The Irene beanie is knitted top down. The top of the hat is knitted in Stockinette stitch before changing to 1x1 ribbing for the brim. The brim is folded twice for extra warmth and coziness during the winter months. The Irene beanie is designed for everyday use, and it knits up surprisingly fast.

You can easily adjust the length of the hat to get the fit you want. The hat is knitted from top down, so you can try it on as you knit it to make sure the length is just perfect for your head and you don’t end up with any leftover yarn. I used Cardiff Cashmere Brushmere for my samples, and since I knitted the hats top down, I could make sure I could use all of the precious yarn.

Size
One size, women’s medium. The size and length of the hat are easily adjustable.
To fit head circumference: 53-58.5 cm / 21-23 inches
Total length (with folded brim): 22 cm / 8.5 inches
Total length (with brim unfolded): 42 cm / 16.5 inches

Yarn
3 balls of Cardiff Cashmere Brushmere (100% Cashmere; 45 m / 48 yards per 25g), or 135 m / 145 yards of similar aran weight yarn.

Brown sample: Cardiff Cashmere Brushmere, shown in colorway 103 Brown
Black sample: Cardiff Cashmere Brushmere, shown in colorway 110 Black

Needles:
6 mm / US 10 DPNs or circular needle for Magic Loop knitting for the top of the hat
6 mm / US 10 circular needle with a cable of 40 cm / 16” for the main part
5.5 mm / US 9 circular needle with a cable of 40 cm / 16” for the brim

Gauge:
14 sts and 23 rounds = 10 cm / 4 inches of Stockinette stitch on the larger needles in the round, after blocking. Always use the needle size that gives you the right gauge!

Notions:
4 stitch markers
sewing needle