Animal tracks crisscross the forest floor. The lake shines blue and green beyond the frosted pine trees. High in the canopy, pairs of rare British Red Squirrels share a nut. Above them, a brilliant star illuminates the dark sky.

This hat (beret, tam) celebrates the return of the Red Squirrel to Kielder Forest, the largest and most northerly forest in England. The British Red, long threatened by the larger American Grey Squirrel, has started to thrive there, because pine martens are spreading south from Scotland: and pine martens prey on squirrels. But the small Red Squirrel can escape by heading out along narrow branches beyond the reach of the martens, while the Greys are too heavy! (and make a bigger meal for the martens.)

Using some traditional Fair Isle motifs and others designed specially to tell this story, the hat has 7 or 8 repeats of the pattern round its circumference, depending on whether you want a loose or snug fit. The sides of the hat depict animal tracks, frosted pine trees and the lake beyond, finishing in the red squirrel pairs. The crown repeats the animal track and frosted pine tree motif, and finishes with a brilliant star reflecting Kielder’s Dark Skies status over the whole forest.

For those who don’t want squirrels on their hat, I offer an alternative design of a tasteful leaf motif, equally appropriate for the Kielder Forest theme.

Also on Ravelry is Squirrels in the Forest Tam, a version of this pattern that uses 5 rather than 8 colours, all undyed natural Shetland sheep colours.

I provide both written instructions and 2 full colour charts, 1 with squirrels and 1 with the alternative leaf motif. It is knitted in the round from the brim up to the centre of the crown. I have tried to keep things simple (for Fair Isle) by using only 2 colours on each round; making no more then 1 colour change at a time, avoiding colour changes on decrease rounds, and making the central final rounds in a single solid colour. I have made 1 change since knitting the photographed sample: an extra motif between the squirrels’ backs, to reduce the length of stranding on these rounds.

Skills needed: knitting in the round in 2 colours, knit, purl, increases and decreases (instructions given); reading a chart.

The hat uses 8 colours. I suggest you use pure Shetland wool, which has the right texture (lofty and slightly fuzzy) for Fair Isle colourwork. My example was knitted in Jamiesons of Shetland Spindrift in 4 dyed colours, and 4 natural colours handspun from my own Shetland flock.
Jamiesons:
Titanic (soft pine green)
Dusk (deep blue-purple)
Amber (deep orange)
Bluebell (mid blue-purple)

My own natural colours (easy to match in Jamiesons range)
Natural Black (deep brown)
Natural White
Mid Grey (Jamiesons’ Shaela)
Silver grey (Jamiesons’ Sholmit)

You can find out more about British Red Squirrels at:
www.rsst.org.uk

and about Kielder Forest at:
www.visitkielder.com