Thursday, December 24, 2009

Happy Solstice!

BadKitten and her Cousin Ben made us cookies to celebrate the season. They are getting very good in the kitchen, eh?
I wanted to bring all of you a gift for the holiday season, and what could be better than a hat? Quick to make, fun to wear and it chases the winter chill.

This pattern began life as a basic doily, which I shared for free. You might recognize Little Flower... Catherine Dunlap took the doily pattern and made a lovely hat, which she was kind enough to share with me. Her hat is made on larger needles than are in my comfort zone, so I reworked things for a finer gauge. Her hat is styled as a tam, with a decrease at twice the rate of the increase. My version is a classic beret. This pattern contains three charted versions. The first version is a beret in sock weight yarn. The second is a beret in DK weight yarn, and the third is Catherine’s original, a tam in DK weight yarn. Thanks to Catherine for generously sharing her concept! Special thanks to Mary Rose and Judith Gilbert.
BadKitten graciously humors her mother by showing off the light weight beret. I believe that she looks gracious...
I think she is getting a little fed up, but hiding it well...

Materials for Light weight Beret
-1 skein of Ella Rae Lace Merino 100gms/460 yards in color 103
-1 set of 5 US 2 double pointed needles (7 inches or longer)
-Yarn needle for weaving in ends
-12 inch dinner plate to block (optional)
Gauge:
7 stitches to the inch blocked in stockinette.

Materials for DK weight tam or beret
-1 skein of Baby Bee Sweet Delight Twist in color yellow
-1 set of US size 8 double pointed needles (7 inches or longer)
-Yarn needle for weaving in ends
-12 in dinner plate to block (optional)
Gauge:
5 stitches to the inch in stockinette.

Directions
-Cast-on 8 stitches to four double pointed needles and join in the round being careful not to twist.
-Work one round plain.
-Begin following the chart
-Repeat chart eight times for each round (twice per needle.)
-After completing your chosen chart, cast off loosely in ribbing.
-Soak in cool water and block to shape. You can use a 12 in plate to block the berets.

For those of you who have been with me for the long haul, you know what to do with the following pictures! Click on them and print in Landscape mode. First you have the chart key...

Second you have the chart for the light weight beret...


Finally you have the chart for both the DK beret and tam...


Here are Cathrine Dunlap's photos of the tam that she made. Here model is Lauren Ruff, who was kind enough to let us use her photograph.
You can see the shape in this picture.
And the front edge here...
Finally, you can see the original Little Flower right here!
Both Little Flower and now this remix are available as PDF files at my Ravelry Pattern Store. They are both free! If you want to know more about Little Flower, check this old post for details.
I wish all of you a wonderful, wonderful whatever you are celebrating. I hope it is filled with fiber and cookies!

12 comments:

  1. Both the model and the beret are charming!
    And you have a lovely solstice yourself!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Tell BadKitten and Cousin Ben that the cookies look yummy!

    The hat is pretty cute, too. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Very cute hat! Thanks for the pattern :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Love the hat and the cookies look Delish. Merry Christmas!
    =^..^=

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a beautiful beret! I haven't really been interested in knitting one before, but this one is so lovely and the lighter weight is perfect for where I live (Southern California). Thank you for your generosity in sharing such a wonderful pattern.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi, I'm just starting work on this lovely beret and I have a question about the pattern. Are the decreases also maintained in the even rows? Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  7. hi, i am extremely new to knitting..and i am just not understanding your chart. should i ignore all the grey boxes that according to the key means "no stitch" and if that is so..dose that mean row1 only has 2 stitches, a twisted stitch and a yo? and if that is the case..what should i do with the rest of the stitches on my needle? slip them and then knit row 2? i just dont get it.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Ericka,
    I have no way to send you a reply, as you did not leave your email address. The grey box does mean NO stitch. The piece is cast-on from the center and grows out in a circle. The chart is repeated 8 times per round. That covers all the stitches that you cast-on. Leave a comment with your email address if you want me to contact you for more assistance.
    BadCat

    ReplyDelete
  9. I was hoping that you could send me a copy of the chart that is clear. I would love to knit this for my daughter for Christmas. My e-mail address if fletchingmel@yahoo.com

    Thanks, Melissa

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi, I have a question. In your chart, I saw row 1, 3, 5 .... But what should I do with row 2, 4 ,6 ... ? And the chart on the left, what is it for ? My email is mermaid_2202@yahoo.com
    Thank you so much. This one is fantastic !

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi, I, too, am wondering what to do with the even rows, is it just plain knit? I really wish to try this. Thanks for the pattern, my email is qarzul@yahoo.com.au
    Thanks again.

    ReplyDelete
  12. If you read the note under the chart it says that even rows are knit plain, maintaining the twisted stitches. That is it!
    Meow,
    BadCat

    ReplyDelete