Natalie modelling the Huddle hat, teamed with the Assembly scarf and Reunite cardigan. Image credit above and tiled gallery below: A. G. Collymore

It’s a bittersweet post today, but I am no less delighted to reveal the final piece in the Something to Knit Together Winter Edition! Please say hello to the Huddle hat, which does a grand job of topping off what’s been a fabulously cosy confection of knits. It’s also an insight into how I approached the design of this knitted hat.

The photo above does a grand job of showing the connection and distinction between the main textures, all unified by that ever-twisting cable. In particular, the Huddle hat shares a number of characteristics and techniques with the Fond mittens. Both feature the ribbed variant of the cable and texture pattern and the large cable trim, one side of which is picked up and knitted to complete the main body of the hat.

Garter stitch and rib textured Aran hat with deep

A knitted hat design guaranteed to keep your ears warm

One of my pet hates about hats is not having enough ear coverage, and I made sure there was no chance of that with the Huddle hat. As you can see, the turn-back is on the generous side, and there is enough yarn in your kit for you to knit an even deeper turn-back or a longer hat overall if you wish.

Huddle is available in three sizes up to a 75cm head circumference, so no matter how large your head – or how thick your hair, if you’re like me! – might be, it should be a comfortable fit. I knitted the second size, which fits a head circumference between 55-65cm/21.75-25.5in, which you can see here and also modelled by Jen. Currently, when not pulled straight, my hair just grazes the top of my shoulder blade; it was slightly shorter than that when these shots were taken in the autumn.

I styled my hair in a low bun for some of the shots, in others I wore my hair loose, and the hat was equally cosy. Those in my Instagram circle will have seen various shots of my voluminous hair over time, so please rest assured that I would NOT design a hat that I couldn’t wear myself!

Natalie modelling the Huddle hat with the Assembly scarf looped and tied at the front.

How to customise the Huddle hat pattern

If you don’t know by now that this collection has plenty of room for manoeuvre, you never will! I wanted this knitted hat design to be as flexible as possible.

You can further customise the fit of the Huddle hat by:

  • Switching to broken rib (as with the Fond mittens) after the turn-back is completed, instead of continuing in full rib.  Note that this will reduce some of the elasticity in the main body of the hat;
  • Omitting the ribbed texture altogether. You can swap in the pattern repeat for the Assembly scarf or (Re)Unite patterns – including the hack version;
  • Knitting the entire hat on smaller needles for an even closer, head-hugging fit and extra warmth. (Something to Knit with Aran is already very warm, just so you know!);
  • Using a contrast colour to knit the cable trim before switching to your main shade for the pick-up row.

Huddle is a speedy knit, so if you want a quick fix or the weather has taken an even sharper turn this winter, you could do yourself a favour by casting this on. And although Christmas has been and gone, Huddle is a great one for gifts. You can pair it with the Fond mittens for a beautifully co-ordinated twinset if you’re in a hurry. But if you can give yourself a bit more time, why not throw in the Assembly scarf? The three of them look gorgeous together.

L-R: Assembly scarf, Huddle hat and Fond mittens on a picnic table in the autumn sunlight. Image credit: D. Collymore

Where to find the collection

The ebook is available separately on Ravelry and contains all the patterns from the collection. Single patterns are available in my pattern shop if you don’t want the entire collection. You’ll also get plenty of photo tutorials and links to video tutorials by Jen and Jim. You’ll be very well looked after regardless of your skill and experience level; plenty of knitters appreciate the Arnall-Cullifords’ sage and friendly instructions and advice, so you’ll be in great company.

And that really is it from me and the Something to Knit Together Winter Edition! It was an absolute pleasure to work on this with Jen and Jim throughout 2020. I think we would all say that producing this collection was one of the highlights in an infamously historic year. In addition, seeing the happy faces of knitters who’ve chosen to make the designs has been a joy and a privilege, and I thank you all dearly for spending hours lovingly knitting away.

I’m off to remember what on earth I wrote about when I didn’t have this collection to focus on :-D. But for now, I’ll leave you with a few more playful photos and outtakes. Until next time <3

Tiled gallery image credit: A. G. Collymore

You can see all pieces in the Something to Knit Together collection here: