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Who would have thunk it? Crocheting with wood. Yet here I am, having whipped up a lovely Raffia Hat using Wool and the Gang Ra-Ra-Raffia I am now officially hooked on this great fibre and the endless possibilities…

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Knowing that mine and A’s roadtrip around the US was only a few weeks away, and that suitable desert-attire would be necessary, I decided I needed a hat- and the bigger the better. Pulling out my copy of Simply Crochet magazine I cast my eyes over the pattern for Samanta Fornino’s Raffia Hat.

2 balls of Wool and the Gang Ra-Ra-Raffia. £15 each?!

I questioned whether it would be cheaper to buy a hat from Primark, but the allure of exploring a new fibre was too much. That, and I love the extra goodies you get in the box when you order from WATG direct… the stickers and postcard are adorable!

I was a little surprised when the yarn was as small as it was though, I think when photographed it looks a lot bigger and that you’re getting more bang for your buck… oh how wrong I was!

It’s expensive. It’s “special occasion” yarn as I would call it. But it’s kind. Fully biodegradable and vegan- so it’s good for the planet. With 12 colours to choose from too, you’ll soon forget about the price tag.

The pattern calls for the yarn to be held double, which is tricky enough when this wooden yarn feels like paper between your fingers, and that meant that both 100g balls simultaneously disappeared before my eyes!

But it was so worth it. Tension can get a little tricky but evens out with practise and the results are amazing- it almost doesn’t look like crochet- and that’s all down to the rigidity of the Raffia. It’s a high-end look with little effort- right up my street!

This is a must-have for any beach accessory. My Raffia hat held up well in the desert and kept the sun off my eyes with no problem. Not that I needed it, but it’s also water repellant, so if my hat did make it to the beach with me; I know it would be okay around that salty sea breeze.

I used, the suitably-named, colour “Desert Palm”, but next time I might opt for one of the more wilder shades which include a bright green Lime Sorbet, or a fiery Bardot Red. It’s definitely a fibre I’m going to re-visit- especially in the summer months.

Have you used the magnificent Wool and the Gang Ra-Ra-Raffia? Did you love it as much as I did or did you have another less pleasurable experience? Let me know in the comments below!