A few months ago Kate Heppell, editor of British knitting magazine Knit Now (you may recall I was in an issue last winter!), released an adorable Fair Isle hat pattern called Fox Isle. As soon as I saw it I knew I wanted to knit it up immediately, and that’s exactly what I did.
Except you’re only just seeing it now since I didn’t photograph it until the day before most of our snow melted last week. How’s that for a deadline!
If you look at the pattern on Ravelry, you’ll see I made a few changes, but not much. At the time, I really needed a project where I could just start knitting and zone out. And how that works out to be a project with five colors, changing crown decreases to accommodate a longer hat, a gauge change, and impromptu extra pattern thrown in to add length… I don’t know. I’m crazy. What can I say, it made sense to me!
So more on those modifications I made: I knit the largest size with a slightly tighter gauge than the pattern called for, and because I knit this dipping into stash yarn, several of the colors are two strands of fingering weight held together. It makes for an extremely dense and warm hat, which is just what I wanted.
And before you ask, since I know some of you may… coral yarn in just the right shade seems hard to come by, and sadly I have to report this one is no longer produced. It’s St. Denis Yarns Boreale in Spicy Rose… sigh, I loved Boreale for color work. Fortunately if you’re looking for Spicy Rose, looks like kpixie.com still has some.
Ironically I chose coral for the adorable little fox motifs to match a winter coat… that I don’t have. I’d purchased it and was awaiting its arrival from the UK at the time, except I finished the hat before the coat arrived. But then when the coat did arrive I wasn’t in love with it, so I returned it. But hey, the foxes are still the perfect shade to match my coral Lime Crime Velvetine lipstick in Suedeberry.
My version of this hat is almost comically long, but I love it. I don’t have anything like it, and I can stuff it way down on my head in the bitterest of weather and still have plenty of room for it to prance about on the back of my head. I knew it was knitting up quite long and I even needed to throw in another tiny peerie chart in there so I could replicate Kate’s background color changes even though I was adding in a second chart of foxes, so I just ran with it.
And of course it needed a big silly pom pom. Right? Right. I mainly used the brown but threw in a bit of the coral and natural, too.
I’d highly recommend the pattern. It’s a perfect Fair Isle beanie / watchman’s cap pattern, without all my extra-silly mods thrown into the mix. The charts are repetitive enough to be easy to remember for less advanced stranded knitters, too!
You may or may not know that I’ve been taking a break from fair isle since before we rang in the new year, which is quite some time at this point. I’ve been trying to give my shoulder a rest, which had a couple of bad flare-ups in the fall due to stranded knitting (I only carry yarn in my left hand when doing fair isle, and my left shoulder does not like that). I’m hoping in the next month or two to get back into it slowly. Seeing projects like this make me miss it so!
outfit details
Fox Isle hat: knit by me
scarf: knit by a friend in a trade
coat: ModCloth
lipstick: Lime Crime Velvetine in Suedeberry
glasses: Classic Specs
Anyway, as we’re (hopefully) (finally) finishing up the worst winter ever, I’m happy to report my Fox Isle hat will be happily tucked away until next winter.
Good bye, little foxes! No offense, but I hope I don’t set eyes on you again for MANY more months!
the pattern is really cute, i like it
This is such a cute pattern! Your stitches are looking so even!
Thanks!
so cute. i love the foxes!
Really, really cute! I love the pompom!
Thanks, I love the pom pom too, I’m so glad I decided to add it. 🙂
What a great hat, I love it! I’ve never done fair isle, but projects like this really make me want to give it a go ^___^
You should definitely give it a try! Start with an easy and small project to get your feet wet. 🙂
So cute!!!!
Adorable cap, you photographed just right, from your lipstick shade to your eyeglasses and coat, it made a perfect harmony, lovely!
What a lovely hat!
Hehehe it’s just so fun!! I love the design and the little fox faces. Way too cute.
So cute. I’m guessing it was absorbing project, since it can’t have been easy! Hope the shoulder is better very soon.
I love this hat so much!!!
Foxes on a hat – this is so cute! This kind if detailed knitting is totally beyond my understanding – it looks so difficult- but the results are so amazing!
I adore the colour palette that you opted for here on this uber cute toque. It instantly made me think first and foremost of winter birds (such as cardinals) in the snow and secondly, how I must sport the same set of hues on a cold weather outfit of my own this year. Thank you for the great inspiration – grey and brown together are calling to me now something fierce.
♥ Jessica
When I see accessories like that I just wish I could knit! It’s soooo adorable 🙂
As you are just coming to the end of winter we are starting Autumn in southern Australia. I can already feel the chill in the air, and while we don’t get more than a few slushy flakes of snow where I live we do get a lot of horizontal, icy rain.
I’ve been thinking about preparing with a new hat and gloves – that fox motif would look great on some mittens. I’m adding this to my “must knit” list.
That is so cute! 🙂
That is one great hat! I love the sort of 50s throwback silhouette with it being longish. There’s lots of those in my old knitting magazines. I just figured out stranded knitting last month and I couldn’t be more excited. I immediately went through your ravelry projects and queued up a bunch of them that I’d admired but not had the skill to do yet. I hope your shoulder feels better soon, I feel like I’m always waiting for my knitter’s cramp to go away so I can start something new.
I’m happy to inspire more stranded knitting, that’s great! 🙂
This hat is so adorable and jaunty. I imagine the long end might move around like a foxes tail does when it plays around. Also, Tasha, your knitting is so beautifully even. Great job! Once I get better at fair isle, I’ll have to try it.
Thank you! And you’re right, I love the idea of the long hat moving around like a little fox tail!
What a cute hat!! This is definitely being added to the top of my ‘when I have tackled Fair Isle’ list 🙂
Awesome!
I love the hat, the colors you chose, the photos, the scenery. These photos are awesome! I’m putting this on my Ravelry list, thanks for introducing it to me 🙂
Thanks, Erin! I’m totally giggling at the scenery, which is against the garage. Don’t tell! 😉
So much cuteness! I never realised I needed a fox beanie, but clearly I do. Gorgeous!
Funny how I find myself commenting on your knitting projects when I’m not even a knitter! This is too cute for words, but most of all, your photos for this post are absolutely stunning! Love them 🙂
Hopefully with warmer weather on the horizon your shoulder gets a rest from knitting & it’s better by the time winter rolls round again.
Oh my gosh! I love it so much! You’re so good 🙂
Your hat is great and I love the upgrades you made! I’d love to make one so I added it to May Ravelry favs! Cute coat too!