French Braid Beanie

French Braid Beanie by Allison Bostrom

What Is Being Made

The French Braid Beanie is a knitted hat designed by Allison Bostrom of Clair de Lune Fiber Art. This intermediate-level beanie features decorative cable work inspired by the appearance of a French braid, making it a stylish and textured cold-weather accessory. The pattern is available as a downloadable PDF and offers multiple size options to accommodate different head circumferences.

Yarn and Materials

This pattern calls for worsted or aran weight yarn (weight category 4), providing a medium thickness ideal for a warm, structured beanie. The sample shown uses Caron Simply Soft in Off White. Yardage requirements vary by size: the smallest size requires approximately 110 yards (60 grams), while the largest size needs 220 yards (120 grams). Multiple yardage options are provided: 125, 140, 160, 180, and 220 yards to accommodate different finished dimensions.

Essential notions and tools include a 3.5 mm circular needle in 16-inch (41 cm) length, plus double-pointed needles or longer circulars for magic loop construction. Additional materials needed are a cable needle, stitch marker, tape measure, scissors, and yarn needle for finishing.

Knitting Techniques and Stitches

The French Braid Beanie employs cable knitting techniques as its primary decorative element. Cables are created by slipping stitches onto a cable needle and holding them either in front or in back of the working yarn before knitting, which twists the fabric and creates the signature braided appearance.

• C2B (Cable 2 Back): Slip 1 stitch to cable needle and hold in back, knit 1 stitch, then knit 1 stitch from cable needle. This creates a cable that twists toward the back of the work.
• C2F (Cable 2 Front): Slip 1 stitch to cable needle and hold in front, knit 1 stitch, then knit 1 stitch from cable needle. This creates a cable that twists toward the front of the work.
• 2/1RC (2 over 1 Right Cross): Slip 1 stitch to cable needle and hold in back, knit 2 stitches, then knit 1 stitch from cable needle. This creates a more pronounced rightward-leaning cable cross.
• 2/1LC (2 over 1 Left Cross): Slip 2 stitches to cable needle and hold in front, knit 1 stitch, then knit 2 stitches from cable needle. This creates a leftward-leaning cable cross.

The pattern uses circular knitting in the round, beginning at the cast-on edge and working upward toward the crown. Construction can be worked using either a 16-inch circular needle with double-pointed needles for the crown shaping, or longer circulars using the magic loop method for seamless construction throughout.

Difficulty Level

Rated as intermediate difficulty, this pattern assumes knitters are comfortable with basic knit and purl stitches, circular knitting, and cable techniques. The cable work requires attention to stitch placement and cable direction, making it suitable for knitters with some experience beyond absolute beginner level.