Daystar Hat in Rowan Alpaca Soft DK (Eng) - Downloadable PDF

Daystar Hat by Martin Storey – Rowan Alpaca Soft DK Pattern Summary

About This Design

The Daystar Hat is a beautifully crafted knitted hat designed by Martin Storey for Rowan, one of the most respected names in premium yarn and pattern publishing since 1978. Released as pattern reference ZB276-00009-ENP, this design is available as a downloadable PDF and is rated advanced in skill level, making it an ideal project for experienced knitters looking to develop or showcase their colourwork expertise. The hat is worked in the round from the brim upward, culminating in a shaped crown with decorative decreases.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a single knitted hat featuring a striking two-colour stranded colourwork motif. The design is worked in the round using a repeating 14-stitch Fair Isle pattern, creating a visually rich, textured fabric with a traditional yet contemporary feel. The finished hat measures approximately 21 cm from the cast-on edge before the crown shaping begins, ensuring a comfortable and well-proportioned fit.

Yarn and Materials

The pattern calls for Rowan Alpaca Soft DK, a luxuriously soft double knitting weight yarn that blends beautifully for colourwork projects. Two colours are used:

• Colour A – Rainy Day (shade 210): 1 x 50gm ball
• Colour B – Classic Brown (shade 204): 1 x 50gm ball

The alpaca content in Rowan Alpaca Soft DK gives the finished hat a wonderfully soft handle and a subtle halo, making it both warm and comfortable to wear. The DK weight is ideal for achieving the fine stitch definition required for intricate Fair Isle colourwork.

Needles Required

Two needle sizes are used in this pattern, which is typical for hat construction where a tighter rib or brim is followed by a slightly looser body:

• 3¼mm (UK no. 10 / US 3) double-pointed needles (set of 4), or a 3¼mm circular needle no more than 40 cm (16 in) in length – used for the brim or lower section
• 4mm (UK no. 8 / US 6) double-pointed needles (set of 4) – used for the main body of the hat worked in the Fair Isle pattern

The switch to double-pointed 4mm needles is made when beginning the Fair Isle chart section, allowing the knitter to work comfortably in the round as the stitch count reduces during the crown shaping.

Techniques Used

This is an advanced knitting pattern that draws on several key techniques:

• Fair Isle / Stranded Colourwork: The main body of the hat is worked using the Fair Isle technique, in which two colours are carried across each round. The 14-stitch pattern repeat is worked 9 times across each round, creating a continuous, seamless colourwork motif. Knitters are directed to follow the Rowan information page guidance on the Fair Isle technique, which typically involves managing yarn floats on the wrong side of the fabric to maintain even tension.
• Knitting in the Round: The entire hat is worked in the round, either on a short circular needle or on a set of double-pointed needles, avoiding any seaming.
• Crown Shaping with Decreases: Once the body of the hat is complete, the crown is shaped using K2tog (knit two together) decreases, worked in a specific sequence to reduce the stitch count evenly while keeping the colourwork pattern visually correct. The decrease round begins: K2, *K2tog, K5, repeat from * to last 5 sts, K2tog, K3, reducing to 108 stitches, with further decrease rounds following.
• Chart Reading: Knitters work from a colourwork chart, completing rounds 1 to 37, then repeating rounds 34 to 37 once more before beginning the crown shaping. The ability to read a knitting chart in the round is essential for this project.

Stitches Used