Classic Knit Beret
Our free Classic Knit Beret pattern has all the makings of the perfect beret… Tons of charm, elegant structure, and wooly warmth, plus a glorious mohair halo! Cast on with our Classic Knit Beret Bundle, which includes one skein each of our tweed Spindle yarn and our very special mohair-silk Tussock for a fabric that glows with luminous beauty.
The elemental geometry of a beret is simple, satisfying, and fun to knit! Holding your two yarns together, you’ll start with a ribbed brim and then let your beret bloom with a round of simple increases to widen the body out to that classic beret shape. Basic decreases bring you back to the center, before you finish it off with a dainty “cabillou,” which is the fancy French name for that easy little I-cord stalk that turns your beret into a béret!
Knitting Spindle and Tussock together creates a rich and complex fabric, sprinkled with colorful tweed burrs and illuminated by a soft halo. Both are fine lace-weight yarns that bloom on your needles, and when knit at a dense-ish gauge, they have plenty of structure to allow your beret to sit proudly on your head!
Lending lots of character, Spindle is a single-ply yarn made in the ancestral home of traditional Irish tweed yarns, but with a softer touch thanks to an artful blend of merino wool, cashmere, and mulberry silk. Tussock is made with 60% super fine kid mohair and 40% mulberry silk, an incredibly soft mix that captures the eye with vibrant colors and reflected light.
Our Classic Knit Beret Bundle gives you a skein of each yarn (enough to knit any size beret) in carefully chosen colors that will play beautifully together. Some pairings, like Spindle’s Fuchsia Rose and Tussock’s Alpine Phlox (our purple version) have a little more contrast for a dappled fabric, while others, like House Wren + Golden Lichen (our golden version) have a more subtle shimmer… All 15 bundles are absolutely stunning!
Pick up a bundle (or choose one color each of Spindle and Tussock!) and cast on… Your Classic Knit Beret will be everything you ever dreamed a beret could be!
Yarn lovers, if you adore the yarn used in this project, you’ll love exploring all of our other yarn collections! Discover over 45 thoughtfully designed yarns in nearly every natural fiber and in every spectacular color you can imagine. Only available here at Purl Soho’s online yarn store, where every skein is created with care and your creativity in mind!
Designed by Purl Soho designer, Gianna Mueller. Click here to see even more of Gianna’s designs!
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Want to print this pattern? On desktop, find the “print” icon in the right margin, and on mobile, scroll to the end of the pattern for it. Use the on-screen instructions to remove anything you don’t want to print!
Materials
Our Classic Knit Beret Bundle includes all the yarn you’ll need to make your own beret…
- Yarn A: 1 skein of Purl Soho’s Spindle, 80% merino, 10% cashmere, and 10% mulberry silk. Each skein of this lace- to fingering-weight yarn is 625 yards/ 100 grams; approximately 124 (147, 175, 205) yards required.
- Yarn B: 1 skein of Purl Soho’s Tussock, 60% super fine kid mohair and 40% silk. Each skein of this lace- to fingering-weight yarn is approximately 328 yards/ 25 grams; approximately 144 (170, 203, 237) yards required.
You’ll also need…
- US 1 (2.5 mm), 12- or 16-inch circular knitting needles, depending on size you are making
- US 2 (3 mm), 12- or 16-inch circular needles, depending on size you are making
- A set of US 2 double pointed needles
- A stitch marker
Choose from 15 colorful combos, shown above! We used Heirloom White + Beach Stone (top left corner), House Wren + Golden Lichen (top right corner), and Fuchsia Rose + Alpine Phlox (third row, left).
Or choose your own shimmering shades… Just pick up 1 skein of Purl Soho’s Spindle and 1 skein of Purl Soho’s Tussock!
GAUGE
28 stitches and 34 rounds = 4 inches in stockinette stitch, holding Yarns A and B together, on larger needles
SIZES
Toddler (Kid, Adult Small/Medium, Adult Medium/Large)
- Finished Brim Circumference: 15½ (16¾, 18¼, 19¾) inches, comfortably stretching 1–3 inches
- Finished Diameter: 8½ (9¼, 10, 11) inches
- Finished Height: 6½ (7¼, 8¼, 9) inches
SAMPLES: The Heirloom White + Beach Stone hat is Toddler size, and the Fuchsia Rose + Alpine Phlox and House Wren + Golden Lichen hats are Adult Small/Medium.
PATTERN
BRIM
With one strand of Yarn A and one strand of Yarn B held together, cast 108 (118, 128, 138) stitches onto smaller needles. We used a basic Long-Tail Cast On.
Place marker and join for working in the round, being careful not to twist the stitches.
