Valley Yarns Willow Beret Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Willow Beret

What is Being Made

The Valley Yarns Willow Beret is a classic lace beret designed to be knit in the round. This intermediate-level knitting project creates a finished hat measuring 12 inches in diameter and 9 inches tall, perfect for a cozy and elegant accessory. The beret features elegant lace patterning throughout, combining both knit and lace elements to create visual interest and texture.

Techniques Used

This beret is worked in the round, a fundamental technique for hat construction that eliminates the need for seaming. The pattern begins with a ribbed cuff worked on smaller needles to create elasticity and a snug fit. After establishing the cuff, the knitter increases stitches significantly and transitions to larger needles before introducing the lace pattern. The construction progresses from circular needles and transitions to double-pointed needles (dpns) as the crown decreases and the working circumference becomes too small for circular needles. Blocking is an essential finishing technique for this project, accomplished by steaming or spritzing with water and stretching the beret over a dinner plate to shape and dry it properly.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns

The Willow Beret incorporates several key stitches and techniques:

• Ribbing: The beret begins with a k1, p1 (knit one, purl one) rib worked for 9 rounds, creating an elastic cuff that hugs the head
• Increases: A straightforward increase round using kfb (knit into the front and back of stitch) creates 40 additional stitches, bringing the stitch count from 80 to 120
• Lace Pattern: Chart A contains the primary lace design, repeated across 5 sections of the beret. The lace pattern features yarn overs (yo), single decreases using ssk (slip, slip, knit), double decreases using k2tog (knit 2 together), and the more complex centered double decrease sl1-k2tog-psso (slip 1, knit 2 together, pass slipped stitch over). These techniques create the characteristic openwork and delicate appearance of lace knitting
• Decreases: A dedicated Decrease Chart shapes the crown of the beret as the knitter works toward the top, gradually reducing stitches until only a small number remain

The lace pattern from Chart A is worked over 10 rounds and is repeated 3 times total before transitioning to the decrease shaping. The pattern is designed so that each row of the chart represents one-fifth of all stitches on the needle, requiring the knitter to repeat each charted row 5 times per round.

Materials

The Valley Yarns Willow Beret is designed to be knit with Valley Yarns Amherst, a 100% merino wool yarn. The project requires 2 skeins of this yarn in the Navy colorway. Each skein contains 50 grams and 109 yards of yardage, providing approximately 218 yards total for the finished beret.

The needles required include US size 7 (4.5mm) 16-inch circular needles for the ribbed cuff and initial rounds, and US size 8 (5.0mm) 16-inch circular needles and double-pointed needles for the lace pattern and crown shaping. A stitch marker is needed to denote the beginning of each round. The recommended gauge is 20 stitches and 24 rows over 4 inches when working the lace pattern on the largest needles.