Paradigm Shift Hat

When it comes to colorwork, it’s no secret that bold, graphic designs are always my favorite. The charts become predictable once you get going, making for faster knitting that is especially entertaining. It reminds me of the old dot matrix printers that screeched out one line at a time to slowly form the big picture. The series of yarn ‘dots’ might not make sense at first, but as you work your way line-by-line, the graphic image emerges. By cleverly working decreases within the colorwork, the image shifts and changes, creating a crown that is anything but ordinary. The lines you thought you knew evolve into a round floral starburst to complete your very own Paradigm Shift.

This pattern was inspired by the colorwork chart ‘History’ in Andrea Rangel’s book, Alterknit.

SIZES 
Adult S, (M, L) to fit head circumference of 20 (22, 24)”/ 51 (56, 61)cm with 1.25-2”/3-5cm negative ease; approx. 7.75 (8, 8.25)”/ 19.5 (20.5, 22)cm deep

YARN 
Queen City BERRYHILL (80% Merino, 20% Alpaca; 400 yards / 100g): 
Main Color: 1 skein or approx. 75 (80, 90) yds/ 70 (75, 85)m 
Contrast Color: 1 skein or approx. 65 (70, 80)yds/ 60 (65, 75)m

Sample shown in ‘Fraser’ (MC) and ‘Hydrangea’ (CC)

NEEDLES 
US 4 (3.5mm) and US 2 (2.75mm), or as required to meet gauge: 16” (40cm) circular for each size and DPNs in larger size

GAUGE 
30 sts and 32 rows = 4”/10cm in stranded colorwork on larger needles

NOTIONS 
10 (11, 12) stitch markers, tapestry needle

SKILL LEVEL 
Intermediate