Sunset Streak Fair Isle Hat

This incredibly intricate women's knit hat pattern displays a brilliant use of the fair isle technique.

By: Caron Design Team from yarnspirations.com

By: Caron Design Team from yarnspirations.com

When you've mastered fair isle, patterns like the Sunset Streak Fair Isle Hat Pattern are the ones you want to knit to show off your abilities. This unique display of colorwork gives a cascading effect to the various colors used, and yet manages to never use more than two colors at a time during any given round. Since patterns like this can easily get too complicated and overwhelming for beginners, we recommend knitters experienced in stranded colorwork give this hat a shot and that new knitters practice on simpler-to-follow patterns.

Intermediate

Knitting Needle Size10 or 6 mm, 9 or 5.5 mm, Double-Pointed Knitting Needles (DPNs)

Yarn Weight(5) Bulky/Chunky (12-15 stitches for 4 inches)

Gauge15 sts and 20 rows = 4" [10 cm] with larger needles in stocking stitch.

Finished SizeOne size to fit adult.

Materials List

Caron® x Pantone™ yarn (3.5 oz /100 g;127 yds/116 m) Sunset Streak (01042) - 1 braid
Set of 4 sizes U.S. 9 (5.5 mm) and U.S. 10 (6 mm) double-pointed knitting needles or size needed to obtain gauge.
Stitch marker

Instructions

Notes:

Before working with Caron x Pantone multi-shade yarn braid, separate each color link and wind into 5 separate balls.
Each color link will be referenced by its Pantone color # (see label)
Designate each diff erent shade of the 5 separate yarn balls as Contrast A, B, C, D and E as noted in key below (or as desired).
Due to nite amount of yarn in each shade, pattern gauge must be matched to ensure successful results
When working from charts (see below), carry yarn not in use loosely across WS of work. The colors are never twisted around one another

Hat

With A and set of smaller double-pointed needles, cast on 72 sts.

Divide sts evenly over 3 needles (24-24-24).

Join in rnd, placing marker on first st.

1st to 11th rnds: *K3. P1. Rep from * around.

Break A.

Change to larger set of needles.

Next 3 rnds: With A, K1. *With B, K1. With A, K3. Rep from * to last 3 sts. With B, K1. With A, K2.Knit rnds 1 to 25 of Chart, reading rows from right to left, noting 4-st rep will be worked 18 times.

Shape top:

1st rnd: With E, *K7. K2tog. Rep from * around. 64 sts.
2nd and 3rd rnds: *With E, K3. With B, K1. Rep from * around.
4th rnd: *With D, K1. With B, K1. Rep from * around.
5th and 6th rnds: *With D, K1. With B, K1. With D, K2. Rep from * around.
7th rnd: With D, *K6. K2tog. Rep from * around. 56 sts.
8th and 9th rnds: *With D, K3. With E, K1. Rep from * around.
10th rnd: *With C, K1. With E, K1. Rep from * around.
11th and 12th rnds: *With C, K1. With E, K1. With C, K2. Rep from * around.
13th rnd: With C, *K5. K2tog. Rep from * around. 48 sts.
14th rnd: With C, knit.
15th rnd: With C, *K4. K2tog. Rep from * around. 40 sts.
16th rnd: With D, *K3. K2tog. Rep from * around. 32 sts.
17th rnd: With D, *K2. K2tog. Rep from * around. 24 sts.
18th rnd: With D, *K1. K2tog. Rep from * around. 16 sts.

Break yarn, leaving a long end. Thread end through rem sts and draw up tightly. Fasten securely
Pompom: Wind B and E around 4 ngers until all yarn is used. Remove from ngers and tie tightly in center. Cut through each side of loops. Trim to a smooth round shape. Sew to top of Hat.