Vikings!

This toorie, or cap, was inspired by a visit to the Viking Ship Museum at Roskilde, Denmark. The prows of Viking longboats appear on the sea…..

It is knitted in the round, starting with a moss stitch border, then five ships in stranded colour work, with crown decreases. There are also some suggestions for making a cowl instead of a hat.

I chose Jamieson’s of Shetland Heather in North Sea and Highland Mist as my colours - yes, mostly for the names! - but if you’d prefer more contrast, you could try Natural White for the ships, or try darker ships on a lighter background.

I used one ball of North Sea - if you make your hat longer, you may find you need to start a second ball of your background colour, and you’d certainly need it if you make the cowl instead - and about half a ball of Highland Mist for the ships. I worked on a 60cm circular needle until the crown decreases made DPNs an easier option.

The hat measures approx 55cm / 22” round, and fits my head loosely. Each ship motif measures about 9cm / 3.75” so if you need to adjust the sizing more radically, you could experiment with fewer, or more, stitches between each ship.