hi! i’ve been following your fear tams for a while, and i’m wondering if the patterns are going to be on ravelry at whatever point they become available? i’m so excited to be able to knit these eventually

Hi there! I'm so glad to hear that people are still interested in the tams! I know that I've taken a pretty lengthy hiatus from them, but I have still been working behind the scenes.

I do plan to release the patterns on Ravelry once I have personally tested all of them. I've been ironing out some details on the last few charts, which has been pretty time-consuming.

If you are interested in knitting a tam and don't want to wait, I have been welcoming pattern testers! Feel free to reach out to me over DMs about the pattern of your choice and I will send you the current draft of the chart and the base pattern that works for all of the hats.

Thank you again for this lovely message!

LOST JOHN'S TAM

The twelfth in my series of tams inspired by The Magnus Archives, one for each of Smirke’s fifteen fears!

This time: The Buried!

The pattern features coffins, subway trains, graves and, of course, shovels! It's been one of my favorites so far, even though it wasn't originally supposed to be the next tam in order.

Detail images under the cut!

A Little Update

The Magnus Archives Tam Project is still underway! Believe it or not, I've been fighting tooth and nail with The Web's pattern for almost six months now. In keeping with theme, it's by far the most complex and convoluted of the patterns yet, and something about it is just not coming together. I'm two failed prototypes deep, and I'm making the executive decision to step away from the pattern and come back to it with clear eyes after a little break.

Sorry to all those who voted for The Web's hat to be next, she's still in the works, but I'm going to turn my attention to the FAR more straightforward pattern for The Buried.

I also may be making some modifications to the base patterns so that they'll work with fingering weight yarn instead of worsted. As much as I love the dense, cozy pieces that worsted worked on small needles yields, my poor hands and wrists have been expressing their displeasure with that arrangement for some time now, and I'd be doing myself a disservice not to listen. Repetitive strain injuries are no joke!

As always, I deeply appreciate everyone who has been following my forays into pattern-making. Hopefully I'll have a nice new hat for you soon!

My Next Tam Project

The Magnus Archives tam project is still in progress, and I will have the Web tam ready to post soon!

With that said, I have settled on the project that I plan to pursue after I finish the TMA project and get the patterns edited and available for people to knit.

My next project is a series of tams inspired by the 13 Principles/Aspects from the video games Cultist Simulator and Book of Hours. I'm planning to keep the designs a little simpler than the tams for this project, sticking to two-tone colorwork for the hats instead of the larger color palette I used for the TMA tams.

I already have some of the patterns preliminarily charted, and am very excited with how they are turning out!

Side note: If you originally came here for The Magnus Archives content, I would highly recommend both games, especially Book of Hours! You play as a librarian who recently has taken charge of a massive estate/library filled with occult and esoteric texts, uncovering the history and secrets of the estate, yourself, and the eldritch cosmology that makes up the fabric of your world. The worldbuilding and lore is fascinating, and the gameplay experience is unique and engaging. It's my favorite game I've played in a while, and I'd highly recommend it to anyone looking to scratch that 'library horror' itch that's so unique to TMA!

An Update

Hello all! I just wanted to post a quick update on the TMA Tam project. I am still working on it, but right now it is on semi-hiatus as I deal with some Big Life Stuff (all good things, luckily)!

Hopefully I’ll be back on track in the near future once things settle down.

In the meantime, I am still open to test knitters for any of the currently-posted tams! Feel free to reach out to me over DM.

Thank you all for coming along on this journey with me, and here’s to new tams in our near future!

THE CRAWLING ROT TAM

The tenth in my series of tams inspired by The Magnus Archives, one for each of Smirke’s fifteen fears!

This time: The Corruption!

The pattern features worms, flies, ants, honeycombs, and mold motif that is knitted with two colors held together to give it that sickly, mottled appearance.

Detail images under the cut!

It turned out so gorgeous! I could not have asked for a better test knitter!

