Directions: Scottish Bonnet

Needles: 5 needles, Size 3   (Note: I took my knitting needle gauge to the hardware store and got the appropriate sized dowels, which I then cut to 12" lengths, sharpened, sanded, and coated with Danish rubbing oil finish.  This made cheap, replaceable knitting needles that will handle the extra width of the bonnet.)

Wool: about 6 oz? of medium blue wool.  Basically, what you're looking for is a dark to light denim blue, since indigo is used in dyeing denim.

Knitting:
Row 1: Cast on 10 stitches. Join.
Row 2: Increase in each round, so you have 20 stitches
Row 3: *Knit 1, increase in next stitch.*   Repeat * to *.
Row 4: Knit.
Row 5: *Knit 2, increase in next stitch.*  Repeat * to *.
Row 6: Knit.
Row 7: *Knit 3, increase in next stitch.*   Repeat * to *.
Row 8: Knit.
Row 9: *Knit 4, increase in next stitch.*  Repeat * to *.
Row 10: Knit.

Continue increasing every other row (at the end of each section) in the above manner. This will increase every other row by 10 stitches.  Continue until the top measures 7 to 8 inches from the center. It should seem very big.

When top of hat is big enough, start decreasing every other row by *knit to the last two stitches in the section, knit the last two together*. Repeat * to * in each section. Knit next row. Decrease row, knit row, until the underneath section of the beret is about 6 to 6-1/2 inches from the 'edge'. (Note: I'm not sure that's right; I decreased until the circumference of the circle was 3 inches bigger than the desired end diameter, based on the shrinkage of the sample swatch I knitted.)

Hat band:
* Knit one, purl one *. Repeat * to *, around until the 'hat band' is 2-1/2 to 3 inches wide. Bind off. Fold hat band and sew into the hat. Wash in hot water followed by a cold rinse; dry in the dryer on hot setting. This will felt up the beret and shrink it to size. Repeat shrinking as necessary.


Copyright Notice:

The Author of this work retains full copyright for this material. Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim
copies of this document for non-commercial private research or educational purposes provided the copyright notice and
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Directions -- Scottish Bonnet - Copyright 1998,
Mara Riley


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