Like most knitters, I’m happy when I get compliments on something I’ve made—though the potential audience who might see what I’ve made is usually very small.
Like most writers, I’m happy to get compliments on something I’ve written—though the bulk of the work I do isn’t the kind of stuff that elicits that sort of praise.
These two things that take up so much of my life, my writing work and my knitting hobby, rarely overlap. This year, though, I released a hat pattern that has provided a really interesting (and unexpected) intersection point: the Rustic Red One Hat.
The Backstory
In 2022, a friend from my local knitting group was approached by a family member in the movie biz about making a critical piece of Saint Nick’s costume for an upcoming film: the iconic stocking cap. It was more work than one knitter could do, so I was recruited to make one of the two hat designs.
We knew nothing about the plot, or even who was cast as Santa. Our creative brief was simply, “Imagine Mrs. Claus knit this for Nick, years ago.”
It was all bonkers—and extremely fun. Fast forward to 2024 and the release of Red One, which imagines Santa (played by the fabulous J.K. Simmons) as a sort of head of state with a whole security apparatus around him—one that fails to prevent his abduction by a witch (played by Kiernan Shipka). Two comic Jason Bourne types (played by The Rock and Chris Evans) set off on an international mission to find Santa and save Christmas, battling Krampus and warrior snowmen along the way.
As you do.
Rustic Red One is the hat in the movie without a fur trim. I assumed the fancy fur-trimmed hat, designed by Lee Meredith, was for special occasions like Christmas—but I was wrong. When I finally got to see the movie, I was thrilled to find that Rustic Red One is Santa’s Christmas hat! It also appears in many of the trailers, as well as the promotional posters and merchandise, including action figures.
Like I said: Bonkers.
The Story About the Story
I released the Rustic Red One Hat pattern in early November as a freebie. I’m not much of a Christmas movie fan, so I had no idea how many knitters would see the movie and immediately begin searching for a pattern for Nick’s hat. The pattern climbed Ravelry’s “Hot Right Now” page, hanging out in the top spot for a while, and there are still new projects and comments on the pattern every day.
I was not expecting this.
Right away, though, I noticed a trend—most of the comments mentioned the story I had shared on the pattern page about how I ended up making knitwear for a big budget movie. Even now, nearly 200 comments later, delight in the backstory is a theme throughout. My retort has always been, “I maintain the story is more interesting than the hat,” and I stand by that.
But it got me thinking about the power of a good story.
The origin story of the Rustic Red One Hat is one I never get tired of telling, and it makes me so happy that knitters are getting as much of a kick out of it as I do. It’s a free pattern, so there’s no way to know how popular the hat might have been if people had to pay for it, but I’d like to think that the story would have prompted at least a few people to click the buy button.
We all make buying decisions based as much on a good story as anything else, and knitting patterns are no exception. I love reading about a designer’s inspiration, especially when it’s a story that makes me feel more personally connected to the designer or the design.
(I know not all designers feel as comfortable with the written word as they do with fiber, so I’ll take the opportunity to mention that I’m still a freelance writer-for-hire, and I would love to help you tell your story. Get in touch.)
Get Your Own Rustic Red One Hat
I’m not a production knitter, and I will not do anything to make me think of knitting as work. And? I’ve gotten several requests from folks who don’t knit and would like me to make a Rustic Red One Hat for them.
My first suggestion is to learn to knit (this hat is a super easy pattern, great for beginners) or check with your friends and family to see if there’s a knitter in your midst already.
I am not currently accepting hat requests.
If that’s really not an option for you, then I might make you a hat. Might. I’m not going to promise anything, because I’m a single human with a day job and a full life, but I’m offering a way for folks to get in the queue for when I am able to do some production knitting.
Submit your request info using the form below, and, if I decide to make you a hat I’ll make the original size in the original yarns for $100 per hat (plus shipping).
That’s adorable! Congratulations!