Sometime towards the end of August the latest issue of TOFT Quarterly dropped through my letterbox. I sat down with a cup of tea and started flicking through, as I normally do. For those who aren’t familiar with TOFT Quarterly, it includes a mix of both crochet and knitting patterns. I’ve been crocheting for quite a few years now but haven’t really attempted knitting. I think this is mostly because I finally feel like I’ve got to a point where I’m quite confident in my crochet skills and I wasn’t sure I would be able to get my head around two needles and yet more different stitches.
But, when I saw the announcement about the upcoming TOFT Autumn KAL and the pattern for the cute wooly hat (who doesn’t love a wooly hat for autumn/ winter?!) and with the assurance that it would be great for beginners with daily videos available to guide you, I couldn’t resist ordering the bits I needed to join in with the KAL.
The 26th September came and I was ready and waiting with my new knitting paraphernalia. Following the TOFT videos daily during the KAL, I quickly saw my hat coming together and marvelled at the fact that I was actually going to knit my own hat and that it would not only be wearable, but would be as good, if not better, than a shop bought one!
The pattern for the Merlon hat uses the TOFT chunky yarn, and honestly, it is a dream to work with. The quality is always super high with TOFT yarns, but the chunky nature of this yarn also meant that my hat came together super quickly and had a great, cosy and comfy feel and fit.
For the first time ever, I actually spent the time and effort washing and blocking something I’ve made, as Kerry advised that it does help to settle the stitches.
And I got to test out my finished, blocked Merlon hat out on the hills in the Lake District earlier this month. I very quickly got too hot though and had to pocket the hat, so I’m looking forward to getting more use out of it over the winter. The only thing I haven’t been able to make up my mind about is, whether to sew the Pom Pom on or not….
Granny Square Collective 