How to Make a Beret With a Loom

Berets are associated with French fashion, as well as military uniforms worldwide.

A beret is a soft, round hat that has a smooth, slouchy top and both men and women wear it. Knitted berets make for warm hats you can wear on a cold winter day, though they look great any time of the year when you wear it with a pair of jeans. With the help of a loom, you don't have to hand-knit or even use needles to make a beautiful knitted beret. For beginners, knitting on a loom is often less daunting than knitting by hand.

Things You'll Need

• KK red round loom
• 4-ply yarn, worsted weight
• Loom knitting hook
• Tapestry needle
• Small dinner plate
• Tea towel
• Iron

Instructions

1. Make a tight slipknot with your yarn around a peg on the edge of your loom, leaving 3 inches of yarn hanging out.

2. Wrap yarn once around each peg on your loom by working in a clockwise direction around your loom. Then wrap each peg counterclockwise until you end up back at your first peg.

3. Wrap each peg again in a counterclockwise direction to work another round.

4. Use your hook to lift the first wrap on your first peg over the yarn of the second wrap and pull it off the peg. That makes one stitch. Repeat for each peg, working in a clockwise direction.

5. Wrap each peg again, still in a counterclockwise direction. Knit the row closest to the ring of the loom. Repeat this as many times as necessary to cover the top of your head or the head of the person for whom you're knitting the beret. Typically, a beret is at least 9 inches in diameter.

6. Cut your yarn to detach it from the spool, leaving 15 inches hanging out from the loom. Thread this extra amount of yarn through the eye of a tapestry needle.

7. Insert the tapestry needle under the first stitch. Lift the stitch off the peg and then tug your yarn tight. Repeat this for all of your stitches.

8. Cinch the top of the hat tight and make a knot. Weave in any tails by threading them, one at a time onto your needle and weaving them over as many consecutive gaps as necessary. Once a tail is 1 or 2 cm long, cut it from your needle and tie a knot with it around the nearest stitch on the hat.

9. Stretch your beret over your dinner plate so that the brim of the beret tucks under one side of the plate. Place a slightly damp tea towel over the side of the plate with the top of the beret. Iron over the cloth.

10. Flip your dinner plate and cover the opposite side with your tea towel. Iron its underside.

Tips & Warnings

• Use an angora blend or alpaca yarn for a softer beret.

References

• Knitty; "How to Knit Needle-Free"; Isela G. Phelps; Spring 2007
• "Knitting Workshop;" Elizabeth Zimmermann; 1981
• The Loom Room; "Knitting Loom Instructions";