Mountain Tams is the product of my place of birth, spending as much time as possible in the mountains, and my constant need to knit. The Tam is a traditional hat pattern, often knitted in the Fair Isle technique . While I like to play with Fair Isle, I enjoy playing with the colors and textures created by using multiple strands of yarn even more. And I like the rhythmic meditation of knitting without having to constantly count.

I enjoy the small, portable nature of the Tam. My projects are often carried with me to my favorite locations streamside, where I knit, while also serving as ghillie for my fly fishing husband and friends. Often the subjects take on their surroundings appearing as fish, landscape, or skies.

The actual pattern was inspired by Knitted Tams by Mary Rowe. I have stuck to the basic seven sectioned shape, but my gauge and sizing has taken on my own dimension. The seven seems pleasing to me, perhaps it reflects the Pleiades, and the chakras. My simple Campfire Tam pattern is available with the caveat that I am an extremely loose knitter. 

And on Robert Burns 250th birthday, I owe him a toast to  "Tam o' Shanter"

Agnes Rettie 

        Home                 contact

"Mt. Tam from Bulkley Street, Sausalito"

 2008 copyright Tom Killion. Used by permission of artist http://tomkillion.com/