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| Sandleford by RS Knits © Russell Sansom |
Sandleford by Russell Sansom of RS Knits is a whimsical rabbit-inspired knitted hat designed for teens and adults. With its playful ears and colourwork details, it is a wonderful choice for knitters looking for something more imaginative than a traditional winter hat.
The design takes its name and inspiration from Watership Down by Richard Adams. Best of all, the Sandleford knitting pattern is still available as a free downloadable pattern.
✓ Free Pattern Availability
Good news: unlike many older knitting patterns whose availability has changed over the years, Sandleford is still listed as a free downloadable knitting pattern. Always use the current legitimate pattern source rather than copies reproduced by unrelated websites.
Sandleford Hat at a Glance
Pattern: Sandleford
Designer: Russell Sansom / RS Knits
Craft: Knitting
Category: Hat
Theme: Rabbit-inspired novelty hat
Sizes: Teens to Adults
Suggested Yarn: John Arbon Textiles Knit By Numbers DK
Yarn Weight: DK
Language: English
Current Availability: Free downloadable pattern
About the Sandleford Hat
Sandleford is one of those knitting projects that immediately stands apart from an ordinary beanie.
Designed by Russell Sansom, the hat combines a practical knitted accessory with a playful rabbit theme. The prominent ears and contrasting colours give the finished hat plenty of character without turning it into a conventional stuffed-toy project.
The original design is shown in a combination of pink and neutral shades, but the colour palette can be one of the most enjoyable parts of planning your own version.
Inspired by Watership Down
The name Sandleford is a reference to Watership Down, Richard Adams' classic novel about a group of rabbits searching for a new home.
Sandleford Warren is the original home of the rabbits at the beginning of the story, which makes the name particularly appropriate for a rabbit-inspired hat.
You do not need to know the novel to enjoy the pattern, of course, but the literary connection gives the design an extra layer of personality.
Choosing Colours for Sandleford
The original Amazing Knitting feature highlighted John Arbon Textiles Knit By Numbers DK minis, which make it possible to experiment with different colour combinations.
You could keep the soft pink-and-neutral appearance of the photographed version or create something completely different.
Some colour ideas include:
- Natural rabbit shades such as cream, grey, brown and oatmeal
- Pink with a soft neutral contrast
- Black and white for a graphic look
- Pastel combinations for a softer version
- Bright contrasting colours for a playful fantasy rabbit
If substituting yarn, use the designer's current pattern specifications and check your gauge rather than relying only on the DK label.
A Fun Use for DK Yarn
Novelty hats can be particularly useful projects for leftover or small-quantity yarn because contrasting details do not necessarily need the same quantity as the main hat colour.
Before using leftovers, however, make sure the yarns behave similarly. Combining fibres with very different stretch, washing requirements, or thickness can affect the finished shape.
Who Is Sandleford Designed For?
The original description lists Sandleford for teens through adults.
That makes it different from many rabbit and animal hats designed only for babies or young children. Sandleford embraces the novelty-hat idea for older knitters and wearers as well.
Skills That Help
Before starting, read the complete designer pattern to see the exact techniques required. In general, useful skills for a shaped novelty hat of this type can include:
- Casting on and binding off
- Knit and purl stitches
- Working decreases for hat shaping
- Following colour changes
- Working small shaped pieces
- Reading written knitting instructions
- Finishing and securing yarn ends
Use the original pattern for the exact construction, stitch counts, shaping and finishing instructions.
Is Sandleford Still a Free Knitting Pattern?
Yes. During our latest review, Sandleford was still listed as a free downloadable English-language knitting pattern.
This is especially useful to confirm for an older pattern because free knitting patterns sometimes move, become paid, or disappear completely after their original publication.
Amazing Knitting does not reproduce Russell Sansom's copyrighted row-by-row instructions. Instead, use the legitimate current pattern listing to obtain the designer's pattern.
Get the Free Sandleford Knitting Pattern
The current LoveCrafts listing provides the downloadable pattern.
Find the Free Sandleford Pattern →
Look for Sandleford by Russell Sansom / RS Knits on the free hat patterns page.
More Free Knitted Hats
If you enjoy unusual hat projects, continue exploring the Amazing Knitting archive for more free designs.
Explore Free Hat Knitting Patterns →
You can also browse animal-inspired knitted hats, DK hat patterns, and novelty knitting projects.
Before You Start
Download the current designer pattern first and read it completely before choosing your yarn. Confirm the required quantities, gauge, needle sizes, construction method and finishing instructions from the pattern itself.
If you substitute colours, it can help to place the yarns next to each other before casting on so you can check whether there is enough contrast for the rabbit details to remain clearly visible.
Pattern credit: Sandleford was designed by Russell Sansom / RS Knits. The existing project image on this Amazing Knitting page is credited to Russell Sansom. Amazing Knitting does not reproduce the designer's copyrighted knitting instructions.