one of my favorite people in our industry is woolly wormhead, who i have the pleasure of seeing a few times each year at TNNA and knit nation. one of the things i like best about woolly is that she focuses her design work on hats—and only hats; she describes herself as a hat architect.
woolly is the author of seven books about hats and today i have the pleasure of introducing her newest publication, classic woolly toppers, which presents ten timeless hat styles, redesigned for the modern knitter.
hats are wonderful, one-skein projects that make terrific traveling companions. and because a hat is the perfect project to start in the middle of a sleepless night or when snowed in at home, they are great stash busters, especially for those fun single-skein impulse purchases. i thought it would be entertaining (and hopefully informative) to pull my favorite styles from the book and show how i’d pair them with yarns from my studio shelves.
this red toque, named taboosh, looks like it should be knit from a yarn with some body to help it keep its upright shape, but enough softness that it doesn’t grip too tightly around the ears—it should feel relaxed when worn. and maybe in a fiber that blooms just enough to give the surface a cohesive density. blends are great for getting a combination of yarn qualities in one package—foxfire upland wool and alpaca or the cormo alpaca classic might be nice choices. each has a good measure of springy wool and enough twist to support the hat shape, with some alpaca to soften the surface and provide stitch cohesion (which helps keep the cold out).
the camden cap definitely wants to stand up off the head in an architectural shape, so i would look for a somewhat stiffer yarn with a tighter twist and possibly a bit of polish to the surface—something that will support the architecture vey well and not sag.
string theory caper aran is a nice choice—the firm twist gives it lots of body and a bit of sheen to make that cap really stand up, while its blend of merino/cashmere/nylon provides a soft edge to counteract the stiffness of the hat brim.
i just love a nice slouchy tam, don’t you? annular is a soft mound of loveliness that sets onto your hair without mushing it—just right for days when you’ll be running in and out, and wanting to take your hat off. for this i want yarn that is very soft, with a relaxed twist to maximize the slouch—and maybe some fuzziness as well. i’m thinking something luxurious—cashmere, mink, silk, alpaca, yak are all fibers that will contribute the right qualities of softness and drape for a slouchy tam.
great northern yarns sport weight yak or mink/cashmere DK would be lovely in this hat, creating a luscious cloud of soft fabric that drapes just right—both are so light that they will keep some shape despite the volume in the hat’s fabric. the bloom of these fibers helps support the fabric while keeping it very light in weight.
karenin is an adorable earflap hat with a button-up brim and a fairly close fit. i’m thinking a wonderfully sturdy worsted weight yarn, such as briar rose charity would be just the ticket. studio june andrea mae DK would be another great option in a super wash merino.
in one of chris’s signature tonal handpaints, this cap could be a witty replica of grandpa’s old plaid hunting cap—the perfect gift for one of my nieces or nephews.
sumner is one of those hats that can fit itself to any mood or personality—this is a great cap to make ahead and keep for when you need a last-minute gift; it will suit any age or gender and its lightweight fabric can be worn nearly year-round. and who doesn’t have some fingering weight yarn on hand? the original is knit in a luxury merino/silk blend, which will make a drapey fabric with lovely sheen
this skein of periwinkle sheep merino/silk would recreate the same look and be an elegant choice for someone with sophisticated, subtle taste.
on the other hand, for that rugged hipster skater in your life, you might want use a sturdier, washable sock yarn, such as spirit trail sunna
still soft with a nice sheen, but a bit more practical.
bobba hat is a fun, retro look that can be worn by anyone—a funky, fun choice for that über-sure guy you know and one that will fit over a voluminous hairstyle, such as dreadlocks. on the flip side, i see lots of elderly women wearing this style hat as well—a testament to its universal appeal. this hat requires worsted weight yarn and the original is a singles, so i’m looking for something with a light twist and some density that will create good stitch cohesion . . .
green mountain spinner mountain mohair would be a nice choice for a soft solid or the fibre company terra for a more textured, tweedy look.
now here is my very favorite hat from the book—a delicious garter stitch piece that folds into a soft, smurfy shape and can be worn in any direction. i don’t know if i can pull of this look with my short hair, but i’m probably going to try—if it doesn’t work for me, i can give it to someone else.
for this hat, i definitely want a soft yarn that will maximize its luxurious draping. since the fit doesn’t rely on elasticity at all, i can go for lots of softness with just enough body to add some plumpness to the folds. a little sheen wouldn’t hurt either to provide some shadowing.
i’m choosing shalimar haven for this one—a delicious 70/30 merino silk 5-ply that is somewhat round, with a sueded soft surface finish—completely luxurious, yet knits up very evenly with good stitch definition.
this piece would also be incredible in a luxury fiber blend, such as miss babs tierno or spirit trail holda.
oh, there are many more hats and yarns to go with them, but i’ll let you do the exploring for those yourself. in fact, woolly wormhead has generously offered a free digital copy of classic woolly toppers to one lucky reader of today’s post. if you’d like to be considered, please leave a comment below by 9 pm EST on sunday, october 28. the winner will be announced on the blog shortly after.
ooops, i almost forgot; the next stop on the blog tour will be bricoleur knits!
have a good day; i’ll be back with more of my travels in a day or two.
224 thoughts on “get your woolly on”
I did a hat making workshop with Woolly and it was so much fun! I’d love to win this selection of patterns, she has some great designs!
