Your step-by-step guide to knitting the Rachel Beanie
Hey there, stitch superstar! You’ve just unlocked the secret sauce to making your very own Rachel Beanie— and we’re excited to be stitching it out with you.
This guide will be your BFF through the entire journey. Whether you’re brand new to knitting or just here for a refresh, we’ll take you from “how do I hold these sticks?” to “look what I made!” — one cozy row at a time.
Firstly, let's look at what's covered in this blog.
INCLUDED IN YOUR KIT
Your kit comes with everything you need to make your masterpiece. Inside your drawstring bag you'll find:
🕺 12mm needles |
We'll use 12mm circular needles (or sticks as we like to say!) for this pattern. |
🧶 1 x ball Cardigang Chunky Yarn |
In either Everyday or Premium depending on your order. You will have received enough to complete the size you ordered. |
💭 Pom Pom maker |
The round plastic thing, used to make the cherry on top! |
👆 A darning needle |
To sew your masterpiece together. |
🤓 Your printed pattern |
We assume you've got that since you made it here! |
🫶 A 'Made By Me' tag |
You can sew into your finished knit. |
You'll also want to have a pair of scissors, a pen and a tape measure handy.
Let’s Start with Some Practise
Before we dive into the good stuff, let’s warm up those hands and needles. Think of this like stretching before a workout — except comfier, cuter, and way more fun.
Grab some of the yarn from your kit (just a little, you’ve got enough to spare!), and get familiar with the motions. Try out the stitches you’ll be using in this pattern. This is your time to mess it up, try again, and feel things out — no pressure, no judgement, just you and your new fave hobby.
Bonus: practising now = fewer headaches later (trust us on this one).
Here’s what you’ll need to know for this pattern — we’ve linked each tutorial so you can follow along step-by-step:
Take your time, replay the videos as many times as you need, and don’t stress if it feels a little awkward at first — every knitter starts here 💖
Time to Test Your Gauge
Once you’re feeling comfy with the stitches, it’s time to check your gauge. We know, we know — it sounds technical, but it’s really just about making sure your tension matches the pattern.
Why? Because different knitters = different stitch tightness. And we want your finished masterpiece to fit like a dream.
So grab your measuring tape, knit up a little swatch (there’s a guide for that at the link below!), and let’s make sure you’re on track before the main event begins.
THE RACHEL BEANIE
If done correctly, your 10x10cm knitted swatch should be 8 stitches wide and 11 rows high when knitted in stockinette stitch on your 12mm needles.
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Stitch out in style.
Whether you’re deep in a knitflix binge or vibing with your needles on a Sunday arvo, we’ve curated the ultimate Spotify playlists to match your mood and your project. From mellow loops to main-character anthems, it’s the soundtrack to your next DIY moment.
Let's Knit Up A storm
It's time to dive into our pattern. The Rachel Beanie is perfect for beginners dipping their toe into knitting.
We knit our masterpiece in one piece, starting with a rib stitch and working through stockinette stitch and seed stitch. Let's go!
BEANIE
STEP 1:
Using your 12mm needles cast on the correct number of stitches.
💭 If you're using circular needles your stitches will run down onto the plastic tube connecting your needles. That's totally fine!
💡 Your piece of knitting will grow as you knit so don't be concerned if after you've cast on the piece doesn't look wide enough.
STEP 2:
First up, we'll knit 13 rows of 1x1 rib stitch. To create a rib pattern, we knit 1 stitch, then purl the next, then knit the next, then purl the next and repeat.
🧶 Make sure you’re moving your yarn tail from the back to the front of your work between each stitch (bring the yarn in through the middle of the needles) to ensure the rib is executed correctly.
💭 One of the things we found the hardest when we were learning to knit was keeping track of our rows. Before we were able to easily identify a row of stitches we used a pen and paper to keep track. That's why we've included handy circles in our patterns - you can tick them off as you go. The dashed circles are for the larger sizes.
STEP 3:
In this row we're going to reduce the number of stitches on our needles by knitting some stitches together. We will repeat this process in several places as we progress through the pattern - eventually making a triangle point.
To knit stitches together you simply pick up two stitches with your right needle (instead of one as you normally would), and knit them like you would a single stitch.
🎥 Watch How to knit two together
STEP 4:
We're going to start knitting in stockinette stitch next. This is where we knit all the stitches in one row, then purl all stitches in the next - we repeat this pattern as instructed. Because we've just done a knit row, we'll start this step with a purl stitch row.m
STEP 5:
Time to learn to do a seed stitch!
Seed stitch is a bouncy, textured stitch pattern that looks like tiny little seeds scattered across your fabric (cute, right?). It’s created by alternating knit and purl stitches within a row and across rows.
💭 Unlike rib stitch (which stacks knits on top of knits), seed stitch switches it up each row, creating a lovely bumpy texture that’s great for scarves, trims, or even full jumpers if you’re feeling bold.
STEP 6 to 12:
You'll move back into a stockinette stitch now, repeating the knit 1 row, purl the next sequence. You'll also reduce your stitches at step 6, 8 10 and 12 until eventually you only have 3 stitches on your needle.
STEP 13:
Cast off your stitches!
SEWING TOGETHER
Fold your beanie in half, long ways, and we will sew the seams together from the bottom (the rib), up to the top. We use the invisible seam technique to sew together, you can see how that's done in the video below 🚀 You're looking to work into the vertical bar on each side - kind of like doing up a shoelace.
💭 If you're anything like us you might find seaming a bit of a pain and hard to make super neat. It's a common beginner challenge! The main principle with seaming is no matter what seaming method you use, be sure you're entering into the same place on each stitch along the seam. This consistency makes it harder to see the seam.
🎥 How To Sew A Vertical Invisible Seam
POM POM
Step 1: Open the Pom Pom maker by pulling open all 4 'arms' - you'll have a set of two on one side and a set of two on the other.
Step 2: Wind your yarn around one of the sets of arms. Wind evenly, back and forth, until the arms are full. The more yarn you use, the denser your pom pom will be.
Step 3: Close the first set of arms and move your yarn to the other set of arms. Repeat the winding until that side is full too.
Step 4: Close the second set of arms and you're ready to cut! Grab your scissors and insert them between the two arms of the pom pom maker. Begin cutting the yarn along the outer edge of the pom pom maker, following the curve of the arms. Keep cutting until you've gone all the way around.
Step 5: Once you've cut along the entire edge, take another piece of yarn and slide it between the two arms of the pom pom maker. Tie it tightly around the centre of the pom pom, making sure to secure all the cut yarn strands.
Step 6: Pull the arms open and remove your pom pom! Give it a little trim if there are any long bits. Grab the ends of the yarn you used to tie your Pom Pom together and use your darning needle to secure the pom pom to its new home.
FINISHING
The last thing we do for every piece is weave in the ends. That’s basically just tidying up the piece so all loose ends are trimmed down and tucked into the inside of your work. You use your darning needle and weave in those ends.
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.
WEAR, SHARE AND FLAUNT YOUR MASTERPIECE
You stitched it. You slayed it. Now it’s time to share it! 💖 Tag us @cardigang_knits so we can lose our minds over your masterpiece. Compliments guaranteed. 💅🧶
