Brynja beret

A beret is called alpahúfa in Icelandic meaning “Alpine cap”: the beret has been indeed part of the costume of the Chasseurs Alpins (literally Alpine Hunters, the elite mountain infantry of the French Army) since 1891.
But the beret has its origins in the Middle Age in Bearn, France. It is seen for example sculpted in the church of Bellocq dated from the 13th century. The shepherds knitted it in the round in the natural colours of the sheep and it’s the constant exposure to wind and rain that made it felt. It became very popular especially in the Basque country and quickly spread to Spain, then South America, Mexico, Louisiana, California and Canada through emigration.

The designer

Hélène Magnússon likes to put a new spin on old Icelandic knitting traditions. She enjoys designs with strong ties to Iceland and that tell a story. She is best known for her research into the traditional Icelandic intarsia that was mostly seen in knitted insoles in the past centuries. Her book, Icelandic knitting: using Rose Patterns is available in three languages. She is a French native but a true Icelandic knitter and has an Icelandic family. Hélène abandoned a law career in Paris for the love of Icelandic nature. She worked as a mountain guide for many years in Iceland and studied textile and fashion design at the Iceland Academy of the Arts. She is the head and designer behind The Icelandic Knitter.

Sizes: S(M,L) S is suitable for toddlers, M for children and L for adults.
Finished measurements 21(24,26.5) cm / 8.25(9.5,10.5)” diameter across to fit head circumference up to 40.5(48,53.5) cm / 16(19,21)”.
Note than the beret can be blocked to bigger dimensions or knitted on slightly bigger needles.

Gauge: 4”x 4” / 10×10 cm = 20 sts and 28 rows in stocking st

Needles: size 4 mm/US 6 DPNs or circular (using the Magic loop technique)

Yarn: Léttlopi from Ístex, 100% pure Icelandic wool, light spun, medium weight, 50g/skein, 50g = ca.100m/109 ydsMC: 1 skein; CC1: ½ skein; CC2: scraps Grey beret: shades 0056 (grey), 0051 (white), 1409 (red)Blue beret: shades 1404 (turquoise), 1409 (red)Purple beret: shades 1414 (dark purple), 1411(yellow),1413 (light purple)

Techniques: Knitting in the round, stranded knitting, jogless join, Magic loop.

Pattern: once you’ve made your payment, you will receive an email with a link to download the pattern PDF. We don’t send patterns by snailmail.

Errata: no mistake was found in this pattern.