I spent my spare time in December making hats for my parents for Christmas. Mum had just bought herself a beautiful purple coat and I just happened to have in my stash a purple that would match it perfectly. I also worry quite often about Dad’s bare head, he doesn’t seem to worry about it but I am sure he would feel warmer with a nice woolly hat. The previous year I had bought a rather nice (and very expensive!) lamb’s wool hat but I could see it wasn’t exactly the right shape for him and although he tried to wear it, it probably irritated him because he doesn’t like hats that go too far over his face.

I knitted the hats up and was considering giving them early as the weather had turned rather fierce, when I put them somewhere safe intending to photograph them in the next couple of days and then I couldn’t find them. During the latest upheaval (the windows have been fitted YaY!!!) they resurfaced.

Here is Mum’s hat, I am hoping it will look more interesting when it is on. It is Beret by Bernat Design Studio in Katia Cocktail in colourway purple 17 and took 2 balls.

And this is Dad’s hat which is much shorter hat from crown to tip and I think suit him much better. It is Hill Country Hat by Clara Parkes knitted in Rowan Renew in colourway Tractor 680 and took just over a ball. It is a lovely pattern, it took me about five hours of knitting time and I finished it in one day which makes it a very useful fall back if you have need of an emergency present. It was the first time I have used this yarn and I like it very much , it feels soft to the skin but has a tweedy effect to which I am very partial. The icing on the cake is that the colourway is called Tractor, my Dad’s first job was working on a farm, I am sure it will amuse him and will bring an anecdote forth from his lips.

Now if I could just find hubby’s sock that I lost….