© 2016 Woolly Wormhead[/caption]I have always been a huge admirer of Woolly Wormhead's work. She is a true architect when it comes to hat design. I was thrilled when she told me she'd included one of my yarns in her new book "Painted Woolly Toppers for Kids". Woolly kindly sent me a preview copy of the book, and it really is lovely! The focus of the designs is on the relationship between hand dyed yarn, structural stitches and 3D design. And while it is titled "for kids" the range of sizes for the patterns are generous, and certainly go up as far as being able to fit me - and I have a big head!
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© 2016 Woolly Wormhead[/caption]The photographs in the book are beautifully shot - the 2 models are Aran and Ivy Mae. They reflect the playful nature of both the hats and children. It is refreshing to see children photographed in a way that expresses their sense of fun rather than staged, posed and heavily "styled" photographs. The background in all the photographs is black, allowing the colours in the hand dyed yarn to be predominant.
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© 2016 Woolly Wormhead[/caption]Woolly is always generous with her help regarding techniques and Painted Woolly Toppers for Kids is no exception. There are tips on how to resize patterns or knit in a different weight of yarn. Furthermore there are 8 pages covering subjects such as different methods of casting on, short rows, and even help with how to knit in the round. I particularly concur with her description of knitting on double pointed needles for the first time - she describes it as "fighting with a hedgehog"! When I taught knitting to beginners they always looked like they were about to hide under their tables when I suggested they may like to try knitting on DPN's. But when I explained they were only ever concentrating on 2 needles at any one time, and once they tried it, the response was generally "it's not that hard" and "I wish I'd had the nerve to try this before". The pointers which Woolly gives on this subject are concise and immediately give you the sense that it really isn't hard.
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© 2016 Woolly Wormhead[/caption]The design which Woolly used my Doubly Reliable Sock Yarn for is Kelvinside. The colour she used was one of my Hubble Bubble colourways, containing a mix of plum, yellow and grey and natural cream. A brief word of reminder about the Hubble Bubble range - each and every hank is unique because of the method I use to dye it, and they cannot accurately be replicated. The Hubble Bubble and Assynt Storm ranges are my "fun" dyeing time. I don't keep recipes for the different colour combinations, and this is why these two ranges are always just named with numbers rather than individual names. The Doubly Reliable Sock Yarn is a 75% / 25% mix of wool and nylon. The wool content is merino wool, and the base yarn is sourced in Germany. The manufacturers tell me that the merino is sourced equally from German and South American flocks, and they also have an ethical focus which is summed up in this statement: "Humans, animals and resources are all part of a sustainable society and should be treated with respect. We are committed to this principle." It is super strong for socks, of course, but also softens up beautifully when washed and so is ideal for hats as well as gloves and scarves.
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© 2016 Woolly Wormhead[/caption]I cannot stress how much this book brightened my day and made me smile. The long list of test knitters credited in the book is testament to Woolly's careful approach when publishing patterns. If you want to have your own copy, Woolly is offering an early bird special price , so take advantage! And thank you, Woolly, for including my yarn in this special collection.
