Years ago I saw a pair of Victorian needlepoint slippers at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and fell in love with the great pattern the fox heads made. For more than 20 years the idea of using fox head pattern has lived at the back of my mind, and finally it came to something. I made the hat for myself last winter and it is my favourite. It fits snugly and looks great on a chilly day.

The hat is knitted on smaller needles than recommended for the DK yarn, to produce a slightly tighter fabric that looks better when knitting with three colours at the same time. When you twist in the yarn being carried along at the back, make sure you do not twist at the same place as the previous row as the yarn is more likely to show through on the right side.