Rowan Boye Hat Knitting Pattern

Rowan Boye Hat by Arne & Carlos

What is Being Made

The Rowan Boye Hat is a seamless, adult-sized knit hat designed to fit an average adult head with a finished circumference of 47.5 cm (18¾ inches). This is a one-size hat project created by the renowned design duo Arne & Carlos for Rowan Yarns.

Techniques Used

This knitting project employs several advanced techniques to create visual interest and structure:

• Bottom-up construction: The hat is worked from the brim upward, beginning with a cast-on edge at the base
• Seamless, worked-in-the-round: The entire hat is constructed in continuous rounds using circular needles, eliminating the need for seaming and creating a smooth, professional finish
• Intarsia patterning: The design incorporates the intarsia technique, where yarn B (Kidsilk Haze in Laguna) is added to the existing strand of yarn A where indicated on the chart, allowing for colorwork without carrying yarn across the back of the fabric
• Crown shaping: The hat features structured crown decreases worked in a repeating pattern across four sections, with decreases occurring every other round to create a fitted, tapered crown

Stitches Used

The Rowan Boye Hat is worked primarily in stockinette stitch (st st), which means knitting every round to create the classic smooth, V-textured fabric. The pattern incorporates knit stitches (K), slip stitches (sl 1), and decrease stitches including slip, slip, knit (sl 1, K1, psso) and knit two together (K2tog) for the crown shaping. The intarsia chart is worked entirely in stockinette stitch, maintaining consistent fabric texture throughout the colorwork section.

Materials

The Rowan Boye Hat requires two complementary yarns from Rowan:

• Yarn A: Rowan Felted Tweed in Seafarer (color 170), 1 x 50g ball
• Yarn B: Rowan Kidsilk Haze in Laguna (color 685), 1 x 25g ball

The pattern calls for 3¼mm (US 3) circular needles no more than 40 cm long for the ribbed cuff section and 4mm (US 6) circular needles no more than 40 cm long for the main body and patterned sections. The recommended tension is 22 stitches and 30 rounds to 10 cm measured over stockinette stitch using the 4mm circular needle.

Pattern Overview

The hat begins with 104 stitches cast on using the smaller circular needle with yarn A. After the initial ribbed cuff, the pattern transitions to the larger needle where the intarsia chart pattern begins. The colorwork section spans 40 rounds, with yarn B introduced as indicated on the chart. Once the chart is complete, yarn B is broken off and the knitter continues in stockinette stitch using only yarn A. The crown shaping then begins at round 41, with decreases worked every other round in a symmetrical four-section pattern, gradually reducing from 96 stitches down to 16 stitches by round 61. The pattern concludes with a final knit round before finishing off the remaining stitches.