Blue Sky Fibers Caf Beret

Blue Sky Fibers Café Beret by Melissa LaBarre

What is Being Made

The Café Beret is a flowery, feminine hat designed by Melissa LaBarre for Blue Sky Fibers. This beret features an elegant lace pattern throughout, creating a sophisticated accessory suitable for intermediate knitters. The design showcases decorative openwork that gives the finished hat a delicate, refined appearance.

Craft and Primary Technique

This pattern is a knitting project worked entirely in the round using circular needles. The seamless, bottom-up construction method means you begin at the brim and work upward toward the crown, eliminating the need for seaming. Working in the round creates a continuous spiral of stitches, which is ideal for hat construction and ensures even fabric throughout.

Stitches and Lace Techniques

The Café Beret employs a pretty lace pattern that combines several fundamental knitting stitches to create its decorative openwork:

• Knit (k) – the basic stitch forming the foundation of the fabric
• Knit two together (k2tog) – a right-leaning decrease that reduces stitch count
• Slip, slip, knit (ssk) – a left-leaning decrease used to balance decreases throughout the pattern
• Yarn over (yo) – creates deliberate holes and lacy openings characteristic of lace knitting

The lace pattern repeats across multiple rounds, with strategic yarn overs paired with decreases to maintain stitch count while creating the flowery aesthetic. The pattern includes both decrease rounds that shape the hat and increase rounds that add visual interest through the lace motifs.

Materials and Tools

This pattern requires Blue Sky Fibers Techno yarn in a worsted weight. One hank of Techno (50 grams, 120 yards) provides sufficient yardage to complete the beret. You will need a Size 9 (5.5mm) 16-inch circular needle, or one size smaller than your usual size for the yarn weight, to achieve the correct gauge and fabric density.

Experience Level

This beret is rated for intermediate knitters, meaning prior experience with basic stitches, working in the round, and reading stitch abbreviations is expected. The lace pattern requires attention to yarn overs and decreases, but the repeating pattern becomes intuitive once established.