This easy tam was designed as a first project for students in my stranded knitting classes. The stitch pattern is adapted from the “Snowstar” mitten in Inger and Ingrid Gottfridsson’s delightful little gem, “The Mitten Book”, translated from the Swedish and first published by Lark Books in 1984.

The tam has a few rounds of corrugated ribbing, only one round with carries long enough to require weaving in, and no colourwork at all in the crown shaping. The colour changes are taken care of by the yarn, Noro’s Silk Garden. Be sure to select a solid background colour with a good degree of contrast. Choose a wool that is not superwash treated to allow the hat to be blocked into the classic tam shape. You can probably complete this project in a weekend, making it perfect for holiday gifting.