There Beren came from mountains cold,
And lost he wandered under leaves,
And where the Elven-river rolled.
He walked along and sorrowing.*

-- J.R.R. Tolkien, from “the Lay of Leithian”

Beren is a simple but elegant watch cap suitable for wanderers in any country. The slipped stitch patterning adds interest without fuss, making this an ideal hat for gentlemen of any age. Slipped stitches are also ideal for variegated or speckled yarn for the more adventurous hat wearer.

Yardage suggestions given include a deeply folded brim; the easiest way to adjust for not-quite-enough yarn is to work half the brim depth for a straight brim.

The pattern is written for three sizes; child/teen through adult and large adult (to fit head sizes 18-20”, 20-22” 22-24”).

Materials needed:

• @165/190/215 yards sport weight yarn
• 3.5mm (US 4) and 4mm (US 6) circular needle or size needed for gauge
• stitch marker to mark start/end of round
• additional stitch markers to mark decrease sections

Gauge:
24 sts and 32 rows in slipped stitch pattern on larger needles
(smaller needles are used for the ribbing, as a slipped stitch pattern will always work to a more compact, less stretchy gauge)