The Tam, Tammy or Tam o’ Shanter is named after a character from one of the poems of the Scottish Bard, Robert Burns, though this style actually became popular much earlier than this. It hit the height of fashion for men at the end of the 16th century in Scotland and was very similar to the flat bonnet that was common in north-western Europe at that time.

’Myrtle green and bracken brown’ is a line from the first Scottish song I ever learned as a bairn. It’s from The Lewis Bridal Song, also known as Mairi’s Wedding. It’s also the song that my beautiful daughter-in-law, Mairi, walked down the aisle to in October 2022, when she married my son, Blair.

The Myrtle Green and Bracken Brown Tam is light as a feather, yet incredibly warm because of the double thickness created by the floats of colour on the reverse side of the knitting. It can be worn with the crown draped down the side of the head, or can also be worn as a beanie. It features a colourful corrugated rib, a band of Myrtle leaves, a band of white Myrtle flower heads and a flat crown, made up of 7 Bracken fronds. It is finished with a Myrtle flower-head-covered button.

The tam is knitted in the round so there are no seams. It is knitted from the rib up to the crown. You may use a set of double-pointed knitting needles or a circular knitting needle, depending on your preference, though you may still need double-pointed needles for the crown decreases and for the button cover. Only 2 colours are used at any one time and there are some floats to the rear of your knitting that need to be caught up.

Some experience in fair isle or stranded colour work is needed for this pattern, although full instructions are given for the construction methods used.

Materials:
4ply/Fingering weight Shetland wool or equivalent:
Actual amounts used are listed below, but please use this as a rough guide only, given that different brands may differ slightly. The yardage of the yarn used was 215m/236yds per 50g.
Cream: 24g Copper: 12g Green: 12g

Knitting Needles:
One set of double-pointed 3.00mm (US 2.5) knitting needles is suggested for knitting the rib on the tam.
One set of double-pointed 3.25mm (US 3) knitting needles is suggested for knitting the rest of the tam after the rib. You will also use these to knit the cover for the crown button.
Alternatively, you may use circular knitting needles of the same sizes, if preferred.

You will also need a button of 1.5 inch / 3.75 cm diameter. A self-cover button is ideal for this.

Measurements (unstretched):
One size fit most:
Circumference 21 inches / 54cm by length 10 inches / 25cm

Tension:
28 stitches and 36 rows to 10cm over the pattern.

I do hope you enjoy knitting your tam and watching your Myrtle and Bracken grow.