My Local Yarn Store is a wonderful place. Not just because they sell me yarn and knitting needles (although that will forever make me love them), but because of the people. My knitting friends are amazing and have added so much to my life through advice and friendship and their incredible support.

This pattern was begun when the owner of my yarn store gave me a book of Medieval German embroidery patterns for my anniversary. As I flipped through the pages I was astounded at the beauty of the designs our foremothers used to portray the world around them. When I came to a page depicting two thrushes (drosseln) in a field of flowers I knew I had come upon something I wanted to knit. I used my own handspun and yarn from my honeymoon to create the first version of this design, and marked my place with Jane Austen stitch markers. This hat has been filled with so much love and so many wonderful memories. I hope it can be a beautiful part of your journey as well.

The pattern is written for a finished hat circumference of 21 inches (53.3cm) to fit head 21 inches (53.3cm) around. The patterned portion of the hat is extra thick, causing it to fit as if it has a small amount of negative ease. Sample gauge is included to make a smaller or larger hat (18 and 22 inches/45.5 and 58.5 cm).

You can use a light fingering weight yarn held double or a light worsted weight for your CC, making this hat a great stashbuster. The colours really pop if one of your yarns is lightly variegated, or you can use solid or tonal colours for both yarns.