david never used to wear a hat at all, blessed as he was with a huge mane of luxurious locks—so many, in fact, that finding hats to fit was a real challenge. last year though, it became apparent that his natural blanket of top coverage had become seriously compromised, so i suggested a hat might be in order.
he showed me a style he liked and picked out a cozy, briar rose yarn from my stash in dark plums and greens (more on that later). i knit it up during our late-winter trip to upstate new york and he has worn it almost constantly since, in cool to cold weather.
make that ALL weather—it seems this year as if he donned it at the beginning of october and hasn’t removed it, except to put on another one just like it—i knit up a few more this winter in different yarns for variety and now he has a handspun version, too
it’s a quirky shaped hat, one that i truly wasn’t sure he would like, but i’m thrilled that he’s so attached to it.
and i think it helps that the hat draws a lot of compliments and attention. during our travels this winter, he’s been stopped numerous times to talk about the hat. cookie and i have taken to calling it his “gnome of the woods” hat, haha.
it’s just so gnomely . . .
shown above: size large, in mountain meadow wool kettle-dyed artisan laramie, in colorway coconut. with it, he’s wearing his hypoteneuse wrap.
shown below: size large hat in briar rose country road, colorway black forest, which is dyed on the same laramie base as the mountain meadow yarn. this one he likes to pair with his oh! canada wrap.
mmmm, it is SO squishy and soft—a real treat to knit with, especially for cables; it’s very easy on the hands due to its elasticity and bounce . . . and the stitch definition. well, the pictures tell the story.
i liked it so much that i knit one for myself to use on snow shoveling days (of which we’ve had many this year, ahem). mine is knit in a slightly lighter weight yarn and a fresh, bright green color
shown here on the left in size medium, knit in mountain meadow wool jackson, a DK/light worsted version of laramie that isn’t listed on their site yet (bummer!). on the right is a size large that i knit in my own handspun worsted. so there’s lots of versatility in the pattern, which offers a choice of two yarn weights and three sizes; there’s sure to be something in the stash to knit with and someone in the family who’d appreciate it.
while it may be late in the year for this offering (which i’m squeezing in just before the first day of spring), you know, it’s still winter in some places. if you’re watching basketball this weekend or getting a head start on next year’s holiday gifts before it gets too warm, this might be a fun weekend project.
to purchase pattern or view complete pattern information, please click here to visit the product page in the knitspot pattern shop.
i am very grateful for the yarn support provided by karen and valerie from mountain meadow wool, who have a most interesting mill setup in wyoming, where they work directly with ranchers to bring the best american wool to you and me. visit their online store to browse a variety of yarn offerings you can purchase direct, or to see their list of retailers to find a shop near you.
thanks also a million times to chris at briar rose fibers for providing a nearly-constant stream of wonderful knitting yarns to us—they are among david’s and my favorites for cozy, enduring knits that we wear over and over again. this delicious country road chunky is but one offering that chris dyes on an artisan base—browse her online shop for many more yarns spun from unusual blends or hard-to-find single breed bases.
and finally, many thanks to my dear friend jocelyn for test knitting this hat—she has been on a hat-knitting spree this winter and i’m afraid i took advantage of it (all in good fun, hopefully). thank you so much jocelyn; i really appreciate all that you do!
and finally, thank you david for wearing the hat with such style and devotion; you look aDORable in it!
20 thoughts on “woodcutter’s toque”
As usual, fabulous photography and such a GQ model! That hat is one of those garments that makes you just a little sad that winter is over. (for today anyway)
This is the perfect David hat. He carries it off with complete style and panache!
I’ve always had the impression David is more comfortable behind the camera than in front of it so “hat’s off” to him for modelling his hats (the price to pay for having such a fab design created for him perhaps?)
May even be able to get my hat-averse guy to wear one!
Cheers, Barbie O.
Heehee! Given how much fun your hats are to knit, it’s a spree worth going on! I am thinking that I might need one of these for myself – and maybe the girls, too? I do know that Rick loves his tons, and wore it all day skiing, which says something for its warmth 🙂
It looks fab! Can I just clarify – is there room inside for a head full of dreads or does he leave them hanging? I have a son with rather a lot of locks to accommodate! Thanks!
I do think it’s a great hat – but I struggle to find a hat pattern to suit Mr JK! I’ve even threatened him with knitting a toupee using eyelash yarn(YUCK!) to help with his loss of hair. He was in denial until he saw a photo on my blog one day!!
He looks SO at home in that hat. It seems to suit his style.
Isn’t it wonderful when you have someone so appreciative of your hand-knits? Love them all, and David looks FABULOUS!
Anne, I always thought you were the model in the family. David is sure giving you a run for the money in these photos. Very handsome and he shows off all of the hats to perfection. I love that he is so comfortable and happy in his handknit items.
You two are just the perfect pair.
He makes such a handsome model! I wonder if I could get my honey to wear that hat? He doesn’t have dreads, but he does have long curly locks that are usually twisted into a braided pony tail.
He’s just soooo beautiful……………yes, and the hat too, of course
😉
Would there be a kid sized version or would the small work? It’s very cool!
David is always so handsome but even more so in his hats!
The hat is very cool and David wears it so well! (I love the xoxo part of the design too – very sweet!)
Totally love that hat! And totally gnomely too!
beautiful david, beautiful hat – doesn’t get much better than that!
Just curious — in some of the photos the hat appears to only have one point at the top (more gnome-like). Is this a folding trick or just a difference in camera view? Looks great on David. It suits his style.
I wish your handsome DH would give a smile or two, sometimes? He looks so regal in such a splendid hat! I can see you knitting him a hat for every day of the week. Heh
I am a sucker for cables. I love them so and no matter how many patterns I see, each one looks unique! Great work on the hat and the green colored block is cool. The cable stands out in it.
The perfect hat for David! LOVE those big, chunky cables and wish my fella were daring enough to wear a hat like this. Hmmm…might have to make one for myself. 🙂
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