Willow Hat in Rowan Alpaca Soft DK - RTP002-0008-DEP - Downloadable PDF

Willow Hat in Rowan Alpaca Soft DK – Pattern Summary (RTP002-0008-DEP)

The Willow Hat is a beautifully simple yet elegant knitted hat designed by QUAIL STUDIO for Rowan. This downloadable PDF pattern produces a classic, cosy beanie-style hat sized to fit an average adult head circumference of approximately 48 cm. The design is rated as intermediate difficulty, making it an ideal project for knitters who are comfortable with basic ribbing and simple crown shaping techniques but are ready to refine their skills further.

What Is Being Made

The finished object is a knitted hat worked flat and seamed, featuring a deep, stretchy ribbed brim that folds back on itself for a neat, polished look. The crown is shaped with a series of systematic decreases that draw the fabric to a neat gathered point at the top. An optional Rowan faux fur pompom can be attached to the crown for a playful, textural finishing touch. The pattern is photographed in three colourways: Simply Black 216, Off White 221, and Simply White 201, demonstrating how beautifully the design works across both bold and neutral shades.

Materials Required

• Yarn: Rowan Alpaca Soft DK – a luxuriously soft DK-weight yarn with an alpaca-rich composition, available in the colourways Simply Black 216, Off White 221, and Simply White 201 as shown in the pattern photography.
• Needles: A single pair of 3.5 mm knitting needles (straight or equivalent) is used throughout the entire pattern.
• Extras: Auxiliary/cable needles are listed as required accessories. An optional Rowan faux fur pompom can be sewn to the finished crown.

Tension and Gauge

The pattern specifies a tension of 26 stitches and 32 rows to 10 x 10 cm, measured over 1x1 rib (unstretched) on 3.5 mm needles. Achieving this tension is important for ensuring the hat reaches the correct circumference and depth, so swatching before casting on is recommended.

Techniques Used

• Flat knitting: The hat is worked back and forth in rows rather than in the round, then seamed along the back to form the finished tube shape.
• Seaming with a fold-back brim: The back seam is worked with a deliberate technique — the lower portion of the seam (below the marked row) is sewn from the reverse side so that when the brim is folded outward, the seam sits neatly on the inside.
• Brim construction: A 1x1 rib section is worked for 7 cm, at which point the end of the row is marked. The rib then continues for a further 18 cm from the marked row, creating a generous brim depth designed to be turned back.
• Crown shaping: A structured series of decrease rows reduces the stitch count progressively from 126 stitches down to just 9 stitches over 25 rows, creating a smooth, rounded crown.
• Finishing: The remaining 9 stitches are gathered by threading the yarn tail through them and pulling tight, then the back seam is closed and the optional pompom is sewn in place.

Stitches Used

• 1x1 Rib (knit 1, purl 1): The foundational stitch pattern used for the entire body of the hat, creating a stretchy, form-fitting fabric that accommodates a range of head sizes comfortably.
• Twisted right-leaning decreases (knit 2 together through the back loop): Used systematically throughout the crown shaping rows to reduce stitch counts evenly and create a tidy, defined decrease line. In the German-language instructions these are referred to as re verschr zus-str (twisted knit two together).
• Working stitches as they appear: On all wrong-side (return) rows during the crown shaping, stitches are worked as they present — knit over knit, purl over