This little beret is probably the most complicated knitting project I have ever embarked on.  Thank goodness it was just a hat. Yikes!  I was managing up to 5 DPNs (double pointed needles) at a time and having to keep track of a pattern which was a 24 stitch repeat over 54 rows.  My goodness.  Well, I feel quite accomplished after finishing this project.

Not only was this hat complicated, but I ran out of yarn before it was finished. Ugh.  I wanted it to coordinate with the sweater I knitted last fall.  You can see that post here. Needless to say, I had to carry on.  After all that work, I couldn't just rip out all those stitches.

Amazingly, I had a ball of yarn from another project, just finished, that was in a coordinating blue of a lighter shade and compatible weight.  I decided that the hat would go with both sweaters. Yay! There are silver linings in most cloudy situations.  One just needs to be willing to see them.

In the end, the hat was too loose on my head.  To help with this, I wove in some elastic thread through the inside of the ribbing.  I did 3 rows and it just hugs my head a little more firmly so now it won't slip off.  If you look closely, you can see the white elastic thread.  I'm not sure how I feel about that, but I think It will be OK. Doubtful I will ever knit this hat again, due to it's required concentration, but it is a pretty hat if you are up for the challenge.

The pattern is the no. 13 Lace Beret by Kate Gagnon from the Fall 2009 issue of Vogue Knitting Magazine. I found this copy on Amazon if you want to buy it.  There are lots of other beautiful and relevant projects in this issue.

Until Next Time, Happy Knitting and Sewing!

Jennifer