Rowan 02 Hat Knitting Pattern

Rowan 02 Hat by Lisa Richardson

What is Being Made

The Rowan 02 Hat is a seamless, worked-in-the-round knitted hat designed to fit an average-size adult woman's head with a completed circumference of 51cm (20 inches). This is a beginner-friendly knitting project classified as Craft Skill Level 1, making it an excellent choice for those new to circular knitting techniques.

Techniques Used

This hat is constructed using several fundamental knitting techniques that build essential skills:

• Bottom-up construction: The hat is cast on and worked upward from the brim to the crown, allowing you to try on the hat as you progress
• Seamless, worked-in-the-round method: Using double-pointed needles, the entire hat is knitted in continuous rounds, eliminating the need for seaming and creating a smooth, professional finish
• Twist cast-on edge: The brim begins with a twist cast-on, which creates a neat, finished edge
• Ribbed brim: The lower portion features a knit-purl ribbed pattern that provides elasticity and helps the hat stay securely on the head
• Moss stitch body: The main body of the hat is worked in moss stitch, a textured pattern created by alternating knit and purl stitches
• Decreasing for shaping: Strategic decreases (work 3 together) are used to gradually reduce stitches and shape the crown, creating a fitted top

Stitches Used

The Rowan 02 Hat employs a limited stitch vocabulary appropriate for a beginner project:

• Knit stitch (K): The fundamental stitch used throughout the pattern
• Purl stitch (P): Combined with knit stitches to create texture and ribbing
• Ribbing (K2, P2): Creates the elastic, fitted brim that measures 4cm from the cast-on edge before decreasing to 66 stitches
• Moss stitch: A reversible textured pattern formed by alternating K1, P1 on one round and P1, K1 on the next round, worked continuously from the brim through most of the hat body
• Decrease stitches (work 3 together): Used to shape the crown in six strategic decrease rounds, reducing from 66 stitches down to 6 stitches

Materials and Specifications

The Rowan 02 Hat is designed to be knitted using two complementary Rowan yarn products held together as a single strand:

• Rowan Alpaca Soft DK in Simply White 201: 1 x 50gm ball
• Rowan Alpaca Classic in Snowflake White 115: 1 x 25gm ball

Needle requirements: The pattern calls for two sets of double-pointed needles. The brim is worked on 6mm (US 10) double-pointed needles, then the main body and crown are worked on 7mm (US 10½) double-pointed needles. Both needle sets should accommodate four needles for distributing stitches evenly across three needles while the fourth needle is used for working.

Tension: The pattern is designed to achieve 13 stitches and 25 rounds over 10cm (4 inches) when measured over moss stitch using 7mm needles with one strand each of Alpaca Soft DK and Alpaca Classic held together. Achieving proper tension is essential for the hat to fit correctly.

Pattern Structure and Shaping

The hat progresses through distinct sections. After casting on 68 stitches and working the ribbed brim, the stitch count decreases to 66 stitches. The moss stitch body then continues for approximately 16cm from the cast-on edge. The crown shaping occurs over the final rounds, with decreases worked at regular intervals (every 4 rounds) to gradually reduce the stitch count from 66 to 54 to 42 to 30 to 18 to 6 stitches. The final stitches are pulled tight and fastened off securely to close the crown.