Monochrome Beanie

Monochrome Beanie by Sally Yanita

What is Being Made

The Monochrome Beanie is a knitted hat designed by Sally Yanita featuring a classic two-color stranded knitting pattern. This intermediate-level project creates a finished beanie with a circumference of 40 cm (16 inches) and a depth of 17 cm (7 inches), suitable for average adult head sizes. The design combines brioche ribbing at the cuff with stranded colorwork in the main body, resulting in a structured yet comfortable winter accessory.

Techniques Used

This pattern employs several intermediate knitting techniques that add visual interest and structural integrity to the finished garment:

• Stranded Knitting: A colorwork technique where two colors of yarn are carried across the row, creating the two-tone pattern visible on the beanie. This method requires managing multiple yarn colors simultaneously while maintaining even tension.
• Brioche Ribbing: Used for the cuff of the beanie, brioche ribbing creates an elastic, textured edge that stretches comfortably around the head. This technique involves slipping stitches and working them together with their yarn overs to create the characteristic brioche fabric.
• Circular Knitting: The beanie is worked in the round using either a 20 cm (8 inch) circular needle or double-pointed needles (DPN), eliminating the need for seaming and creating a seamless, professional finish.
• Gauge Adjustment: The pattern emphasizes obtaining proper gauge through needle size adjustment, a critical skill for achieving the correct finished measurements.

Stitches Used

The Monochrome Beanie incorporates the following essential knitting stitches and abbreviations:

• K (Knit): The fundamental stitch used throughout the stockinette sections of the beanie.
• P (Purl): Used in combination with knit stitches, particularly in the brioche ribbing sections.
• YO (Yarn Over): Creates new stitches and decorative eyelets; essential to the brioche technique.
• Sl1 (Slip One Purl Wise): Slipped stitches are carried forward in the brioche ribbing construction.
• K2tog (Knit 2 Together): A right-leaning decrease used to shape the crown of the beanie.
• BRK (Brioche Knit): Knits a slipped stitch together with its yarn over, creating the distinctive brioche texture.
• BRP (Brioche Purl): Purls a slipped stitch together with its yarn over for brioche ribbing sections.
• Sl1YO (Slip One, Yarn Over): With working yarn held in front, this stitch slips one and creates a yarn over, counted as a single stitch in the pattern.
• Stranded Stockinette Stitch: The main fabric structure combining knit stitches with two-color stranding.

Materials and Tools

The Monochrome Beanie requires DK weight yarn, a medium-weight yarn category ideal for creating fabric with good stitch definition. The pattern calls for 50 grams (approximately 125 meters) of yarn for each color, allowing for a two-color design. The original pattern sample was created using Mochi cotton acrylic yarn in black and white, demonstrating the striking contrast achievable with monochromatic colorwork.

Needle requirements include two sizes to accommodate the different fabric densities: 3.50 mm (US 4) needles for the brioche ribbing cuff, and 4.00 mm (US 6) needles for the stranded knitting sections, or adjusted as needed to meet the specified gauge. A 20 cm (8 inch) circular needle or a set of double-pointed needles facilitates seamless in-the-round construction. Additional tools include a stitch marker for tracking round beginnings and a tapestry needle for weaving in yarn ends after blocking.

Gauge and Finishing

The pattern specifies a gauge of 24 stitches and 32 rows over a 10 cm (4 inch) square in stranded stockinette stitch after blocking. Achieving this gauge is essential for obtaining the correct finished measurements. Knitters are advised to adjust needle size as needed to match the specified gauge before beginning the main project.