Knit the Look: Emily Weiss’s beanie for beginners

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How to knit Emily Weiss's grey roll brim beanie

So many monochromatic looks lately in Knit the Look, I know, but I love how chic Emily Weiss of Into the Gloss looks in this all-black outfit with the simple grey beanie. And I mean beginner simple. Consider this the Knit the Look installment of my beginners series, because even if all you know is the knit stitch, you can make this hat. Beginner or not, you can use Stephanie Pearl-McPhee’s free Roll Brim Hat Recipe and any yarn/weight you like. To get the mini-roll look of Emily’s hat, you could knit it in any sport weight or lighter yarn, but I’d go with something special so it doesn’t wind up looking too plain, like maybe Blue Sky Alpaca’s beautiful Metalico in Silver.

Every knitter should know how to turn a body part measurement and a stitch count (taken from a gauge swatch) into a cast-on count, and this is a perfect place to start. For the true beginners: If you haven’t already, you’ll need to learn to knit in the round on a circular needle (which you can do from this little video, and which will change your life). You’ll just knit every stitch, around and around and around. And by the time you start getting bored with that, it will be time for you to learn the most basic of decreases, which is simply to knit two stitches together (aka “k2tog”). And, once you’ve got too few stitches to stretch around your circular, you get to try your hand at double-pointed needles. All incredibly valuable, foundational skills, acquired one at a time, and at the end, an awesome hat!

Meanwhile, check out Vanessa’s recommendations for recreating the rest of Emily’s look.

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Street style photo © Vanessa Jackman; used with permission

9 thoughts on “Knit the Look: Emily Weiss’s beanie for beginners”

  1. Metalico is super gorgeous stuff. I have been fantasizing for months about what to make with it. A hat is a good idea, affordable, yet lux.

    • I know, I’ve been trying to figure out what I’d want to make out of it since I saw the first pre-release photo of it. Don’t know why I never thought of a simple hat like this before, which would really be all about how beautiful the yarn is.

      • I see I have missed a bunch of posts lately, so I’ll jump in here. I tend to like really simple lines on knitted items made with beautiful yarn. This hat/yarn combo is perfect. (Or, I go in the total funky/strange design direction!)

  2. Pingback: New tricks, updates and Elsewhere | Fringe Association

  3. The beanie is simple yes, but it’s not completely basic. It’s sort of tricky to see against the gray background, but it does have a pointed top, which I don’t think you’ll get from a basic beanie recipe!

    • It’s always impossible to tell with these photos — it’s probably just a tallish crown being worn sticking out, which is the trend. But it gave me the urge to write a pattern with a slow decrease for a gentle pointy-ness. Might still do it at some point.

  4. I agree that it can be hard to tell details on fashion photos. I am also knitting/designing on the fly a hat with what I hope will be a “gentle point.” (Good description. Thanks!) So maybe I just have points on the brain (ha.ha.)

  5. I’ve tried the yarnharlot pattern twice now and both times it’s produced a hat that’s quite a bit too large. I swear I’m counting my swatch stitches accurately! Any alternative women’s beanie patterns you could recommend? Thank you!

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