A few years back, I made these Autumn Leaves gloves in periwinkle blue, fingering weight cashmerino. I love those gloves, and I had a fair amount of the yarn leftover. When I saw the Frida Beret by Veronica Forsberg, I knew I wanted to make it from the leftover yarn to go with my gloves. I kept putting off the project in favor of other, more urgent things, but I finally go around to making it earlier this month.
The yarn I had is a light fingering weight yarn, so it didn't work well with the gauge for the pattern. Fortunately, I had yarn leftover from making my Keyhole Stole this past autumn, and the two yarns I used for that coordinated really well with the cashmerino. Ultimately, I did the ribbing for the beret out of the DROPS Brushed Alpaca Silk and the body of the beret stranding the cashmerino along with the Mountaintop Yarns Pluma, and I'm very happy with the resulting fabric. Since Pluma is a lace weight brushed alpaca, holding it together with the light fingering weight cashmerino worked out to about a sport weight yarn.
I did make an error in following the chart. In the chart, there is a purl at the end of each repeat of the lace pattern, creating a little line going up the body of the beret. However, that purl line stops at the beginning of the decrease rounds. I didn't double check the chart, and I carried the purl line all the way up my decrease rounds. Honestly, I really like the effect that mistake created, so I would do it on purpose if I made the beret again. However, the final decrease round has you k2tog around, when all your stitches at the decrease lines (before that round, your decreases are centered double decreases) and the one stitch after each decrease. Doing k2tog around places the stitch after each decrease on top of the decrease. If I had knitted that stitch, interrupting the decrease line that way wouldn't be visually apparent. But I had purls between each decrease line in that round, so working a k2tog would not have looked right. In my final decrease round, I worked an ssk over each decrease and purl around, putting the decreases on top, and I think that looked much better and gives it that accordion effect you can see in the photo.
The pattern was well-written, and the chart was easy to follow. I made the larger of the two sizes included in the pattern. However, the hat is a bit shallower than I expected, based on the photo. If I were to make it again, I would do at least half an inch more ribbing, and I would add an extra repeat of the lace pattern before starting the decrease rounds. Alternatively, I'd make the smaller size, but use a DK weight yarn to give myself a larger row gauge.
I love how the finished beret looks and feels, and it turns my gloves and stole into a matching set. I don't love that I will probably need to use bobby pins to hold it in place when I wear it. Taking that into account, along with the changes I would make if I were to knit this pattern again, I think it's definitely a worthwhile pattern, and I'm happy I purchased it.
This post has been linked to HIH, Busy Monday, Inspire Me Monday, Senior Salon, WITS, Wonderful Wednesday, Thursday Favorite Things, and Create-It!
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