Berets

When I looked through the Fall '09 issue of Vogue Knitting I knew I had to buy it. There were several patterns that immediately caught my attention. Two were in the hat section, the Lace Beret and the Vine and Leaf Beret. There are also several hats in this issue that are either very strange or very poorly designed.

The first hat I casted on was the Lace Beret. It is more of hat and less of beret. It lacks much of floppiness that I believe characterizes a beret.




Specs:
Pattern: Lace Beret from Vogue Knitting Fall 2009
Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca Fine Pea Soup Mix (last two photos show true colors)
Needles: 1 & 2 circular needles and size 2 dpn's
Size: Medium

I enjoyed this pattern. The only problem I had was gapping between each lace section once I started using the dpn's. This usually isn't a problem for me. I tinked several rows and thought I had corrected the problem but there are still two areas that gap after blocking. I also need to tighten the top. It relaxed too much after blocking and there is a hole.
Started: 8/26/2009 and Finished: 8/29/2009

I couldn't resist casting on the Vine and Lace Beret. I'm using Knit Pick's Telemark from the stash. Depending on how this works up I'll probably knit it using the Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino that the pattern calls for. I have several colors in the stash but I wanted to see how this fits before using the "good" stuff.


It is a true beret and I can already see hints of the prerequisite floppiness. I may end up making several of these for Christmas presents. These will be added to the "hat basket" project.

I'm also toying with idea of making fingerless gloves. Personally I don't care for them too much but they seem to popular with the younger crowd. I need to cover my hands completely in cold weather to prevent them from getting stiff and achey.

All of my nieces are below the age of 20 so I think they'll enjoy them. Time permitting I may make matching gloves and hat. I'm not trying to got out on a limb so nothing is written in stone especially since I've already purchased some of my presents. If you have any good hat suggestions let me know in the comments.