d knit it in the same yarn you did for these pictures–it looks so warm and cozy. The fact that it was -15* F here yesterday has me only thinking of what will keep a person toasty warm 😉
I would use the same yarn, but I think I would use the green color as in one of the earlier pictures on this page. My niece had twins in July– a boy and a girl. Annabelle needs a lighter color.
Oh my, that last picture is just too cute! He is adorable. I need to figure out some yarn, maybe Berroco Vintage for a friend’s grandchild. Will have to check the stash for other ideas.
omg, SO cute; he looks just like david!
with multi-sized patterns, you really don’t even have to worry that much about yarn weights; if your yarn swatches up a bit on the tight side, you can just knit the next size up and it will probably be perfect. or vice versa, of course!
i think this hat would be awesome in stone soup DK as well (which is on the light side so it can be used as a sport yarn). i’m wearing my stone soup highlander today that cherie knit and i can’t get over how cozy and soft it is.
OMG SOOOO cute! Padraig is growing up so fast! It doesn’t seem that long ago that you were pregnant…
For some stash diving, knitting this in some Malabrigo chunky would be so soft, or some Misti Alpaca Chunky (although that might obscure the cables a bit), Quince & Co Puffin, or Briar Rose Pilgrim would be awesome, too.
Thanks,
Betsy in the chilly Seattle suburbs
That hat is fantastic! I love how the cables make it extra warm, while pulling the larger pattern in enough to fit a smaller head. Multi-season hats are great for growing toddlers! Rex (18 months) has been stealing my silk/wool and alpaca hats lately, so I’m thinking he is due for something in a nicer fiber than his workhorse superwash 220 hat. Some Malabrigo Rios or Ultra Alpaca would do the trick, I think. Thanks for reminding us to hit up the archives for such great hat inspiration!
For a more feminine look, Great Northern Yarns mink. For everyday, Cascade 220. For handpainted, that Briar Rose October Zest yarn from last year FIFC. For rustic, handspun or small mill spun straight from the farm alpaca. I like the Confection, but I love Anne’s originals, too. And I NEED the pattern! 😉
What gorgeous toddler photos. I would knit if from my first skein of handspun that I finished a couple of weeks ago and is looking for a project.
Wow what a beautiful hat and of course that grandson is more than adorable and handsome!
Oh my! Choices! It is -7 this morning in Maine. This is the perfect hat, and I have yarn. I like the idea of Malabrigo Chunky, but mine is blue. I think Woodcutter’s Toque should be more earthy and natural in color. How about Jared Flood’s Shelter? I have some grays and browns. I also have some Breakfast Blend DK in Bakery Rye. Oh, I absolutely love the hat, and I love to kitchner! A winning combo!
Love this pattern and I have a woodcutter who would look great in it. I just finished one of Anne’s hats in O Wool, legacy DK, color Grove-wonderful hat yarn. Over the past several weeks I find myself checking out Knitspot’s hat patterns-getting quite the collection. There are five wrapped Knitspot hats under the tree already. What fun to knit this beauty
Tosh chunky would be my choice. Nice and warm!
Yeah, the hat’s nice, but we can NEVER EVER get enough pics of Baby Knitspot (but we’re going to have to come up with a new nickname.)
this will be mt son’s christmas present. know mike will want one!
the hat is beautiful, and your baby man is even cuter. since you can make the hat in different sizes and yarn weights, i say try them all! all the knitspot yarns
would look great.
Beautiful hat on a gorgeous babe ; )
There are so many yarns to choose from that this would look great in. However I have been inspired by Anne and am spinning my own fiber into yarn. I love my new spinning adventure and have to say I would love to spin the yarn for this hat. I would Navajo ply a Corriedale or a poll worth I think to knit this.
I would use Briggs and Little Heritage. It’s not the softest yarn on the market, but it’s my favorite! You simply cannot kill this yarn. It’s tough, warm, minimally processed and been used for many generations. I feel a woodcutter’s wife, mother, grandmother, daughter (or son, father, etc.) would have used this yarn.
http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/briggs–little-heritage
Malabrigo is my go-to wool for hats – I have a sensitive forehead. I’ve admired this hat since it was released, but I’ve never been sure if I could wear it or not…we need more pics of women wearing it! (My husband wouldn’t wear it, too weird for him and not plain, lol.)
This is the cutest photo-shoot ever! You definitely have an in-house hat model:) I’m knitting a Woodcutter’s Toque in Dark Chocolate Confection now, too. The cables are taking me forever, but I love it! If neither of my guys will wear it, I will!
Finally, some pictures of Padraig–he’s growing so fast and, of course, he’s just as cute as ever. i have been obsessed with alpaca of late and think a worsted, natural colored alpaca (usually, I buy it from local mills whose yarn isn’t widely distributed) would be perfect. I also like Berroco Ultra Alpaca which is widely available!
Great post and a great model for the hat! I would try it with the BNK camel yarn–rustic meets rustic.
I would use Cascade 220. Great hat model!
What a cutie! I would you Breakfast Blend in brown.
Oh! I love this hat. There will be one lucky winner this winter. I’d take a trip to my LYS and find something cozy and soft, one colour with mild colour variations.
That last photo is simply precious! Confection seems like a perfect yarn for this one.
Gosh! I love that pattern and the hat looks perfect on that sweet little noggin. The yarn I would use is Shepherd’s Wool Worsted from Stonehenge Fiber Mill in Michigan. There are so many great colors and the wool is super soft. http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/stonehedge-fiber-mill-shepherds-wool-worsted
What a handsome fellow! My 14 month old loves hats, and I think I have the perfect yarn in the stash. Misti Alpaca Sport, in a gorgeous deep purple. There might even be enough left over to make a little scarf… I may have to check the archives!
He looks adorable in his hat! I just made one too – out of a beautiful handpaint DK for my bro-in-law. (but ya know, it might just be too small for him….) I did kitchener, and will try the 3-needle bindoff on the next one. Haven’t done pics yet, but will try to get them posted to Rav soon. Agree with you that stopping to pet the cables is a real problem! LOL
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