Round 1: *K1, p1, repeat from * to end of round.
Repeat Round 1 until piece measures 1 inch from cast-on edge.
BODY
Switching to larger circular needles…
Increase Round: *Knit front and back (kfb), k1, repeat from * to last 2 stitches, knit 2 together (k2tog). [160 (175, 190, 205) stitches]
Continue in stockinette stitch, knitting every round, until piece measures 3½ (3¾, 4, 4¼) inches from cast-on edge.
CROWN
NOTE: Change to double pointed needles if/when necessary.
Decrease Round 1: *K3, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. [128 (140, 152, 164) stitches remain]
Knit every round for 5 (6, 8, 9) rounds.
Decrease Round 2: *K2, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. [96 (105, 114, 123) stitches remain]
Knit every round for 5 (6, 8, 9) rounds.
Decrease Round 3: *K1, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. [64 (70, 76, 82) stitches remain]
Knit every round for 5 (6, 8, 9) rounds.
Decrease Round 4: *K2tog, repeat from * to end of round. [32 (35, 38, 41) stitches remain]
Knit every round for 4 (5, 6, 7) rounds.
TODDLER SIZE ONLY
Decrease Round 5: *K2tog, repeat from * to end of round. [16 stitches remain]
Knit one round.
Decrease Round 6: *K2, [k2tog] 3 times, repeat from * to end of round. [10 stitches remain]
KID SIZE ONLY
Decrease Round 5: *K2tog, repeat from * to last stitch, k1. [18 stitches remain]
Knit one round.
Decrease Round 6: *K1, [k2tog] 4 times, repeat from * to end of round. [10 stitches remain]
ADULT SMALL/MEDIUM SIZE ONLY
Decrease Round 5: *K2tog, repeat from * to end of round. [19 stitches remain]
Knit one round.
Decrease Round 6: K1, *k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. [10 stitches remain]
ADULT MEDIUM/LARGE SIZE ONLY
Decrease Round 5: *K2tog, repeat from * to last stitch, k1. [21 stitches remain]
Knit one round.
Decrease Round 6: Knit 3 together, *k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. [10 stitches remain]
ALL SIZES
Knit one round.
Decrease Round 7: *K2tog, repeat from * to end of round. [5 stitches remain]
I-CORD
With remaining 5 stitches, work an I-cord for 4 rounds or approximately ½ inch.
Cut yarn, leaving an 8-inch tail.
Thread tail onto a tapestry needle; draw tail through live stitches; thread through I-cord and down through fabric at base of I-cord; then weave it into the inside of the Crown.
FINISH
Weave in remaining ends and gently wet block. To block your hat, lay flat in a circle (as shown in second photo below).
Learn About This Yarn Bundle + All Our Beautiful Yarns
Our Classic Knit Beret Bundle includes one skein each of Spindle and Tussock! Together they make an incredibly luminous, complex fabric with a glorious halo. Both lace-weight yarns, single-ply Spindle is a true Irish tweed yarn made with 80% merino wool, 10% cashmere, and 10% silk, while Tussock combines 60% super fine kid mohair and 40% mulberry silk for a glistening strand as light as whisper. Pick up a Classic Knit Beret Bundle to cast on for this free knitting pattern and experience the joy of these two gorgeous yarns… together!
More Free Knitting Patterns
- Be sure to explore our collections of Spindle knitting patterns and Tussock knitting patterns and cast on!
More Lace-Weight Yarns
- Shop our entire collection of lace-weight yarns
- If you want to use different yarns, be sure to take the time to get the correct gauge. Need help? Check our All About Gauge Tutorial!
More Yarns With Similar Fibers
- Shop merino wool yarn
- Shop cashmere yarn
- Shop silk yarn
- Shop mohair yarn
Looking for more inspiration? Explore all of our free knitting patterns and knitting tutorials, buy one of our many knitting kits and yarn bundles, and shop for beautiful yarn. We have over 35 gorgeous natural fiber yarns in 100’s of magnificent colors, designed to bring integrity, beauty, and joy to your next knitting project and only available at Purl Soho!
Instead of a strand of both Tussock and Spindle, would this beret pattern work with one strand of Nigh DK?
Hi J.H.,
What a lovely idea! Nigh DK would create a wonderfully soft knit fabric, but I would recommend being extra careful when swatching to make sure you achieve the gauge of the pattern. 28 stitches in 4 inches is a bit on the tight side for Nigh DK, but it should be doable. You may just need to size down your needles!
All the best,
Lili
I really want to save this pattern to the knit companion app, but I can’t figure out how to do it. Please help!
