The Dris Beanie takes its name from the Irish word for a bramble – dris (pronounced drish). Brambles came to mind as I saw the textured cables take shape! The cable I used here is one my mother often uses, but one I have not seen in Aran knitting compendiums. She thinks it might even be more specific to the Aran Island we come from – Inis Oírr, the smallest of the three Aran Islands.

For this pattern, I have adapted it to work for knitting in the round. It creates a very textured cable, featuring a wrapped garter stitch cable. It is not difficult to work, as it does not occur on the same row as any travelling stitches. While the cabling pattern is not overly complicated, there is some adjusting of the stitch marker to ensure that the cabling pattern stays seamless throughout. I would not suggest this pattern for a beginner to cable knitting, but it would be ideal for an intermediate knitter. One of my testers said: “I’ve never seen this type of cable before, so it was really exciting for me to do something that felt completely different.”

Bear in mind that the wrapping of stitches uses some more yarn than a regular cable, and if necessary, allow a little more yarn than you usually would for a beanie hat. Likewise, if you work a folded brim, or work more repeats for a slouchy beanie, more yarn will be required.

Sizing can also easily be adjusted by casting on less stitches, as the pattern has a 8-stitch repeat. If you would like a child-sized hat, reduce the amount of cast-on stitches by 8 (or indeed by 16 if you would like an even smaller hat, to suit a toddler). Likewise if you would like a hat to suit a larger head, increase the amount of cast-on stitches by 8 (or multiples of 8).

Notions required:
Stitch marker
Cable Needle
Tapestry Needle