First off, how did I make it to August without knowing that Kelbourne Woolens was doing a year of hats series? So great! You can check out all the patterns and purchase kits to make them from the link above.
Anyway, the August hat is a real looker. Designed by Sarah Solomon, it is covered with tonal colorwork (though you could choose more contrasting colors, of course) and features to Latvian braids that frame the color pattern panels and add structure to the hat.
Don’t worry, they’ve got a tutorial for how to make Latvian braids on their website, too. You can grab the free pattern on Ravelry.
[Photo: Kelbourne Woolens.]