Cable Knit Beret Pattern

I feel a little like Blair Waldorf when I wear my beret... It makes my heart happy.

Does it feel like forever since I last posted a tutorial or pattern?  It does to me.  Fall has gotten me into the knitting mood again and I finally, after much trial and error, finished the beret I have been working on.  Woohoo!  About four years ago I got a really nice beret from Mexx, and after many years of love the poor thing is starting to look a little ratty.  So I decided it was time to try and knit one myself.  As it happens, it turned out really well and knitted up really fast once I finally figured out how to get the right size.  I figured I had to share the pattern with you!

I found the yarn at Micheals on sale in store (online here).  It is Lion Brand's Wool-Ease Thick and Quick in Cabernet metallic (you can see a few of the sparkles in the photo above).  I used circular needles and a cable knit stitch to do this.  Both are really easy to get the hang of, but if you haven't done either, here are a few links to check out before starting this pattern:
       ~Joining and knitting in the round.
       ~How to cable knit (this tutorial is on straight needles, but the process is the exact same in the                                              round)

I made this hat to fit my approximately 23" head.  To measure my head I started at the top of my head right behind my bangs, then went around (over my ears) to the bottom at the nape of my neck and back around to the top.  For every knit-purl there is about an inch and a half when it is stretched out.

Top view.

Supplies:
2 balls of Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick and Quick
US13 (9mm) circular needle in the 16" length
Large eye sewing needle or crochet hook

Abbreviations:
C/O = cast on
Inc = increase
Dec = decrease
K = knit
P = purl

The pattern:
1. C/O 57 stitches (casting on in the round works the exact same as casting on on a straight needle)
2. K1, P1 around to make a 1.5" band (this needs to be at least 1.5" for it to not fall off your head)
3. *K1, Inc1, P1; repeat from * around once
4. *Cable stitch at the K2 space (either to the left or right, just stick with the same thing for the whole hat), P1; repeat from * around once
5. *K2, P1; repeat around 4 times
6. Repeat steps 4-5 to make 7"
7. Dec the K2 down to K1
8. *K1, P1; repeat from start to make 2"
9. Decrease stitches down as much as possible in the next round - I wasn't able to do a whole lot on the round (I am still learning to knit in the round and don't have all the tricks worked out)
10. Cut off your yarn (while the hat is still on the needles), leaving a 20" tail
11. Thread the yarn tail through the loops on the circular needle as you pull the stitches off the needles (wow that was confusing... check out this link to see someone do it.  I used a crochet hook to pull my tail through though, because I didn't have a needle with a big enough eye for the thick and quick yarn).
12.  Pull the tail tight to seal up the top of the hat and pull the left over tail through the hat.

You're done!!  Hope you enjoyed!  If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment or send me an email!  I would love to hear from you!