When you consider the fact that I’m not much of a TV or movie fan, it’s remarkable how many of my designs have been inspired by those media. This tam owes its existence to the 1993 version of “The Secret Garden” and actress Kate Maberly’s floppy rust-coloured woolly hat. I loved the way that tam draped down over the collar of her little coat, even though sometimes you could see where the seam lay.
Needless to say, there’s no seam at all in my tam. And to eliminate any garter stitch jog, I’ve added vertical lines of slipped stitches, giving the whole something of the look of a spider’s web. There’s a regular-fitting, slightly slouchy version, and a big, super-slouchy one. In both, be prepared to adjust the needle size of the cast-on band to match the size of your head. It should be slightly snug, since the biggest problem with tams is that headbands tend to grow over time.
You can easily make one of these in a day of on-again-off-again knitting. Perfect for gifting, with no danger of “second hat syndrome”! The only difficulty will be choosing an embellishment for the top.
Shown in Wasabi and Aleutian.
Handspun version spindle-spun off the fold into a 2-ply worsted from Malabrigo’s Nube in Indiecita.