Bonjour Baby Beret
Gauge: 4.5 stitches/inch
Desired head size: 15 inches
Desired hat brim size (10% smaller than head size): 13.5 inches
Number of stitches needed at brim: 13.5 x 4.5 about 61 stitches. Let’s round that up to 64 to
make our math more simple.
Normal beret proportions? Let’s call the top of the beret the platter, just to simplify the language.
Maybe a 12” (across) platter and a 19” (around) head. That is a 38” platter around a 19” head.
Exactly twice.
So, we would want a 13.5” hat brim for a 15” head and a 30” platter - which is about 9.5” across.
Cast on 4.75” worth of stitches to start the whole thing - around 21 stitches.
Needles: #7, whatever you like to use to work in the round.
Yarn: Plymouth Encore or any soft worsted-weight yarn in 2 colors. I used Plymouth Encore
Worsted Solid 0146 (off-white) and Plymouth Encore Worsted Colorspun 7511 (striping green,
pink, and blue)
Tips: If you bring the new yarn from behind the work when you change colors, your edge will be
more neat. Also, be very careful not to pull edge stitches too tightly.
Using a temporary cast on, cast on 21 stitches. Knit 20 stitches, purl 1.
Change colors, slip 1 stitch, knit 19 stitches, turn your work. Slip the first stitch as if to purl, and
bring yarn from the front to the back in-between your needles. Knit to the last stitch. Purl the last
stitch. Turn your work.
Change colors, slip 1 stitch, knit 18 stitches, turn your work. Slip the first stitch as if to purl, and
bring yarn from the front to the back in-between your needles. Knit to the last stitch. Purl the last
stitch. Turn your work.
Change colors, slip 1 stitch, knit 17 stitches, turn your work. Slip the first stitch as if to purl, and
bring yarn from the front to the back in-between your needles. Knit to the last stitch. Purl the last
stitch. Turn your work.
Change colors, slip 1 stitch, knit 16 stitches, turn your work. Slip the first stitch as if to purl, and
bring yarn from the front to the back in-between your needles. Knit to the last stitch. Purl the last
stitch. Turn your work.
Change colors, slip 1 stitch, knit 15 stitches, turn your work. Slip the first stitch as if to purl, and
bring yarn from the front to the back in-between your needles. Knit to the last stitch. Purl the last
stitch. Turn your work.
Continue in the established pattern, each time changing colors and working one less stitch,
until you have turned back 19 times. On the next row, change colors, slip 1 stitch, and knit all of
the “left behind” stitches, picking up and knitting together with the extra thread that you placed
when you moved your yarn from the front to the back of the work after your turns. It should wrap
that stitch like a slung shoulder bag, not like a scarf. After you have finished the row, turn your
work. Slip the first stitch as if to purl, and bring yarn from the front to the back in-between your
needles. Knit to the last stitch. Purl the last stitch. Turn your work.
You have now made 1 section of your platter, the top of your beret. Make 7 more to total 8.
Stop on the 8th section when you are ready to pick up and knit together the wrapped stitches.
Instead, work your way down the needle, slipping each shoulder stitch onto the needle, next to
the stitch it was around. Then, pick up from the cast-on edge. Working from the right side, as if
in stockinette stitch, graft the beginning of the work to the end of the work.
Using your favorite color, and working from the wrong side, pick up and knit 19 stitches from
each section - 152 stitches total. Join to work in the round.
Decrease Rounds
Round 1: (knit 17 stitches, knit 2 together) around.
Round 2: (knit 16 stitches, knit 2 together) around.
Round 3: (knit 15 stitches, knit 2 together) around.
Round 4: (knit 14 stitches, knit 2 together) around.
Round 5: (knit 13 stitches, knit 2 together) around.
Continue as established, decreasing by 8 stitches on every round, until you have 64 stitches
total, or 8 stitches on each section. Work knit 1, purl 1 around for 2 inches. Cast off VERY
LOOSELY. I recommend either the tubular cast off or the sewn cast off.
Darn in all ends.
©2010, Lara Neel and journalgazette.net, All Rights Reserved.