Poppy Love was inspired by a conversation that I was party to in the wee village of Dallas, where I live, regarding our war memorial. A local amateur historian is researching the lives of those named on it, not their deaths. This struck a chord with me and I decided to design a bright and happy hat that celebrates the lives of those lost, with bright poppies of remembrance. In Scotland, our Remembrance Day poppy is different to others. It has the same recognisable blood red colour, but it has four petals and no leaf, in contrast to the poppy worn on lapels in the rest of the UK, which has two and sometimes sports a green leaf. Poppy Love says thank you to those who made the ultimate sacrifice…Lest we forget.

This long hat or kep is knitted in the round so there is no seam and only knit stitches are required. You may use either a set of double-pointed knitting needles or a circular knitting needle, depending on your preference, though you will still need double-pointed needles for the crown decreases. There is a knitted stripy lining, which is knitted before the outside and turned up to the inside of the hat, with a knitted hem. The hat is finished with two knitted Scottish Remembrance Day poppies, suspended by i-cords from the crown of the hat.

The hat can be worn as a long hat, with the top and crown draped down the back (or side) of the head, or can be folded up and worn as a shorter hat, exposing the contrasting stripy lining and making it even cosier over your ears on the coldest of days.

Some experience of fair isle or stranded colour work is needed for this pattern.
Materials

4ply/Fingering Shetland wool or equivalent:

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

Dark Green - 28g Yellow – 6g
Gold - 30g Pale Blue - 4g
Mid Green - 8g Red - 8g
Light Green – 8g Black - 2g

Knitting Needles:

One set of 4 double-pointed knitting needles, size 3.25mm (US 3) are suggested for knitting the hat to the desired tension. Alternatively, you may use circular needles in this size, if preferred, but you will need the double-pointed needles for the decreases at the crown.
One set of single-pointed knitting needles, size 3.25mm (US3) are also requires for the Poppy Heads.

Measurements

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

Tension

Approximately 28 stitches and 32 rows to 4ins /10cm over pattern in stocking stitch. It is a good idea to check your tension and adjust your needle sizes accordingly.