The Eye Tam, inspired by The Magnus Archives and designed by @livingfossilknits. Absolutely delighted to report that I got to test knit this, and I had a blast doing so! Finished just in time for my friend’s birthday, too. I used Berroco Vintage in Holly and Cast Iron (about half a ball of each) and US size 3 needles, making it bulletproof very cozy. I’m super pleased with how it turned out!! The chart was a lot of fun to work up, and I loved watching (ahahaha) the eyes slowly reveal themselves.

A TIE? I guess I gotta do another poll!

I’m continuing to make headway on my most recent tam inspired by The Magnus Archives, and since I’m almost done with it I thought it would be fun to poll you all about which of the remaining 15 Fears you’d like to see next!

I’m continuing to make headway on my most recent tam inspired by The Magnus Archives, and since I’m almost done with it I thought it would be fun to poll you all about which of the remaining 15 Fears you’d like to see next!

this is a poll for all the knitters out there because basically im curious! :)

Hi oh my god I just stumbled across your account just DAYS after mentioning to my mum that I wish there were more Magnus-themed knitting and crochet patterns out there because they’re my two obsessions at the moment. I’m absolutely giving you a follow because this looks rad as HELL, and I want to see what else you come up with! I might just have to learn how to knit hats lol. If you don’t mind my asking, after this collection is done do you think you’ll do any other Magnus-themed knitting patterns?

Thank you so much for this lovely message! Truthfully, I am not certain if I will do any more Magnus Archive themed knitting patterns after I am done with this series. I’ve had a lot of fun with this series, but I’m excited to branch out and try new things once I’ve put the patterns out into the world. If inspiration for more Magnus Archives tams strikes me at some point, I’d absolutely be open to making more.

As for what comes next, I’m considering making a series of tams inspired by some of William Shakespeare’s plays, as well as some more abstract patterns. I already have a few patterns on deck to test knit once the project is over, including one which is inspired by the life cycle of a snail!

I’m actually working on a pattern inspired by the work of Giovanni Battista Piranesi right now. He was an artist who was very focused on making these bizarre, impossible architectural drawings which I find really fascinating. 

Whatever I do next, it will doubtlessly be as weird and intricate as my Magnus Archives tams, and I look forward to sharing it with people!

The Piper’s Battle Tam

The tenth in my series of tams inspired by The Magnus Archives, one for each of Smirke’s fifteen fears!

This time: The Slaughter!

Apologies for my lengthy hiatus, this project had to temporarily go on hold while I made holiday gifts for friends and family.

This pattern went through a few iterations, including a complete color scheme overhaul, but overall I’m pleased with how it turned out! The pattern features all manner of weapons, from swords to arrows to historically-inspired pistols.

Detail images under the cut!

THE MORTAL GARDEN TAM

The ninth in my series of tams inspired by The Magnus Archives, one for each of Smirke’s fifteen fears!

This time: The Flesh!

Featuring lungs teeth, bones, severed hands and a flower made of rib cages on the crown, this tam is probably my favorite out of all 15 of my patterns. Working with organic motifs like these has always been one of my favorite design challenges, and I’m thrilled with how this one came out.

Details on the brim under the cut!

Unfortunately it’s hard to discern the lungs from this angle, but they’re there! right above the teeth.

Just wanted to say I love your work! I can’t wait for the patterns! A friend has already told me she wants an All-Seeing Eye tam!

I'm so excited to hear that! The pattern book is still a while in the making, but if you are interested in test knitting feel free to DM me!

A TAM FROM THE HEIGHTS

The eighth in my series of tams inspired by The Magnus Archives, one for each of Smirke’s 15 Fears! This time: The Vast!

Featuring ladders, the ocean, and of course a large lightning motif on the crown. I’m very happy with how this one came out, especially the lightning!

I’ve put images of the ocean motif on the brim under the readmore.

I’m now on Instagram!

In addition to this blog, I can also be found @ livingfossildesigns on Instagram! I’ll be posting my backlog of pictures of my tams there over the next couple days.