a very grand total

You did it. We've counted all the little hats up and just found out that you helped us to beat our mighty target this year - knitting a whopping total of 400,720 hats*.

So a massive thank you to everyone who helped knit a hat or two or even 703 - thank you Hazel M. We hope that you're all enjoying a well earned rest now.

If you haven't spotted them yet, the hats are in Sainsbury's stores across the country. And by our calculations we expect that some stores will be sold out within days. Yes that's days. So get one quickly.

* if you're wondering what this might look like, there's only about 9000 in the above photo

prizes and pineapples

Hello. Just a quick reminder that there's still chance for three of you lucky people to win a whole year's supply of smoothies. All you have to do is to  upload your Big Knit photos (of hats that you've knitted or bought from Sainsbury's) onto our Big Knit flickr group.

There's three different categories, so get your creative hats on:

• Most creative use of hat
• Best hat ensemble
• Best overall  hat picture

Ps. The photo is of Dan - showing us that the hats can be used for more than smoothies. Thanks Dan.

knit-in at Fabrications

Please meet Barley - who runs Fabrications. Nice needles indeed.

They run lots of courses and have a lovely one on a Sunday where you can go along for a cup of tea and a biscuit whilst you pick up some more knitting tips. Give her a bell if you'd like to have a chat about it.

We just wanted to say a big thank you to Barley and her friends at Fabrications. They have been busy helping us to spread the Big Knit word this year and had some special Big Knit knit-ins - just look at the photo below.

Sandra's last hats

Here's a little message from Sandra. She was a total beginner at the beginning of this year's Big Knit and sent us a photo of her very first hat. She's developed into quite a pro - the dinosaur is our absolute favourite.

"When I had the impulse to learn to knit some hats for innocent this year, my utmost ambition was to make 5 hats (one a week). But I got so addicted to the needles that I made 40 little ones even before learning stocking stitch. It felt so good when I managed to produce a 'Perfect Pink' - the first pattern on the Big Knit guide - I was finally a beginner!

I wondered if I could reach 50 and get to the intermediate pattern - the 'green stripe'. It was a new found freedom, an explosion of colours and...stripes. I wondered if I could get to 100 hats and make the ladybird pattern - that was an ambition.

The day before the deadline I went for it. Made my very own ladybird and teapot and a witch's hat. And a dinosaur.

I can't quite believe I actually learnt to knit - I think I'll try to make finger puppets for my niece in time for Christmas. And maybe some more little hats for next year.

Whatever this has been an amazing learning curve (I got to 110 hats in the end). So thanks, innocent.

And it's totally bye from me for now - until next year...

Sandra xx"

where's wally?

This week's favourite little hat was made by the knitting team at Sainsbury's Tewkesbury Road in Cheltenham. They all got together for a knit-in with cakes and biscuits and tea.

Things are really starting to get a bit chilly outside, which made us love this hat-scarf combo even more. (I just wish that I had a bit of a bigger version to keep me warm). We also think it's very Where's Wally inspired. So much so that I thought we could play a little game with it.

We'll send it out to a Sainsbury's store on top of one of our little smoothies. If you find our special hat send me a picture with your name to win a special prize.

Happy hat hunting.

bkc

get your thinking hats on

OK we've stolen today's knitting pun from this morning's London Metro but we're getting thin on the ground for puns now.

A few days ago we showed you the first of our celebrity designed hats and promised you more. Well here's the more...

100% Natural Cotton: Fearne Cotton

Denise, Denise, we're so in love with you: Denise Van Outen

He had a whale of a time designing this: Chris Tarrant

An absolutely fabulous design: Joanna Lumley

If you can think of any better captions for these, or our first batch of celeb hats, then please leave a comment. The more groan-worthy the better.

There'll be a box of smoothies in hats for the winner (not the celebrity ones we're afraid but they'll be good hats all the same).

Update 27th November 2007: We've chosen our winner of the caption competition and it has to be Sandra with "Hat is where the heart is (Denise Van Outen)". Congratulations Sandra, we'll be in contact with you soon to arrange the delivery of your smoothies in hats. Reserve them a space in your fridge.
And thanks to everyone else who entered a caption, the judging was tough.<

the hats have arrived...

...and they're now sitting nicely on our smoothie bottles in every Sainsbury's store across the country. We're very excited about how pretty they're all looking and to celebrate this excitement have made a little competition for three of you to win a year's supply of smoothies.

Simply pop down to your nearest  Sainsbury's and take some photos of the hat-wearing bottles - in store, at home, wherever you fancy. Upload them onto our Big Knit flickr group and we'll be awarding prizes for:

1. The most creative use of hat

2. Best hat ensemble

3. Best overall hat picture

So get into a Sainsbury's sharpish and get your very own little hat before they all run out.

cast your eyes over these

Last week we showed you a little woolly hat designed by Russell Brand (off the telly) and asked you which other celebrity hats you'd like to see. So here are the first batch we've just had back from the photography studio.

It's Chico time.

Jeremy from the mighty Arcade Fire demonstrates how the Canadians like their hats.

JK from Radio One likes pink elephants by the look of it.

Kirsten O'Brien has been bizzy.

And finally the royal talents of Sarah, Beatrice and Eugenie.

Still to come:

Chris Tarrant

Denise Van Outen

Fearne Cotton

Joanna Lumley

the hats are coming

The launch of The Big Knit 2007 is nearly upon us. Our smoothies are currently being hatted-up by busy hands in woolly gloves as we speak. They're then put into special boxes so that Sainsbury's know they've got some very special stock to look out for..

A few behatted bottles have already started to appear in Sainsbury's stores here and there. We're hoping that we'll have made it out to all stores by this Wednesday Nov 7th. Keep an eye out for the unique supermarket spectacle that is a shelf-full of smoothies in hand knitted booble hats, it will be for a limited time only.

If you get any good pictures don't forget upload them to our Big Knit flickr group. There are some great smoothie related prizes up for grabs again.

heavily branded goods

For this year's little woolly hat project (aka The Big Knit) we thought we'd ask some famous people to design a hat or two for us. We've already shown you some right royal designs you might remember.

Now we give you the above creation by telly's Russell Brand. He sent us the below design based on his own bouffant 'do' and then our expert knitting friends at Rowan yarns have made it into reality for us.

We've also had designs from all of these people aswell amongst others. Let us know whose hat you'd like to see next and we'll post it up...

Fearne Cotton

Denise Van Outen

Chico

Joanna Lumley

JK (Radio 1)

Chris Tarrant

Lil Chris (Rock School)

Jeremy (Arcade Fire drummer)

Kirsten O'Brien (CBBC )