Seastago (shess-ta-go) is the Gaelic name for Port Hood, Cape Breton on the east coast of Canada, which is the place my father’s family settled when they were forced from their croft in Scotland at the end of the Highland Clearances. My family’s first language was Gaelic until my father’s generation came along. There are reported to be fewer than 500 native Gaelic speakers left in Cape Breton, but schoolchildren are now taught it as a second language.

A “sett” is the arrangement of colours and lines in a tartan pattern. The look of a sett is achieved here with horizontal colour changes and vertical textures.

I chose to use blue, black and green because they are featured in the tartans associated with the family names from which I’m descended, and also in the Nova Scotia tartan. Choose a collection of colours that have meaning for you, or make use of some handy leftovers on hand in your stash. As this pattern uses light and dark colours together, its recommended you check your yarns for colourfastness before you begin.

Yardages needed:
MC 135 y/125 m (Oceanside, 1 skein)
CC1 70 y/65 m (Pistachio, 1 skein)
CC2 10 y/9 m (Charcoal, 1 skein)
CC3 5 y/5 m (Snowfall, 1 skein)

Seastago Hat is worked by using a stretchy cast-on and then joining in the round. A garter st brim is worked on smaller needles, and then a stripe sequence is worked on larger needles. Using needles for small diameters, the crown is decreased until a small number of sts remain, and then the top is cinched up.

After the brim is worked, the set-up row has you place a comically large number of stitch markers, and that may relieve you from counting stitches. Once the pattern is established and the columns of stitches become apparent, you may find you don’t need some of the markers.

If you have 2 skeins of a MC and 1 skein of each of the 3 contrast colours, you will have enough to make the Seastago Cowl as well. Add both to your cart in the same purchase and get 30% off automatically!