Stashbusters rejoice!

Amazon.ca | Amazon.com  (but if you find it at a local independent I urge you to buy it there instead!)

If you follow FlynnKnit on Instagram – and I highly recommend her account, the photos are very, very stylish and beautifully done- then you’ll recognize these amazing hats. This book is a collection of 30 different hat patterns, all ranging in yarn weight from super bulky to worsted weight. Her beautiful photo are in the book, as well as great modelled photos of some of the hats.

Stashbusting? Stashbusting.

The patterns all feature at least two colours, with lots using many colours! This gives a lot of opportunity to play around with stashbusting, and interesting colour combinations. While the pattern here feature a lot of bold, bright colours, you could also use a more minimalist and low-key palette of neutral shades. Whatever your colour preferences, they can work.  If you have a stash of leftovers or some nice one-off skeins of worsted weight and higher, then this could be just the thing for knitting lots of fun things with those smaller portions of yarn.

Here are some of my favourite designs from the book:

Top row, left to right: Blossom, Flash Dash, Level Up

Bottom row, left to right: Heartstrings, Flip Side, Carousel

If you haven’t seen Courtney Flynn’s photography style before, you can get the feel for it in the above photographs! I personally have always wondered if she lives on a really big property with loads of trees and gardens,  possibly near a garden center. That pretty Blossom and Heartstrings pattersn had me looking at the sheer volume of petunias used for the photos for a solid minute before I even saw the hat! Did she take every bloom from her flowerbed? Does she just have a stadium-sized garden with more petunias than anyone? Mysteries.

What If You are New to Colourwork?

This is a nice, gentle introduction to colourwork, and hats are a great place to start if you are haven’t done colourwork before. While the book does open with lots of instructions tips on knitting with more than one colour, if you feel like you’re stuck at any point you could easily search out some how-to videos that will get you rolling in no time.  If you love hats and are colourwork-curious, this would be a brilliant place to start.

What If You’re NOT New to Colourwork?

All the more reason to experiment and go wild! You could adjust the brims, making more double brims  if you wanted, or experimenting with textured stitches thrown in (imagine Flash Dash Up there with the contrasting stitches purled), if you were feeling adventurous. And you could make matching mittens with the charts!

What About Sizing? Not All Heads Are the Same!

The patterns are all written for one size (adult) ranging in circumference from 44cm-50 cm (17 inches – 20 inches), so checking gauge will be important, especially if you find hats a little tricky for fit. But adjusting needle sizes is always an option.

You Said Something About a Giveaway, Right?

Absolutely! But also, holiday season is approaching and if you know someone is looking for a gift idea for you, maybe send them a link to the book. Then you’ll get something you definitely want!

Thanks to the fabulous folks at Page Street Publishing, a lucky commenter will win a hardcopy of the book! (Canada and US only) Please leave a comment here let me know which hat from the collection you are most excited to knit, and if you would do brights or neutrals! You can get an extra free entry by leaving a comment on the Instagram post about the giveaway, too!

Contest will close at midnight Eastern Standard Time on Sunday, November 6th. Winner will be announced on Tuesday, November 8th.