Dateline: December 2007…Four or five years ago, I was experimenting with Zig Zag stitch, and arrived at this little cap pattern. My boutiques upstairs neighbor, a red-headed artist named Katie, bought one of the caps, and has worn it every winter since then. She recently called me because when cold weather came around, she found her original cap had gone missing, and she wanted a new one.

So…I looked in my archives and recreated the pattern, this time with optional straps that can be tied or wrapped around the neck. It’s a quick, stylish knit in a bulky weight, and very warm. The straps will keep it from flying off your head during daredevil maneuvers.