From the purple dyeshed...

Community means a lot to me.  It always has.  The various communities within which I've lived have shaped me - there is no doubting that.  One of the things that I disliked Margaret Thatcher most for was her declaration  "And, you know, there is no such thing as society. There are individual men and women, and there are families."

She was wrong.

There are societies and there are communities.  Some communities are formed simply because they have similar ideals and aims and points of view on life.  Some grow up as a result of the inhabitants having a particular battle or problem, and stay strong because of their battles.  Assynt is a strong community made up of strong individuals and families, and it is that visible strength which contributes to our desire to live here.   I understand fully why certain communities form, and my own view is that if even if such a community doesn't live in a way which you would choose for yourself or your family, if it does no harm, then let it be.

[caption id="attachment_6664" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Traversa
Photograph courtesy Woolly Wormhead[/caption]

When I first came across knitting designs by Woolly Wormhead, I loved them.  They were different.  I knew nothing about Woolly, but over the years I've learnt more about her interesting life and the choices she has made when it comes to how she lives.  Woolly and her family form part of the community called Mutonia in Italy.  This community is now under threat, and you can read more about the problems they face in their official statement (clicking on this link will download a pdf):

Official.Statement

To help raise money to pay all the legal costs arising out of the community's fight to stay where they are, Woolly has re-photographed, re-edited, re-packaged and re-released some of her most popular hat patterns in one collection.

[caption id="attachment_6662" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Silvia
Photograph courtesy Woolly Wormhead[/caption]

Yarn weights used in the patterns range from 4ply through sport weight and double knitting right up to really bulky - ideal for a quick knit for winter.  Quite a few of these hats will be on my needles over the coming months in preparation for winter in Assynt.

[caption id="attachment_6661" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Castiel
Photograph Courtesy Woolly Wormhead[/caption]

If you like hats, and enjoy knitting hat patterns that are well written, then give yourself a wee treat and buy this collection.

[caption id="attachment_6663" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Photograph courtesy Woolly Wormhead[/caption]