My first of at least three hats made for my annual Souper Bowl Raffle. These hats are inspired by the National Parks of the United States. Cuyahoga Valley NP is Ohio’s only such park. The autumnal colors drew me in, using yarns I have on hand.

The pattern notes describe the inspiration this way:

The Cuyahoga River is the Heart of Cuyahoga Valley NP. The famous Towpath Trail running alongside this river was once used by mules, oxen, and horses as they towed boats up the river through the historic Ohio and Erie Canal with ropes. Today, this trail includes nearly 20 miles of mostly flat trails for hikers and bicyclists within the park and extends for many more miles outside of the park. It’s lovely at any time of year, but especially beautiful in autumn as the leaves turn to shades of gold and orange. This beanie features mini bobbles to add subtle texture to the foliage of the trees while splashes of color in the Forest Path depict the fallen leaves on both sides of the river.

A wee confession: when it came to the tree canopy I didn’t follow the chart with precision. I more or less improvised but who would know??

Nice pattern! Good colorwork practice for someone like me who’s not particularly adapt holding yarn with the left hand.