Beanie Set 3 in Ella Rae Superwash Classic - ER16-03 - Downloadable PDF

Beanie Set 3 in Ella Rae Superwash Classic (ER16-03) – Knitting Pattern Summary

This downloadable PDF pattern from Ella Rae, published by Knitting Fever, Inc., presents a charming set of three novelty beanies designed to look like familiar fruits and vegetables. Each hat is knitted in Ella Rae Superwash worsted weight yarn and shaped to resemble a Strawberry, a Pumpkin, and an Apple. The designs are playful and visually distinctive, making them ideal for babies, toddlers, or anyone who loves a whimsical, character-inspired accessory. All three hats share the same core construction method, gauge, and needle size, making this a cohesive and beginner-friendly set for knitters comfortable with basic shaping techniques.

About the Yarn: Ella Rae Superwash

Ella Rae Superwash is a worsted weight yarn sold in 100g balls. Its superwash treatment means the finished hats can be machine washed, a practical advantage for children's accessories. The yarn's smooth texture and stitch definition make it well suited to the colorwork and crown shaping featured across all three designs. Each hat uses multiple color designations — a main color (Col A) and one or more contrast colors (Col B and sometimes Col C) — to achieve the fruit or vegetable effect through strategic color changes and embellishments.

Needles and Tools

• Needles: 1 pair of 4.00mm (US 6) straight needles, used for all three hats
• Additional tools: 1 darning needle, required for all three designs for finishing and embellishment work

Tension / Gauge

The stated gauge for all three hats is 20 stitches and 26 rows over 10 cm / 4 inches measured in Stockinette stitch (St st) using 4.00mm needles. Achieving this gauge is important for ensuring the correct finished size and fit of each beanie.

Construction Method

All three beanies are worked flat on straight needles in rows, beginning at the brim and working upward through the main body before shaping the crown. The main body is worked in Stockinette stitch — knit on right side rows, purl on wrong side rows — for a smooth, classic fabric. Crown shaping is achieved through a series of decrease rows using k2tog (knit two together) decreases, worked at regular intervals to draw the top of the hat to a neat point or gathered finish. The decreases are spaced to reduce the stitch count progressively across multiple right-side rows, with plain purl rows worked on every wrong-side row in between.

Stitches and Techniques Used

• Stockinette stitch (St st) – the primary fabric stitch used throughout the body of all three hats
• k2tog (knit two together) – the decrease stitch used during crown shaping
• Colorwork / intarsia-style color changes – particularly prominent in the Pumpkin Hat, where Col A and Col B are alternated mid-row to create vertical stripe or rib-like color segments across both knit and purl rows
• Cast on – all three hats begin by casting on 92 stitches using Col A
• Finishing and embellishment – the darning needle is used to sew up seams and attach decorative elements such as stalks and leaves worked in contrast colors

The Strawberry Hat

The Strawberry Hat uses three colors of Ella Rae Superwash: Col A in shade 27 (the main red body), Col B in shade 38, and Col C in shade 69, which is used in a small quantity for darning detail — likely representing the strawberry's seeds or surface texture. The main body is worked in St st for 14 cm before crown shaping begins. The crown is shaped entirely in Col A, with decreases reducing the stitch count from 92 down through 79, 66, 53, and