The rose has a long history as a symbol of beauty and love, as well as significant political and economic importance. Fossil evidence shows that roses are at least 35 million years old, and they have been cultivated for around 5,000 years. They have been grown not only for their beauty and fragrance, but also for medicinal, cosmetic and culinary uses. White and red roses were used as symbols as the houses of Lancaster and York in war-torn 14th century England, then later both red and white were combined in the Tudor rose to symbolize the country’s new unity. No other flower has inspired such romance and magic - the Empress Josephine’s rose gardens are well known in history, and roses became so much in demand in the 17th century that roses and rose water became legal tender. The rose has inspired artists as well; Redoute’s series of watercolor rose illustrations, completed in 1824, is still considered one of history’s finest records of botanical illustration.

The rose remains popular today as a cultivated plant and a symbol of romance, and many of us enjoy it in our gardens. I have always felt it was the perfect essence of summer, when the world is at its peak of lush, green growth. There is nothing like a shady summer afternoon on the lawn, surrounded by the blowsy beauty of roses in bloom, with their incomparable perfume.

The Rosalia Beret is a tribute to this Queen of Flowers. I have knitted it in the sun-drenched colors of high summer, but it would also be lovely in soft pastels, or in white, cream or black with red and yellow roses. It uses small amounts of several colors so is a great stash-buster project. It is knitted in the round from the bottom up with traditional tam shaping, including crown decreases. The brim is worked in simply shaded corrugated ribbing, and the hat body and crown are knitted in stranded colorwork from charts. Only two colors are used per round for the colorwork, so it is a straightforward knit for any knitter with some experience in stranded colorwork and in knitting small circumferences.

Skills required:
• Long tail cast on
• Knit and purl stitches
• Stranded color stockinette knitting
• Knitting in the round

Yarn amounts:
• 8886 Italian Plum (Purple) – 65 yds
• 7805 Flamingo Pink (Deep Pink) – 55 yds
• 9672 Ultramarine Green (Dark Green) – 45 yds
• 8914 Granny Smith (Bright Green) – 35 yds
• 8891 Cyan Blue (Blue) – 35 yds
• 9542 Blaze (Orange) – 40 yds
• 9451 Lake Chelan Heather (Blue-Green) – 20 yds