Beret Hat Knitting Pattern

DeAire Beret by Plymouth Yarn

What Is Being Made

The DeAire Beret is a classic knitted hat design featuring a structured crown and a traditional beret silhouette. This downloadable knitting pattern from Plymouth Yarn creates a finished hat with decorative colorwork and a comfortable fit suitable for everyday wear.

Yarn and Materials

This beret pattern uses Plymouth Yarn DeAire, a yarn specifically chosen for its drape and stitch definition. The pattern requires two 100-gram skeins: one skein in color 1662 Blue (main color) and one skein in color 401 Grey (contrasting color). The gauge is 9 stitches and 13 rows over 4 inches when worked in stockinette stitch on size 15 needles.

Needles and Tools

The pattern calls for US size 15 circular needles in either 16-inch or 24-inch lengths, along with size 11, 13, or 15 double-pointed needles for the crown shaping. A stitch marker is essential for tracking the beginning of rounds when working in the round.

Knitting Techniques Used

This beret incorporates several fundamental and intermediate knitting techniques. The hat begins with two-by-two ribbing, which creates an elastic cuff that helps the hat stay in place. The construction uses circular needle knitting in the round, which eliminates seaming and creates a seamless fabric. The pattern transitions from circular needles to double-pointed needles as stitches decrease toward the crown, a standard technique for managing decreases in hat construction.

Shaping is accomplished through strategic increases and decreases. An increase round early in the pattern expands the stitch count from 48 to 72 stitches, creating the body of the beret. Multiple decrease rounds toward the end gradually reduce stitches from 54 to 36 to 18 to 9 to 5 stitches, forming the tapered crown. The final stitches are drawn together and secured.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns

The DeAire Beret features a distinctive slip stitch colorwork pattern that repeats over a multiple of 4 stitches across 4 rounds. This pattern creates visual interest through the strategic placement of slipped stitches in alternating colors.

• Knit stitch (k): The fundamental stitch creating the smooth stockinette sections
• Purl stitch (p): Used in ribbing and as part of the colorwork pattern
• Slip stitch (sl): Worked purlwise throughout the pattern, these stitches are passed over the needle without being worked, creating texture and color variation
• Make one (m1): An invisible increase used in the increase round to expand stitch count
• Knit two together (k2tog): A right-leaning decrease used in multiple decrease rounds
• Slip, slip, knit (ssk): A left-leaning decrease that creates balanced shaping
• Purl two together (p2tog): A decrease worked on purl rows

Pattern Construction Details

The beret begins with casting on 48 stitches and joining in the round, with careful attention to avoid twisting the cast-on edge. After 6 rounds of ribbing, an increase round brings the stitch count to 72. The main body features 28 rounds of the slip stitch colorwork pattern, which creates the characteristic texture and two-color design.

The crown shaping occurs over several decrease rounds, with color changes between rounds adding visual definition. The pattern strategically alternates between the main color and contrasting color during decreases, creating a finished appearance even as stitches diminish. Once the stitch count reduces to a manageable number, the knitter switches to double-pointed needles to continue working the final decreases. The pattern concludes by drawing the remaining 5 stitches through with yarn and weaving in all ends for a polished finish.