The Artist's Beret & Scarf - Free Knitting Pattern for Women in Paintbox Yarns Ombré Aran Wool Touch

The Artist's Beret & Scarf – Free Knitting Pattern by Paintbox Yarns

This free intermediate knitting pattern from Paintbox Yarns delivers two coordinating accessories in one download: a classic slouchy beret and a generously sized scarf. Both pieces are worked in Paintbox Yarns Ombré Aran Wool Touch, a yarn whose built-in colour gradient gives the finished set an artistic, painterly quality without requiring any colour changes by the knitter. The pattern is written in US terminology with UK equivalents provided throughout, making it accessible to knitters on both sides of the Atlantic.

Materials & Tools

The entire set — beret and scarf together — requires 3 balls of Paintbox Yarns Ombré Aran Wool Touch (each ball 3½oz/100g) in the colourway Maroon Lake. This aran-weight yarn blends wool with a soft touch finish, giving the accessories warmth, drape, and a beautiful stitch definition that shows off the eyelet chevron pattern to its best advantage.

Three needle types are needed to complete the set:

• US 9 (5.5mm) straight knitting needles – used for the scarf and the flat sections of the beret
• US 9 (5.5mm) 16in/40cm circular knitting needles – used for working the body of the beret in the round
• US 9 (5.5mm) double pointed needles (DPNs) – used for decreasing down to the crown of the beret
• A large-eyed darning needle and scissors complete the notions list

The recommended gauge (tension) is 20 stitches and 22 rows over 4in/10cm of eyelet chevron pattern on US 9 (5.5mm) needles. Achieving correct gauge is especially important for the beret, where the circumference at the rib and the widest point are closely specified.

The Artist's Beret

Design & Dimensions

The beret is a full, rounded slouch style that sits comfortably on the head with a fitted ribbed band and a wide, relaxed crown. Key finished measurements are:

• Circumference at rib: 20¾in / 53cm
• Circumference at widest point: 32¾in / 83cm

The dramatic difference between the rib circumference and the widest point is what gives the beret its characteristic artist's beret silhouette — full and billowing at the crown, snug and secure at the band.

Construction & Techniques

The beret begins with a flat cast-on worked on straight needles, then transitions to circular knitting on the 16in circular needle for the main body. As stitches are decreased toward the crown, the work moves onto double pointed needles, a standard technique for managing a small circumference in the round without the fabric bunching. This progression through three needle types makes the beret an excellent project for intermediate knitters looking to build confidence with circular and DPN knitting.

Stitches & Stitch Patterns

The beret features the eyelet chevron pattern, a lace-influenced texture that creates a rhythmic zigzag of small holes across the fabric. This pattern relies on a combination of yarn overs (yo) to create eyelets and decrease stitches to maintain stitch count and shape the chevron lines. The crown shaping uses a series of aggressive decrease rounds, including:

• k2tog (knit 2 stitches together)
• k3tog (knit 3 stitches together)
• k4tog (knit 4 stitches together)
• skpo (slip 1, knit 1, pass slipped stitch over)
• psso (pass slipped stitch over)

These decreases work in tandem to pull the crown in neat