My first new pattern of 2015 has been released - Horwood is a pretty textured beanie hat that is perfect for this time of year. It has been snowing here for the past two weeks and whilst the Green Man is definitely winning over Jack Frost (it is Imbolc today), it is still very much hat-wearing weather.
Horwood is knit in the round and has rows of moss stitch and simple cables to give a pretty textured pattern. It is designed to be worn with a bit of negative ease (so it stays on your head when the north wind blows) and it can be worn as a slouchy hat or beanie.
I have gifted this pattern to the Knitting and Crochet Guild (KCG). All sales through Ravelry and Love Knitting will go to KCG to support the work that they do in education, innovation and preservation of knitting and crochet work. I have been a member of the guild for two years now and I'm pleased that I can contribute to this charity. They have local branches all over the UK with regular meetings as well as an annual convention. I would recommend joining, there are many benefits, including being able to look through the collection - which is huge!
This hat is named Horwood after William Horwood, an English fantasy novelist that I have enjoyed reading through my teenage years and again more recently with his new Hyddenworld series. Duncton Wood and its sequels was one of the first fantasy series I read as a teenager, and the Wolves of Time is my favourite. It follows wolves as they are guided by their spiritual beliefs in ancient wolflore to gather from all over Europe to Wulfrock, all the while a human war is ongoing. It is dark and often violent story but well worth a read.
Currently I am reading the second book in his new series, Hyddenworld. I love fantasy novels that take me away to another world.
"The Hydden, the little people with whom we share our world [...] the holders of natural lore and guardians of our link with the Earth".
It was looking through the photographs of this hat that helped me decide on Horwood as a name. The birch trees and wooden door backdrop reminded me of the Hyddenworld stories and the woods the main characters travel through. The texture on the hat is very reminiscent of tree bark and each pattern section makes me want to carry on to knit the next one, almost like a journey. It is one of those patterns where before you know it, you are at the crown shaping and the hat is done.
