The David Hattenborough Collection
This week's assortment of animal and insects are all credited to the intertwining talents of Sarah McLanaghan from Canterbury.
Pictured from left to right we have a mouse, ladybird and bumblebee. All fine examples of character knitting in practise. To see these hats in greater detail just click here.
All of our previous Hat of the Week winners are archived below. If you want to join in, go and have a look at our instructions for how to knit your very own hat.
 | Knit’s a beauty This impressive little hat was made by Emma and Sarah from Copperfield Communications. The girls are showing off their creative flair to the full with this truly woolly sheep hat. We think it's not at all baa'd and very worthy of this week's Hat of the Week accolade. For more great hats by Emma and Sarah please visit their flickr page here (look out for the hip hop and alien hats) |
 | All about the Angels This week's hat was knitted by the prolific family knitting team of Julie Dobson, her sister Alison Cheeseman and mum Brenda Southgate. For a closer inspection of the little fellow click here. Our theme this week is the angel for a few good reasons: Billed as "bringing a fresh new sound and a bright new look to classical crossover music" they’ll be popping down to our next 'knit in' this Thursday to sing some songs. We’re very excited. So, if you're in the vicinity of Berkeley Square this Thursday 23rd November between 9:30am-12pm, pop into the EAT cafe for some knitting, cake and a capella singing. |
 | Pudsey the Bear While all money raised is going to Age Concern we were very pleased to receive this hat supporting another good cause. This Friday (17th November) is Children In Need day and the hat takes the shape of the somewhat legendary Children In Need mascot, Pudsey the Bear. Lovingly knitted by Linda Chalmers, a parent from Udston Primary School in Hamilton (bonnie Scotland), fantastic knitting and very topical. |
 | The classic bobble This weeks hats were knitted by mother and daughter team Sue and Kim Baker. Sue (pictured here at Fruit Towers) and Kim have produced a grand total of 350 little hats between them and came all the way up from Yeovil in Somerset to hand deliver their contribution earlier this week. It’s all about classic bobble designs this week. This selection of hats won plaudits for technical skill as well as the use of timeless patterns. We think the classic deisgn will look great on EAT and Sainsbury’s shelves as well. Please start posting all of your hats ready for our upcoming launches. The 20th of November in EAT and 27th in Sainsbury’s. |
 | Hat of the shriek Just in time for Halloween we have these ghoulishly good hats knitted by Anne Conner from Age Concern in Seaton. Anne has conjoured up 2 wicked witches and a perilous pumpkin. Cackle do nicely for us. (Sorry we used that joke last year, I thought it was worthy of a repeat though.) |
 | Bunny, Humpty Dumpty, Chick, Lady Bird and Strawberry This week's Hats of the Week come from the Ladies of Riverside Court, Age Concern Neath Port Talbot. Featured from left to right are - Bunny, Humpty Dumpty, Chick, Lady Bird and Strawberry (as named by the ladies themselves) The lady bird replaces the traditional hat 'bobble' and shows a fine attention to detail. We love the hats so much we've just set up a display cabinet in Fruit Towers to make sure that any visitors can see some of our favourite hats. They really are too good to keep to ourselves. |
 | Hat upon a hat Knitting enthusiasts here at Fruit Towers were delighted to welcome the arrival of these little hat folk to the The Big knit family last week. Lovingly created by Mrs Pat Rawcliffe from Huddersfield, we love the 'hat upon a hat' look that these tiny fellows sport. Pictured here decorating two of our new superfoods smoothies, these are the latest members of the Hat of the Week club. |
 | Mr Duck and Mr Bear This week's proud winners of hat of the week are the ladies from the 'RSVP Scotland Knitting programme Forth Valley'. The group consists of 150 members who have knitted 2000 woolly hats to date. Knitting organiser Susan Ainslie sent us a selection of some of the groups most interesting creations of which we picked out this handsome little duck (because Kate who opens all the thebigknit envelopes loves ducks) and bear (compliments our pineapples, bananas & coconuts smoothie perfectly). |
 | Suits you We're smartening up our act this week with Katie Hodson's black bow tie and jacket creation. We loved Katie's attention to detail on this little hat, it features tailoring to turn Saville Row green and is finished with a dashing felt bow tie. |
 | The tortoise and the spider Well, we've hardly even begun and already people are starting to support The Big knit. These marvellous hats were knitted by a lovely lady who came to Fruitstock, and we have to admit that we think they're pretty impressive. Here we have a selection of berries along with a rather bold pineapple. Knitting Connoisseurs in the innocent office particularly liked the addition of a wide droopy rim, transforming the bobble hat into a chic summer bonnet. |
 | Waitrose bonnets These marvellous hats were all knitted by people who work for Waitrose, and we have to admit that we think they're pretty impressive. Here we have a beeautiful bee-based bonnet, an amazing hat knitted with 'wool' made from a Waitrose carrier bag, a breathtaking rainbow-coloured jellyfish holding a basket of fruit and wearing a small straw hat (as they are known to do in the wild), a raucous robin red-breast and an unseasonably scantily-dressed hula girl. |
 | Lovely, ladylike creation This lovely, ladylike creation was knitted by Cherry Stevens of Woodford Green, Essex, and we have to admit that it's one of the most beautiful and intricate hats that we've ever seen. And you can't say fairier than that. |
 | Fashion Genius These stunners were created by Orla Kiely, an actual fashion designer, who has quite a lot of experience of designing hats, bags and much more besides. We thought it only fitting to match the gorgeous orange number with this season's hippest drink, and the stunning blue / red combo of the other hat with the brilliant yellow of our individualistic orange juice. Sorry that there aren't any jokes this week - we found being in the presence of fashion genius Orla bit overwhelming. |
 | Jolly St Nick/Hell's Angels These two hats couldn't be more different. On the one side we have a piece of knitwear which evokes a scourge of our society - bearded hooligans riding unlicensed vehicles through our streets at breathtaking speed in the dead of the night. And on the other there's a hat with 'Hell's Angels' written on it. Special thanks to Anthony's mum, who crafted this particularly jolly St Nick, and Susan Hayes, without whom we could not have made that joke. |
 | Halloween Apologies to the faint of heart, who are probably quaking in their boots at this terrifying sight, but we felt that we really had to show you these fangtastic (or even spooktacular) Halloween-themed bonnets. The one on the right was conjoured up by Geri, who visited us at Fruit Towers the other day, and the one on the left was made by Susan. Cackle do nicely. |
 | Snowman This splendid tile was made by our Kate's Gran. We're not quite sure, but we get the impression that she might have done this kind of thing before. From the tip of his broom to the brim of his hat, this little snowman oozes style and sophistication. A natty dresser who is sure to keep his cool come rain or shine. Snow kidding. |
 | Hannah's first This week's hat was knitted by our Hannah, who is completely new to the world of hat-knitting. This striking specimen is actually the very first hat that she has ever knitted. Can you tell? If you fancy taking the plunge and knitting some hats of your own, why not have a look at our hat-knitting instructions and get involved? Who knows- your first effort might even end up here. |
 | Eleanor's mum This week's hat was knitted by our Eleanor's mum, a pretty prolific hatsmith (she knitted loads last year) who likes to experiment with yarns in a variety of different colours and textures. This example features jazzy metallic flecks on a dark wool base, and looks particularly fetching on top of this yoghurt, vanilla bean and honey thickie. |
