New Pattern Release - Koru Hat

I am very fond of hats. It might be because as a child I was always wearing a hat. My mum kept our little heads well covered and warm. It's something I did for my own babies and I still breathe easier sending my small people out into the cold with a hat on their noggin. Whatever, I definitely enjoy a hat. 

I also like that I can change my look with different hats; I've got my "casually cosy" hats, my "feeling a little zingy" hats and my "this is finishing off my outfit very nicely" hats. This winter, as I run out the door to deliver kids to school I've often been wearing hats to hide my scruffy bed hair. A hat hides a multitude of sins :)

My new Koru hat is a great messy hair coverer but it's also super lovely and even when I wear it with my jeans and jumper I feel a little bit more special with it on my head.

The lace panel is a delight. I love knitting it and the end result is very pleasing. It's feminine without being too fussy and the gentle curving "ferns" in the pattern add to the overall soft feel of the hat.

You won't need a cable needle to knit the lace panel - all the stitches can be performed with your regular knitting needles. I've made some tutorials (linked in the pattern) to help you out with some stitches that you might not have come across before.

I also love the subtle detail that the twisted stitch "stripes" add. They elegantly and gently turn Koru into something a little special.

I have been on a roll with twisted stitches lately. I do love the definition they give to stocking stitch and I've made good use of them in this hat - the rib is twisted, the stripes twisted and the lines in the lace twisted. They're easily managed by even the most novice of knitters and they're super effective.

Koru hat uses DK weight yarn - I've used a delicious merino/possum blend from Naturally Yarns called Amuri - but you can easily substitute another soft DK yarn. I like the "fuzz" that the 25% possum adds to my hat and if you're after a halo, look for a yarn that includes a little something woolly - like alpaca, possum or angora.

You can buy the pattern for Koru hat from Ravelry and if you're quick you can grab yourself a 15% discount off the price with the code KORU15 - be quick! it ends at Midnight, Sunday 6 September 2015 (NZ time - and we're ahead of everyone down here!

Happy knitting!