A step-by-step guide to knitting the Blake Beanie
The Blake Beanie is a beginners best friend. Made using just one stitch you'll whip this project up as quick as a flash and keep your cute head cozy all winer long.
Whether you're a complete beginner or have some experience, this guide will help you knit a bangin' beginner beanie and the best part? You only need to know one type of stitch!
Even if you've never knitted before, we'll take you from zero to hero in no time 🦸♀️
HERE FOR THE RACHEL BEANIE? CLICK HERE! 😆
When it comes to knitting, practice makes perfect 🏆
Before we get started on the pattern we suggest you spend a bit of time learning the basic stitches you’ll need to complete your beanie.
The Blake Beanie uses just the one stitch - the queen of the knitting world, the knit stitch. You'll want to be confident with this stitch before you start 🧶 You'll also want to get a hang of tying a slip knot and casting on your stitches which is the first step in any knitting project.
You can use the yarn that came in your kit to practice with. Once you've got these mastered you'll find the pattern a cinch!
Total beginner? 👩🏫
For a more comprehensive lesson on the basics of knitting visit our LEARN TO KNIT Page.
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💪 Remember learning a new skill can be a little challenging at first, and you’re bound to find yourself making some mistakes along the way. But as with learning anything, your brain and your hands slowly start to get the hang of it, muscle memory is created, and soon the thing you found tricky/daunting/scary is like second nature!
📏 Test your tension
While we're practising and before you start your project, you'll want to make sure your tension (how tightly or loosely your knitting is) is juuuust right 🥣 We do this by making a “tension swatch”. It's a bit like Goldilocks, if the tension is too tight, your piece will be too small, and if it's too loose it may not hold its shape and might be too big.
Gauge: If done correctly, your 10x10cm swatch should be 8 stitches wide and 14 rows high when made in garter stitch on 12mm needles.
To test this, jump on your needles - use the yarn and needles that came in your kit. Cast on 10 stitches, then knit in garter stitch for 16 rows. 💭 We make garter stitch by knitting every stitch in every row.
Then measure a 10x10cm square and count your stitches and rows within that space to make sure you're knitting at the correct tension.
If you've got more stitches or rows than the instructions say you should have, your knitting is a little too tight, and if you've got less, your knitting is too loose. Adjust your tension by holding the yarn a little more tightly/loosely as you knit.
TIME TO SWITCH OFF. STITCH ON. AND WHIP UP YOUR COSY BEANIE.
⚡️What you'll need
Your kit comes with everything you'll need to make your masterpiece. In your kit you'll find;
- 12mm needles
- 1 ball of Cardigang Chunky Acrylic Yarn
- A darning needle
- Made by me tag
You also want to have a pair of scissors handy.
Our beanie is made from one single rectangle of garter stitch. That means we'll cast on, then knit, knit, knit. Then we'll cast off and use our darning needle to sew the piece into our beanie shape.
Let's dive in 🤿
STEP 1: Cast on
First thing first, cast on your stitches. Make a slip knot to get started. Then you'll cast on your stitches until you've got 22 stitches on your left needle. Your stitches will run onto the tubing that connects your needles - that helps you squeeze the stitches on!
Hot tip: your knitting will grow as you knit, so don't be alarmed if it looks like you're knitting a babies beanie to begin with!
💭 Casting on, like many things in knitting, can be done in a number of ways so if you don't like the technique we suggested, you can pick any that’s right for you.
STEP 2: GARTER STITCH
You're going to knit in garter stitch for 48 rows. Garter stitch is the simplest stitch! It's created by knitting every stitch in every row - super simple hey?! 😎
STEP 3: CAST OFF
✔️ Time to cast all your stitches off your needle.
When you cast off the second last stitch you'll be left with one stitch on your right needle. Cut your yarn from the ball (give yourself about a 25cm tail) and thread the tail back through the last stitch to secure it.
SEWING TOGETHER
Line your cast on and cast off edges against each other to create a tube. The waves of the garter stitch will now run vertically, instead of horizontally as they were when the work was on your needles.
Thread your darning needle with about 30cm of yarn and sew the cast on and cast off sides together.
🎬 Follow the instructions in the video below.
Once you’ve sewn the edges together thread your darning needle with another length of yarn and collect all the loops on one end - you’ll have a loop for every row - and pull to gather the loops tightly to form the top of your beanie. Secure with a knot on the inside of your beanie.
D.O.N.E! You've finished your beanie, well done! Epic work 🤩 If this was your first-ever knitting project or one of many, we hope you had a blast click-clacking and making your masterpiece💥❤️
In a bind and need a little more help?
Email us at stitchup@cardigang.com.au and we'll be able to help! Whether you're just starting out, or you've got a specific question or problem (dropped a stitch, no stress!), we're here to get you out of a bind.
READY FOR YOUR NEXT KIT?
Now that you know the basics, you've got all the skills you need to knit any of our kits. Cozy cardi? Bangin' blanket? Explore your next kit.
