‘My Granny’s Heilan’ Hame’ was inspired by the Scottish folk song of the same title, which sings about having a longing to turn back the clock to younger carefree days and the warmth of a granny’s house. My granny’s family croft was in Rogart, near Golspie, in the Scottish Highlands and I always believed that the song was written about her home:

Where the heather bells are blooming, just outside Granny’s door,
Where as lassies we would play, in days o’ long ago.
‘Neath the shadow o’ Ben Bhraggie and Golspie’s lordly stane,
How I wish that I could see my granny’s heilan’ hame…

This is a long hat or kep and is knitted in the round, so there is no seam. Only knit stitches are required for the main picture sections. There is a ribbed cuff to the hat, which is sandwiched between 2 purled braids. A maximum of 5 colours are used in each row. The hat is finished with a tassel, which has been sculpted into a sheep, with knitted face and legs, though an ordinary tassel or pompom may be substituted, if preferred. Some experience of Fair Isle or stranded colour work is needed for this pattern, though full instructions, charts and photo tutorials are included.

Materials

4ply/Fingering Shetland wool or equivalent:

The actual amount of yarn I used is listed below, but please use this as a rough guide, given that different brands may differ slightly. The yardage of the wool I used was 215m/236yds per 50g.

Background – 35g Purple - 10g
Black - 20g Cream - 10g
Green - 12g Rust - 5g

Knitting Needles:

One set of 4 double-pointed knitting needles, size 3.25mm (US 3) for the rib and one set of size 3.5mm (US 4) for the rest of the hat. Alternatively, you may use circular needles in these sizes, if preferred. A 3.5mm crochet hook is used for the tassel cord and 3.25mm knitting needles for the tassel face and legs.

Measurements

One size fits most (Finished measurement approx. 21ins/54cm, without stretching).

Tension

Approximately 26 stitches and 28 rows to 10cm over stocking stitch. It is a good idea to check your tension and adjust your needle sizes accordingly, before knitting your hat, though exact tension is not crucial in Fair Isle knitting.