toppa

david has really enjoyed collecting a hat wardrobe over the last few years—starting with a first few thick woolen ones to keep his head warm in winter and now a couple in cooler summer fabrics to keep the sun off.

they do double duty during the unseasonably chilly evenings we’ve had this summer.

which gave me another chance to knit along in the cotton KAL in our rav group. ok, so i’m sort of a lurker in that thread; i knit along on all my cotton projects but i never post in the group, shame on me!

but my heart is in the right place, i promise.

i’m so jealous that david can wear hats in all different ways; i have such a tiny head that just getting them to stay ON is a success in my book. but he can wear his on top of his hair (above) or he can tuck it all inside (below) and the cap stays put.

in fact, he often wears his hair all bundled up in a head wrap to keep it from getting dusty while he works. this cap has very simple styling—a couple of openwork bands set on a stockinette background provide textural interest and practical ventilation for summer weather.

this version is knit in breathable ecobutterfly organic color grown cotton, which has a lusciously soft hand and beautiful drape. but it could easily be knit in wool yarn with a bit more body and spring to create a fabric that  provides more warmth when the days turn chilly in fall. david chose the rustic avocado shade, a pale green  which looks really great next to his skin. it would also be great in our latest cotton offering, sport weight fifo, which is an extremely rare, mauve/brown color.

the cotton version is super slouchy with plenty of room to stretch over lots of hair. you could get the same effect with an alpaca or cashmere yarn or opt for a shorter version. i think i’ll knit my next one in our kent DK yarn; it has the perfect balance of springiness and drape to carry this design. maybe one of our newer shades—coconut husk or kelp

now this is another good choice for a gift knit because the pattern include five sizes from extra small (for kids and preteens) to extra large (like mister knitspot here, ahem).

to purchase pattern or view complete pattern information, please click here to visit the toppa cap page in the knitspot pattern shop or click here to see specs and purchase in my ravelry pattern shop

toppa is sort of a slang name for a rasta style hat; david is smiling his head off over his . . .