It was hard to guess how much participation there might be for A) a wool hat knitalong kicking off in June and B) a lace knitalong. Combine the two, and I was really wondering! But it’s been a month since the Hermaness Worsted pattern went live and the hats continue to come rolling in. I’m trying to make mine last — and even switched from Soot to Fossil — but continue to be in awe of all the hats and yarn choices and stories to go with them. And I’m beyond thrilled at the number of people who’ve taken it on as their first lace knitting project and have said they wouldn’t have attempted it if not for my notes. Yay for trying new things! And thanks again to Gudrun Johnston to giving us all the pattern to work with.

It’s also interesting to see how much more neutral the color choices have been for this one, as compared to the rainbow of L’Arbre hats that came before it. It’s incredibly hard to pick favorites from so many beautiful contributions but I wanted to highlight a few of the many that have been shared on Instagram.

From top left to bottom right, working across the rows:

– @leighsideknits who is simul-kal-ing — pictured is her finished hat with her #quillKAL shawl

– @ellalcgordon who was the model for the original Hermaness

– @2littlesticks with an excellent road-trip knitting shot

– @whit_knits so pretty pic of the yarn she selected and nettle-dyed (see her feed for the finished hat)

– @pinkrosecottage is one of many people to have knitted multiple Hermanesses (Hermanessii?)

– @recklessglue is another, and I just love this FO shot of her third

– @waldorfmanufaktur scaled it down in sport weight for her daughter’s birthday (and one for herself)

– @evergreenviolet working on one thing while pondering the next, as we do

– @things_from_scratch’s (in handspun!) is one of the many pale ones that made me switch, and I love her caption

– @gudrunjohnston herself, wearing the sample — in Iceland, no less

There is an incredible amount of great knitting photography to be found in these accounts (and many others participating) so be sure to click around and explore! The whole knitalong feed is at #fringehatalong, and it’s never too late to join in. All three patterns so far are now listed in the right rail over there (if you’re on a full-sized browser). Dive in with any pattern anytime! The next one’s coming up in August.

One other note: You may recall I meant to feature a hat charity with each installment of this series. Regrettably, with everything going on in my life these days, I didn’t have a chance to pick and vet one for this hat. But I would love to hear from you all about your favorite charities that take hat donations. If you have a suggestion, please leave it in the comments below!

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PREVIOUSLY in the Fringe Hatalong Series: No. 3 Hermaness Worsted by Gudrun Johnston