Hi Linda,
I believe Knit Companion requires files to be in PDF format, and you can totally download any of our free patterns as PDFs! Here’s how to do it: If you’re on your computer, you’ll find a “print” icon in the right column just below the “Save To Favorites” button. If you’re on a mobile version of the site, you will find the “print” icon below the pattern and above the comments.
Click on this button, and a window will pop up where you can delete whichever parts of the pattern you don’t want to print. When you hover over any image or a text block, it will be highlighted in yellow and a “trash” icon will appear. Just click on this icon to delete anything that’s not necessary to the pattern! For example, you may decide to shorten the pattern by omitting certain images or the list of materials. Then, click on the “PDF” button in the upper left-hand corner of the pop-up window. Once your PDF has finished downloading, just click the “Download PDF” button, and it will be saved to your computer!
All the best,
Lili
I copied this wonderful pattern. But the beginning casino instructions had overprint on it so the this section of pattern is ompossble to read.
Hi Eileen,
I’m so sorry that you’ve run into trouble printing this pattern! I’d recommend using the “print” function on our website to print out any of our free patterns, rather than printing directly from your browser. Here’s how to do that: If you’re on your computer, you’ll find a “print” icon in the right column just below the “Save To Favorites” button. If you’re on a mobile version of the site, you will find the “print” icon below the pattern and above the comments.
Click on this button, and a window will pop up where you can delete whichever parts of the pattern you don’t want to print. When you hover over any image or a text block, it will be highlighted in yellow and a “trash” icon will appear. Just click on this icon to delete anything that’s not necessary to the pattern! For example, you may decide to shorten the pattern by omitting certain images or the list of materials. Then, just click on the “Print” button in the upper left-hand corner of the pop-up window!
All the best,
Lili
Why is the bundle more expensive than buying the yarn separately? I am afraid I am missing something, but I don’t know what.
Hi Paula,
I took a look at the product pages for the Classic Knit Beret Bundle, Spindle, and Tussock, and I can confirm that the prices are equivalent! Spindle costs $26 ($20.80 at the current sale price), Tussock costs $23 ($28.40 on sale), and the bundle costs $49 ($39.20 on sale), which is the sum of the two individual skeins. Let me know if you’re seeing different numbers somewhere else though! We’re eager to correct any mistakes to avoid confusion going forward.
All the best,
Lili
Could you make this beret with a single strand of a fingering or DK weight yarn?
Hi Kim,
Yep, you can absolutely do that! The gauge of this pattern is 28 stitches and 34 rounds = 4 inches in stockinette stitch, so a fingering weight yarn would be the best match for that!
All the best,
Lili
I too wrote a question asking if this could be made with fingering weight, so feel free to ignore my original question because this answers it! But I do wonder what the needle suggestion is for fingering? Size 4, 16-inch circular? Then Size 4 double-pointed needles? Thank you!!
Hi Catherine,
To determine what needles to use, you’ll need to knit up a gauge swatch! I’d recommend swatching with the recommended needle size first, and then adjusting and swatching again if necessary. Once you find needles that you achieve the gauge of the pattern with, then you’ll be good to go ahead and start knitting!
All the best,
Lili
Thank you! Since the instructions call for 28 stitches and 34 rounds, does that mean the gauge swatch for this pattern should be done according to your “swatching for circular gauge” instructions?
Good question, and yes! Since this project is knit in the round, you’ll want to swatch in the round for the most accurate results.
All the best,
Lili
Would a single strand of Line Weight work? Thanks for answering so promptly!
Line Weight would be a great choice! It should be easy to achieve the gauge with that yarn!
All the best,
Lili
I love the idea of making a beret and have a lot of Santolina on hand–do you think I could adapt this pattern so I could use up my stash of that yarn? I bought a bunch to make that dishtowel pattern and I’m not in love with knitting those (sometimes you just have to try something to know!), so I’d love to be able to find something else to make (and yes I’ve searched your fingering weight patterns and have made some of them already but this caught my eye too). Thanks and have a great day 🙂
Hi Catherine,
Santolina would be a fun choice for this pattern! The gauge of this pattern is 28 stitches and 34 rounds = 4 inches in stockinette stitch, which is definitely doable with Sanolina. I’d just recommend swatching beforehand to choose the best size needles for your project!
All the best,
Lili
How can I switch needles while using a magic loop?
Hi Ruth,
Thanks for writing in! You can actually switch needles while using magic loop in the same ways you’d do so otherwise. The first method is to just begin knitting with the new needle so that by the end of the round, all the stitches are on the new needles. Alternatively, you could slip all the stitches to the new needle before beginning the next round. Either way works great, so you could try them both out to see which you prefer!
All the best,
Lili