Winnekenni Beret Hat Knitting Pattern

Winnekenni Beret in Juniper Moon Herriot

What Is Being Made

The Winnekenni Beret is a charming knitted hat featuring an elegant cable and lace pattern. This beret is part of the Haverhill Collection by designer Alison Green and is crafted from Juniper Moon Farm Herriot yarn. The finished beret offers three size options—Small, Medium, and Large—with band measurements ranging from 17½ inches to 21¾ inches (44.5 to 55 cm), making it a versatile accessory suitable for various head sizes.

Techniques Used

This beret employs several intermediate knitting techniques that create both visual interest and structural shaping. The pattern features cable work, which creates the distinctive twisted rope-like texture characteristic of traditional berets. The crown decreases are cleverly hidden within the stitch pattern itself, meaning the shaping happens seamlessly as part of the design rather than as obvious decrease rounds. The pattern also incorporates yarn over increases and lifted increases (both right-lifted and left-lifted variations), which add decorative eyelet details and maintain stitch count during pattern transitions. The construction uses circular knitting worked in the round, which eliminates seams and creates a seamless, professional finish.

Stitches Used

The Winnekenni Beret combines multiple stitch techniques to achieve its sophisticated appearance:

• Lace Rib—The ribbed foundation that creates structure and elasticity, worked on the smaller needles
• Cable Pattern Stitch—The main decorative element featuring C4F (cable 4 front) and C4B (cable 4 back) maneuvers that create the characteristic twisted cables
• Yarn Overs (YO)—Creates decorative eyelet holes that add lightness to the design
• Lifted Increases—Including LLI (left lifted increase), RLI (right lifted increase), and LLIp (left lifted increase purl) techniques that add stitches without creating visible holes
• Decreases—K2tog (knit two together) and ssk (slip, slip, knit) decreases that shape the crown while remaining visually integrated into the pattern
• Knit and Purl—Basic stitches that create the textured background and definition between pattern elements

Materials and Tools

The Winnekenni Beret is worked in Juniper Moon Farm Herriot yarn, a premium fiber choice that provides excellent stitch definition for showcasing the cable and lace details. The pattern requires 1 to 2 hanks depending on size selected (sizes S and M use 1 hank; size L uses 2 hanks). The yarn is worked at a gauge of 22 stitches and 40 rows per 4 inches (10 cm) in the Lace Rib pattern and 25 stitches and 32 rows per 4 inches (10 cm) in the Cable pattern stitch.

Needle requirements include US 3 (3.25 mm) 16-inch circular needles for the ribbed cuff and US 6 (4 mm) 16-inch circular needles for the main pattern body, with US 6 (4 mm) double-pointed needles for the crown decreases when the stitch count becomes too small for circular needles. Additional notions include a cable needle for manipulating the cable stitches, stitch markers to track pattern repeats, and a tapestry needle for weaving in yarn ends.