These are really my favorite style of hat. If you can find a nice nordic pattern, I can try to fit it onto a hat.
The first hat shown on the far left is a Bea Ellis pattern called the telemark pattern. It's among my favorite patterns. This hat also shows the traditional 'lice', or flecks of contrasting color above the main pattern. I can add this to your hat if you want. It makes the hat a teeny bit warmer but it also makes the hat noticably less stretchy. Life is full of trade-offs.
The second hat in the middle uses a pattern thatis basic and somewhat bold. It reminds me of "Space Invader". Notice that this hat has 2-color twisted braid on the tassle.
The third hat in this group uses a 3-color pattern. This is another favorite pattern. Lots of great color combinations are possible.
The fourth hat and fifth are variants of the second, with a contrasting dome, lice and more detail in general.
I made the dog hat for my wife using another Bea Ellis pattern. We have Chocolate Lab, Fenway, and my wife and Fenway are best pals. I might like you and all, but I'm probably not going to make this hat for you. No offense. It's a labor of love and... well... I love Ruthanne.
The cat hat was made for a friend of ours who owns one of those psycho cats that is nice for the first 5 pats on the head and then it trys to tear your arm off.
These are relatively simple hats with a race stripe. Colors can be just anything you want that you think looks good. I think a grey stripe with black borders looks good with most colors. The red hat shows a multi-colored tassle, with some binding on the end. That's easy to add if you like the way that looks.
These are basic stripe hats. The women in my family tend to favor these. It's hard to see, but the green and blue hat has a 2 color twisted braid for the tassle. The red, yellow and black hat is really something else because of the yarn. The yarn is woven, not spun, and it's made from a cashmere blend. As a result, it has a shinier sheen and is very itch free. It really nice stuff but it costs quite a bit more. Still, you've probably never worn a hat that comfortable.
I made the blue hat for my son, whose favorite colors at the time were blue and orange. I stole the pattern from an aztec style hat that my daughter had and think it worked out well as a stand alone stripe. The yellow hat shows what it looks like in a single color. I've a bunch more Aztec type patterns that I could use or if you can point me to some, I can try to work them in for you for you.
The celtic knot hat is based on a free celtic chain pattern. And the mitts are crude shots of my boiled wool mitts.