That Snazzy Continental Girl

When I was in junior high I had a love for berets, worn jauntily on my head. In fact, if I was so inclined to show you (and I am not), I am wearing a mint green beret in my ninth grade school picture. I may or may not have been wearing a green leather tie as well. Don't judge me - it was the 80's.

I have a few projects on the needles right now - Tara's armwarmers, my pickle socks, and my vest for Stitches East, and for some odd reason, they are all green and involve miles of 2X2 ribbing. I needed an escape. I bought this yarn at my LYS, Stitches With Style, with the express intent of making a hat.

Snazzy, non?



I've never knit a beret before, and I am really pleased with how this turned out. The construction confused me to begin with (increases upon increases), but the pattern was very easy to follow.



I love the swirl and the fact that there wasn't any obvious pooling, despite the fact that the number of stitches changed every round.



Now only if it wasn't the middle of July so she would wear it!

The Particulars:

Pattern: Max's Staircase Tam (rav link)
Yarn: Colinette Cadenza in 'Gaugin'
Needles: Size 5 circular for ribbing, size 7 for the rest of the hat
Time to knit: 3 days

I deliberately sized down the pattern in yarn and needles - the pattern called for worsted weight and sizes 6 and 8 needles, but that was intended for an adult. The instructions say to wet the finished beret and dry over a dinner plate to shape, but my salad plate worked just fine for the 7-year old's head.

Bravo pour la mère qui tricote!