Inspired by the winter landscape of the hill, South Head, that rises in front of my cottage, this tam uses traditional Fair Isle patterns in a range of 8 gentle, mainly naturally-dyed colours. (You could use any 8 colours of course, or find equivalent colours ready-made from the huge range available from Jamiesons). The design is also suitable for using up small quantities from your stash. If you use the heavier gauge 4-ply “double knitting” yarn, you will get a more firmly textured hat. The gauge given here is approximate, as I was using handspun.

The instructions are for 2 alternative yarns: 2-ply “Spindrift’ or 4-ply “Double-knitting”. The finer yarn involves 8 pattern repeats, the heavier yarn, 7 pattern repeats. Gauge and needle sizes are given for each.

The hat has a ribbed edge, then a tubular section of patterns reflecting the fields and streams at low levels, followed by the traditional 8 or7-segment crown. This section shows the moorland colours, frosty summit and rising sun over the mountain. It includes a brown winter leaf motif, and inverted pine trees.
I used mainly vegetable-dyed handspun yarn from my own Shetland flock in the following colours:

Olive green (onion mordanted with iron) 13g
Slate purple (ivy berries, alum mordant) 10g
Natural black (from Diesel, our black ram) 9g
Sky blue (woad dye) 8g
Forest Green (Jamiesons 4-ply) 8g
Russet (madder dye modified with copper) 7g
Pale yellow (carrot top, no mordant) 5g
Apricot (exhaust-dyed madder) 4g

You can buy these in the right quantities as a kit for making this tam from NaturallyWoollen, our Etsy shop.