Wheels of Hearts Beanie and Gauntlets in Cascade 220® Fingering - FW169 - Downloadable PDF

Wheels of Hearts Beanie and Gauntlets in Cascade 220® Fingering – Pattern FW169 by Laura Farson

Pattern FW169 is a free, downloadable PDF knitting pattern designed by Laura Farson for Cascade Yarns. It includes two coordinating accessories — a colorwork Beanie and matching Gauntlets — both featuring a charming Wheels of Hearts motif worked in vibrant stranded colorwork. The pattern is rated intermediate in difficulty and is an excellent project for knitters ready to explore multi-color stranded knitting in the round.

About the Yarn: Cascade 220® Fingering

Cascade 220® Fingering is a 4-ply (fingering weight) yarn made from 100% Peruvian Highland Wool. Each skein contains approximately 273 yards / 250 meters and weighs 50 grams / 1.75 oz. This fine-weight wool is well-suited to detailed colorwork, offering excellent stitch definition that allows intricate stranded patterns like the Wheels of Hearts motif to stand out clearly. The pattern calls for multiple colorways, making it a wonderful stash-busting or color-exploration project.

The Wheel of Hearts Beanie

Overview and Sizing

The Wheel of Hearts Beanie is designed to fit a Women's Medium/Large head with an 18-inch circumference. It is knitted bottom-up, seamlessly, in the round — a construction method that eliminates seaming and creates a smooth, comfortable interior finish ideal for fitted accessories like beanies.

Materials for the Beanie

• Yarn: Cascade 220® Fingering, 1 skein each of the following colors:
  • Burgundy – #2401
  • Orange – #7825
  • Dark Green – #9429
  • Yellow – #7827
  • Light Green – #8903
  • Pink – #9478
• Needles: One 16-inch US #3 circular needle or a set of 4 double-pointed needles (DPNs)
• Notions: 7 stitch markers, blunt sewing needle

Gauge

The gauge for the Beanie is 18 stitches per 2 inches measured in stranded colorwork pattern. Achieving the correct gauge is especially important in stranded knitting, as carrying multiple yarns across the back of the work can tighten tension and affect the final dimensions significantly.

Construction and Techniques

The Beanie begins at the cuff with two strands of Burgundy (#2401) held together to cast on 148 stitches, which are then joined to work seamlessly in the round. The doubled yarn at cast-on creates a sturdy, well-defined edge. The ribbing section spans 12 rounds and is worked in a K3, P1 rib repeat — though the pattern notes that some store models have been knit with a K2, P2 ribbing instead, leaving this as a knitter's choice. This flexibility makes the pattern approachable and customizable.

After the ribbing, Round 13 is a dedicated increase round using M1 (Make 1) increases spaced every 3 stitches, bringing the total stitch count up to 196 stitches before the colorwork body begins. From Round 14 onward, the hat transitions into the main stranded colorwork section using a single strand of Burgundy alongside the additional colors.

The stranded colorwork technique involves knitting with two or more colors per round, carrying the unused yarn loosely across the wrong side of the fabric (known as floats). Laura Farson's pattern notes that the dark yarns are carried under or in the left hand