This pattern was inspired by Speckled Wood butterflies fluttering about my garden. A felted butterfly can be sewn to the brim to create a feminine style hat.

The pattern is simple, which was my goal, but hopefully still has a few interesting elements with the brim, rib, shaping and pompom.

The Coloured Ryland Wool I have chosen to use comes from The Double Ewe. Its creator sends fleeces to a mill in Yorkshire where it is spun into these lovely yarn cakes. Ryelands are beautiful sheep. I have used Coloured Ryeland wool as I have found this lovely yarn online which is soft, thick and not itchy. This Ryeland wool is soft and doesn’t change shape that much when washed. It also keeps my ears nice and warm.

Uradale Tormentil yarn for pompom + crochet chain stitch
Ryeland Yarn 13wpi aran weight (as seen on ebay https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ryeland-Knitting-Yarn-British-...)

The gauge is In a 4cm square, there are 12 rows x 7sts

I have used 3.5mm x 50cm circular needles and moved onto 4 x 10cm DPNs as the crown decreases

The pompom and crochet chain stitch can be done in different colours but the light and dark make a good contrast. The Tormentil gives the hat a fun, slightly vintage-y feel, which I like.