Chasing the Sun Hat

Chasing the Sun Hat by Upon a Yarn Designs

What is Being Made

The Chasing the Sun hat is a knitted winter hat designed and created by Upon a Yarn Designs. This intermediate-level project is inspired by the experience of chasing sunlight during short winter days. The hat features a classic crown-shaping silhouette worked seamlessly in the round, combining functional warmth with visual interest through its colorwork design.

Construction Method

The Chasing the Sun hat is constructed using a bottom-up in-the-round knitting method. This approach allows for a continuous, seamless construction that begins at the brim and progresses toward the crown. The hat starts with a ribbed brim section that provides elasticity and a secure fit, followed by a colorwork section that adds visual depth and pattern interest to the finished piece.

Stitch Techniques and Abbreviations

This pattern employs several essential knitting techniques and abbreviations:

• k – Knit stitch, the fundamental knitting stitch
• p – Purl stitch, creating texture variation
• k2tog – Knit 2 together, a right-leaning decrease used for crown shaping
• ssk – Slip slip knit, a left-leaning decrease for symmetrical crown decreases
• sl st – Slip stitch, used for joining rounds seamlessly
• CO – Cast on, the foundation for beginning the hat
• 1x1 rib – A one-knit, one-purl alternating pattern that creates the elastic brim section

Colorwork Design

The pattern incorporates five distinct colors (referenced as C1, C2, C3, C4, and C5) plus a main color (MC), creating a multi-colored design section. The colorwork is worked in the round, allowing for stranded knitting techniques where colors are carried along the inside of the hat. This creates a rich, patterned fabric that captures the essence of chasing sunlight through varied hues.

Crown Shaping

The hat features a structured decrease set that shapes the crown from the wider body down to a fitted top. This shaping is achieved through strategic placement of k2tog and ssk decreases, which taper the fabric smoothly and create a professional finish.

Yarn and Materials

The Chasing the Sun hat is designed to be worked with two strands of fingering-weight yarn held together throughout the entire project. This doubling of fingering yarn creates a 4-ply weight fabric, resulting in a hat with excellent drape, durability, and warmth suitable for winter wear. The use of two strands allows for easier handling than single-strand fingering yarn while maintaining the delicate colorwork definition that fingering weight provides. Circular needles appropriate for 4-ply weight yarn are required for working in the round.

Difficulty Level

Rated as an intermediate project, the Chasing the Sun hat is suitable for knitters with foundational skills who are ready to tackle colorwork and crown shaping techniques. The combination of in-the-round knitting, multi-color stranded work, and structured decreases makes this an engaging project that builds technical confidence.