I first started watching the British comedy Last of the Summer Wine in my senior year at UT. My favorite character was William “Compo” Simmonite, who was known for his knitted caps. He wore a sage green cabled beanie most often, so I naturally wanted to make one. I scoured the Internet searching for a pattern, but all I found were other people also looking for the pattern. I found a few existing patterns, but they were inaccurate. I finally snapped and grabbed a Last of the Summer Wine DVD, paused it on a close up of Compo’s head, and meticulously sketched the pattern. Granted, the hat was not in focus much of the time, especially the top, so it was hard to get the decreases right, but I did my best. I’m sure it’s not EXACTLY Compo’s hat, but it looks close enough to me.

Over the years, I’ve made this hat many times over as gifts, and it’s well-received every time. It’s a simple pattern, easy to size up or down, and it works in any color.