Kukkola is a slouchy hat knit in the round in single rib and fisherman’s rib. Made in an Aran-weight blend of alpaca and wool, it will keep your head warm and cosy on even the coldest days.

Kukkola gets its name from a special place in Northern Sweden. The pictures you see were taken at Kukkolaforsen just below the Arctic circle on the Torne river. Here the fishermen build wooden jetties out over the river every year, without the use of nails or screws, and use long-handled nets to catch resting whitefish. On the other side of the river, Finnish fishermen do the same.

I thought it was appropriate that a hat made in fisherman’s rib would end up in a fishing place. As the sun set and fishing ended for the day we gathered in an old hut where whitefish was grilled on sticks above an open fire, then doused in salty water. We sat around the fire eating the fish in chunks with our fingers and listening to fishermen’s tales.