This new hat design was inspired by two things; I loved my Fall Flowers hat so much that I was eager to try and design my own version - and second, I really wanted to branch out, step out of my comfort zone and work with colours that don't come naturally to me.
I love all colours, however, I am drawn to cool shades of blues, greens, purples. Working with reds and oranges isn't me; a very beautiful scheme, but an unfamiliar one for me. I am learning that when I stretch my limits and push myself to design a pattern or colour scheme that is a challenge, I often end up with a more beautiful and satisfying result than if I had kept my head down and coloured with my old reliable shades. This point was illustrated for me last year with my Dipped Infinity Reds colourway. In the interest of expanding my palette I put together a red kit that quickly became my favorite. I think that colours, and certain combinations of colours, have the ability to stir up specific feelings or emotions. Reds and ambers evoke warmth and comfort, while cool blues are refreshing and soothing. So when I push myself to develop colour schemes that challenge me, it's always rewarding, because not only do I feel like I've met the challenge, but I'm also left with a different kind of colour therapy than I'm used to.
All that to say that these warm shades of sunset, plum and garnet, the colours of fall foliage, have left me feeling comforted and happy. If this hat had a scent, I think that it would smell like my new favorite candle - this super cute, acorn shaped, warm pomegranate candle. Mmmm.... Like a sweet hug from a good friend.
In designing this hat, I took what I learnt from knitting my Fall Flowers hat and expanded upon it. I made it just the right size for me, did my favorite kind of crown decreases and incorporated some fun motifs.
Here are some stats:
*needle size: 3.5mm, 16" circular needle
*yarn: Tanis Fiber Arts Blue Label Fingering Weight yarn in Sunset, Garnet, Plum, Buttercup and Sand.
I love the corrugated rib and the pops of yellow (buttercup). The colour palette worked without it, but once added, it really made the three main colours (garnet, plum and sunset) come alive.
Sunset was a tough colour for me to get used to. Don't get me wrong (I love it!), but since it's slightly more variegated I had to make sure it played well with the colours surrounding it. I think that by pairing it with the neutral sand colourway in the leafy section, both colours shine without fighting for the spotlight.
I'm excited about this pattern. I'm really pleased with how it turned out and I've definitely gotten the design bug. I have several more hat plans hatching and as soon as they've all been worked out I will be publishing the patterns for sale. Stay tuned for more info about their release.
Ravelry project page here.
