As you can see, I finished a Gretel. The first time I made this, it ended up much too floppy. I felt like the pink mushroom from Mariokart (don't act like you don't know which one I mean). I could pull it down all the way over my face and have it act as a kind of mask. Three months later, I went back and ripped the offending extra repeat, and now I have what might be the perfect hat. I have no idea what gauge I got (I am too lazy to measure), but the fabric is dense and soft and smooshy.
Yarn: Malabrigo Worsted in Damask Rose
Pattern: Gretel by Ysolda Teague
Mods: added an extra twist after the crown. I liked the way that having three and then two made the pattern flow a little differently and seemed to give it a slightly different form on my head before tapering off. Otherwise, I just followed the instructions as written for the medium size.
Notes: Love this pattern! The increases after the ribbed part and the decreases within the cables are just perfect. It's no surprise that I love most things Ysolda does, but the combination of my favorite yarn and a really well-written pattern made it a delight to knit. It does take longer than another beret would because you are cabling every other stitch on every other row, but it'd also be a good pattern on which to learn cabling without a cable needle.
