Sunday Pictorial Beret

I can't believe as I'm posting this, I've reached over 500 followers. Wow! I must say I'm incredibly humbled and flattered that there are that many of you who actually want to read about my mundane little life. :) I've been wanting to do a giveaway for this milestone, but being in the throws of moving, it's going to have to wait a little longer. Stay tuned!

Today I'm sharing my latest knitting project, a beret from A Stitch in Time Volume 2, Sunday Pictorial Beret (Ravelry pattern link). On a Sunday, no less. I can't believe I actually started and finished a project with everything that's been going on with the moving preparations lately!

But I'm not the only one with berets—in particular, this beret—on the mind lately. I know Stephanie of The Girl with the Star-Spangled Heart is working on the same beret, and Andrea of New Vintage Wardrobe just finished it, too.

I've had almost no time or energy to knit, and I've also been limiting my knitting as I'm having on and off shoulder and arm issues which knitting exacerbates (the issue is not gone but it's much better). But a couple of weeks ago I just got the urge to knit... something.

And I was inspired by a particularly wonderful photo from this woman in the 1950s in a striped red and white beret. (Love her polka dot gloves, too.)

{Source: Adore Vintage Tumblr | Daily Vintage Inspiration}

So I knit one for myself. Because you know I love my berets. This makes the third I've knit in 6 months (there's a vintage fair isle beret and a Halloween novelty beret, too).

Hats are often knit in the round, but this pattern is in garter stitch and knit flat and seamed, so it was easy to incorporate stripes. I just knit 2 rows in each color, carrying the unused color up the edge. (Seaming garter stitch stripes is a bit of a pain in the rump, but it's mostly covered by the bow anyway.)

I like it with this vintage Pendleton 49er (from Randolph Street Market last Fall).

I was on a bit of a red bender, if you can tell. I added a thrifted scarf, my favorite fakelite ring and handmade earrings I bought in Taos, New Mexico on vacation last year. The day was completely dreary so I just threw on as much of one color as I could, though I usually mix it up a little more.

(Incidentally this photo that reminded me I forgot to put on mascara. Whoops. I swear I always forget something.)

I don't really think of myself as much of a bows and frills kind of gal, but there was something about the bow on this beret I thought was really cute, and I just love it in stripes.

So I may not be knitting as much, or sewing at all right now (everything is packed up), but at least I now have a snappy little striped beret to carry me into Spring.

How would you accessorize a striped beret? I'm looking forward to playing around with it!