Animal magic

After finishing my sock yarn blanket in June I felt I needed a quick and fun knitting project. I'd seen Vanessa Mooncie's Animal Hats Book last year and loved the pattern, and I have two little cousins in New Zealand who I thought might just like them. And, although I knitted these hats during some of the hottest summer days Ireland has seen for a few years, they are in the middle of their winter. Plus, the plan also gave me an excuse to head out to Winnies Craft Cafe to pick up what I needed. 

After a lot of thought I decided on knitting the sly fox and the cheeky monkey - I just couldn't resist them! The patterns use bulky wool, making them fast to knit, and they are fairly easy to make, even though there are quite a few small little piece to make and sew together.

Cute or what? These were just so much fun to make and so quick. The patterns are given in two sizes (child and adult) and I made the child size, but I was quite worried when I'd finish them that they looked rather big. There wasn't much that I could do at that point, so I packed them up and sent them off to New Zealand. I didn't need to worry - it turns out they fit (perhaps with a little bit of growth room) and have been keeping two little heads warm on their way to school.

Animal magic! 

I loved making these hats and I'm delighted they are enjoying their new home. I also suspect I'll be heading back to this book to make some more hats in the future. Which is fair warning to any of you who might be expecting a Christmas gift from me this year!