BIRD WATCHERS’ HAT

I work in a government office in the water and nature department. Among my colleagues are many bird watchers. When I get into the outdoors, you can easily spot a bird watcher when they suddenly turn their attention to the sky or bushes when they hear a bird related sound. Also, my husband is a bit of a bird watcher, especially coastal birds are his favourites. My favourite bird is the Cormorant. For me, bird watching always seems to happens on a windy or cold spot, it always gives you cold toes and ears, and it takes a lot of patience to see rare birds. A warm hat should be part of your bird watching outfit. Also this could be a good present.

This hat is especially designed for the bird watcher with silhouettes of Dutch but mostly European birds, many of them common and a few rare or hard to spot. The next birds are on the hat, either standing or in flight: Swan, Goose, Duck, Crane, Swallow, Little Owl, Buzzard, Heron, Raven, Snipe, Crow, Blackbird, Cormorant, Robbin, Kingfisher and a Stint.

I have made this hat from ecologically produced yarn from the island of Texel, wool from Texel sheep. This wool is not coloured but sorted on its natural colour and is produced, except for the spinning, on the island of Texel. It is available in 3 different weights, Thin (fingering), Medium (DK) and Chunky (Aran), I used the Thin or Fingering weight for this design.

I would advice to use yarn made from wool that has not been dyed or wool dyed in natural colours preferably by natural products for this hat. To give it natural shades to blend in with the background while bird watching.
Jamieson & Smith Shetland Heritage Naturals or Jamieson spindrift in the natural shades could be good alternatives.

NECESSITIES:
Approximately 150 grams of wool for knitting needle 3 mm. Minimal divided into 2 or 4 colours. It is also possible to use scraps of wool, the hat itself weighs about 120 grams.
I used 4 colours of Texel wool because they were already in the house, in the thinnest kind for 3mm needle.
75 grams Branding wit
25 grams Slufter grijs
25 grams Schelpen grijs
25 grams Texels blauw
1 circular needle size 2.75 or 3 mm with length 40 cm
2 rectangular pieces of cardboard to make the tassel

Gauge: 26 stitches and 36 rows are 10 x10 cm