Oh, this book looks just fabulous.
What great hats! And I LOVE the commentary of suggested yarns and types of yarn for each pattern.
I’m so happy to be keeping up with Ann’s escapades in NYC – since I’ve had to cancel my trip to NYC this weekend (and thus miss her FABULOUS classes), the designs and ideas in this book have energized me into having a STASH BUSTING weekend!!!
I would love to win this book!
I love wooly wormhead patterns!!! And oh how lovely it would be to find yarn to match the patterns!
My daughter would look terrific in the newsboy cap. Great patterns!
I love the smushy one…Very clever. Put me in !
Those hats are amazing..love the yarn suggestions too.
Thanks so much for this post. I’ve knit hats before and wondered why they don’t drape as well as I thought they would. Yarn choice is the obvious answer, but one I completely overlooked. Would love the book.
Gorgeous…
Just in time for me to make hats for my daughter’s teachers!
Count me in.
Ooh! Beautiful hats! I’d love to win a copy!
What a great book. I love hats and actually wear them all year long. Once I started to wear hats about 10 years ago, I can’t imagine leaving the house without a hat or two (one on my head and one in a tote). Thanks for highlighting this book —
I love the slouchy hat, too! This book would make a great addition to my library! Thanks for sharing!
Love the hats! Especially taboosh. It is classic, but modern. I make chemo hats, and the patterns would add some interest to the usual hats I make. I’d love to win!
I have been lusting after this book ever since the designer started blogging about it and leaking photo’s. There are so many great hats in this collection, I would have to knit them all!
I can see at least 4 hats that I would love to knit. I hope I win!
i love making hats. they are quick and satisfying. i just got through making 2 gwen stacy hats.
anyways, in the pics you showed i really like the camden cap. its cute. i have not tackled any hats with brims yet, so i think i would like to try that one.
Love the hats!!
I have another of Wooly’s books, Twisted Wooly Toppers, and I’ve knit a couple of her hats. They’re always interestingly constructed and well written. There are a couple of must-knit hats here too. I love they way you’ve discussed your yarn choices, Anne – I loved that, when I took your class as well. That’s one of the mysteries of learning to be a good knitter: decyphering the exact yarn that will suit a project best and the amount of colour: solid, semi-solid, variegated, that will highlight the pattern best. It’s a lesson that is difficult to acquire in any context besides face-to-face and hand-to-yarn, but you really put it across wonderfully. Thank you.
Would so love a copy – I love hats, and have enough stash to knit one of each in several colors 🙂
gorgeous hats. I’m working on relocating my hat-knitting-mojo and I’m pretty sure this would help. (There aren’t going to be many charity hats turned in at the end of the year. I don’t know how it happened, but I lost my mojo and need it back.)
Thank you so much for the yarn descriptions to go with each hat. That is super helpful!
Lovely hats, and I’m enjoying all the yarn suggestions.
Great hats & yarn! I would love to have a copy of the patterns! Thanks for a great giveaway.
What fun, matching up the hats with the yarns. I have to admit, I don’t tend to knit too many hats (I tend to crochet them), but your lovely write up makes me want to knit more!
I love the Bobba hat…designed just for my head, I do believe. Mary in Cincinnati
Loved the pictures of the hats with the yarns. Really pretty. Would love to try some of these patterns!
Oh, I love hats! Such great hats, and yarn choices!
I love the Camden cap! I even love the color. Awesome book!
2 of my favorite yarns – foxfire fiber and green mountain spinnery :). Looks like a great book!
I love her hats…..would love to win a copy!
Boy would these patterns love Christmas present dilemmas!
I would love to make a hat or two for Christmas
What beautiful and unique designs. I love the bobba hat!
What a creative take on hats! Thanks for the opportunity!
A gal could lose her head over a whole book full of such stylish hats. Loved your thinking out loud about matching yarn to toque, too.
Wow. What awesome hats, as usual, from her. Want!
What a totally inspiring post! You got me thinking about hats in a whole new way.
Thanks for the giveaway opp.
I want to knit them all! What gorgeous hats.
What a lovely chance! Thank you so much – I made my daughter a wooly wormhead hat a few years ago, and she still wears it, despite it being much too small.
Great hats! I love how you have paired them with yarns. Very fun! And a little scary to note how many of them I have in stash! LOL
I really love the first two hats in your post, although there are several that are totally knitable. Such a great designer!
I haven’t been a “hat girl” since I was in high school and had long hair, but I’ve been growing out my hair for a year and I think I could pull off hats again! I’d love to win the cool & trendy wooly wormhead book! The hat with the brim is super cute!
I am a big fan of Wooly Wormhead’s designs. I am in the midst of knitting up those single skeins that reside in my stash. . . so far, most of them are becoming hats and mitts.
I love this post. It is almost a condensed version of your fibre class. I am always learning from you, thanks so very much for that!
oooooh, these are all beautiful!
Great book. Would love to have it!
I would love to win a copy of these patterns 🙂
Love these hats! Would be great to win!
I would love to win this ebook! The Camden cap is great, and I also adore the bob a hat and the slouchy smurf hat! It almost looks like a turban, it is fab!
I love Wooly Wormhead – I’m making two of her tri-peak hats for twin newborns right now! I’d love to win this ebook – great for gifts, and for me:) See you at finishing class tomorrow:)
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