’Giorraíonn beirt bóthar’ is an old Irish proverb which means ‘Two shorten the road’. The Beirt (pronounced Bert) Beanie Set features two side-by-side little cables which illustrate this proverb perfectly! The zig-zag stitch pattern, which is commonly seen in Aran knitting, often symbolises two people travelling together along life’s winding paths. As a knitter from the Aran Islands, I love adapting the Aran style to suit modern knitters. Here, I have taken a classic Aran style cable pattern and adapted the motif to work it in the round, on two sizes of circular needle, to create a stylish beret and cowl set. This pattern was published in the UK knitting magazine, Knit Now, Issue 165, but as publishing rights have now reverted to me, I am delighted to offer it for sale and download here.

The pattern comes in 4 sizes, Adult Small to Extra Large, and is knit in the round using circular needles or double-pointed needles (DPNs). The pattern is suitable for sock weight, 4ply or fingering weight yarn, and two sizes of needle are needed, US2.5/3mm and US4/3.5mm. If you are knitting the Small or Medium sizes, it is likely that you will only need one 100g skein of yarn (400m) to create BOTH the beret and cowl. The beret is worked from the brim to the centre with simple increases and decreases, and is finished with a little knitted ‘button’. The cone-shaped cowl is worked from the narrower edge to the wider, using the same simple increases. I would regard this as a pattern suitable for an Intermediate level knitter - the cabling is very straightforward, as are the increases and decreases. The pattern has both written and charted instructions.

Other supplies required for this pattern are a cable needle, stitch marker, and tapestry needle (or knitter’s sewing needle, to weave in ends).

I have some other knitting patterns available for sale which use this motif in Aran weight, and DK (double knitting) weight yarn, but in a beanie hat style.