In the run up to St. Patrick’s Day, I pulled my old Irish Fairy Tales book off the shelf. It’s an edition with beautiful illustrations by Arthur Rackham which are themselves as evocative as the original stories.
Before I knew it, I had begun to sketch out a pattern for a leprechaun in my head.
As St. Patrick’s Day falls in March, which is typically still chilly in my part of the world, I decided to put him on a warm slouchy beany, surrounded by shamrocks, lucky hares and crocks of gold. At first sight it looks like a pretty pattern of foliage… but then looking closer, a foot or a face is visible and you spot where the little leprechaun is hiding.
Sláinte!
This is a one-size-fits-all pattern, knit in the round using stranded technique. The tam fits a head circumference of 24 inches/61 cm and is 4 inches/10 cm tall. The crown is 10 inches/26cm across.
There are 3 colours per row for much of the garment - and 4 colours in some places (though the 4th can be added with duplicate stitch if you prefer).