Kate's Beret by Lee Meredith

Kate's Beret

Knitting
November 2023
Sport (12 wpi) ?
21 stitches and 32 rows = 4 inches
in Stockinette Stitch
US 6 - 4.0 mm
200 - 280 yards (183 - 256 m)
18.25 (20.5)" circumference (adjustable with button placement) × 7.5 (8)" height; to fit head circumference 19–21 (21–24)"
English
This pattern is available as a free Ravelry download

This hat was inspired by a raspberry beret, the kind you find in a second hand store, and by Kate’s love of Prince. It’s designed to look vintage, classic, and super fun in a bright color, all at the same time. Personalize yours further with a unique button choice. The sizing is extra flexible since the circumference can be customized based on button placement.

The hat starts with the brim worked flat, back and forth the long way with slipped stitches providing a bit of extra thickness and lessening the stretch. A buttonhole is worked at one end, and then some stitches are bound off at that end to make the button flap. The hat is then joined in the round, increased out in plain Stockinette Stitch, worked even for a short while, and then decreased for the crown. All increases and decreases are staggered to make for a smooth, round shape to the beret, and are hidden by the bouclé loops.

If substituting a different yarn, it should still be something fuzzy, to obscure the staggered increase and decrease stitches. The hat was designed intentionally for poor stitch definition—something with mohair or a very fuzzy alpaca may work nicely, and fit well with the vintage vibes.