This hat design is part of my new The Lord of the Rings Hat Collection eBook, a set of four hat designs each inspired by a line of JRR Tolkien’s famous poem. You can check out the lookbook here to see all 4 patterns!

“Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.”

— JRR Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

The Lord of the Rings was my introduction to epic fantasy. The story has never lost its luster for me – I never get tired of re-reading the books or marathoning the movies, and I probably never will. So, when I had this idea for a set of designs inspired by Tolkien’s famous poem, I just couldn’t wait to dive into the details of the story to create something new.

For this design, I wanted to embody the look and feel of Tolkien’s “Elven-kings under the sky”. When I think of Tolkien’s elves, elegant script, the calm of an ancient forest, and intricate but strong architecture come to mind. From this inspiration, I imagined a beret of delicate cables made from twisted stitches and leaf-like lace. I chose a stunning skein of tonal Baah! Yarn Aspen as the canvas for my elven design because the colors reminded me of light filtering through a forest canopy. If you look closely at the pattern, you should be able to spot multiple instances of the three rings mentioned in Tolkien’s poem, especially in the crown of the beret. Do you see them?

Whether you’re a die-hard The Lord of the Rings fan or just someone who loves berets, think of Galadriel, start up a The Lord of the Rings marathon, and give this a try! Hopefully this elegant hat will keep you or a fellow Elven-king or queen warm and stylish the next time you happen to find yourself on the road to Rivendell.

Yarn Used in Sample:
Baah! Yarn Aspen (Sport; 75% Merino, 15% Silk, 10% Cashmere; 330 yd 302 m per 100 g skein); January ‘18, 1 skein

Needles:
16” (40 cm) US 3 / UK 10 / 3.25 mm circular needle
16” (40 cm) US 4 / 3.5 mm circular needle & DPNs
(Or size needed to obtain gauge)

A 32” (80 cm) or longer circular needle can also be used to work the Magic Loop method.

Notions:
Stitch markers, 2 cable needles, yarn needle

Yardage Estimates from Sample:
240 yd (220 m), 72 g

Final Measurements:
Diameter (Beret Laid Flat): 10.5” (26.5 cm)
Height: 10.5” (26.5 cm)

This pattern has been tech edited and test knit.

I would like to extend a very special thank you to:

• My fabulous technical editor - Sarah Walworth (TricotEdit),
• My wonderful, helpful test knitters - Elisabetta (Betitxu), Emily (goozink), Nevina (Littlesnowknits), Wengshufen (Wengshufen), and Judy (newmoonjlp),
• My photographer - Eddy Mandujano
• And, of course, my awesome model - Lauren (thatblueyedchic)

Hantanyel! (“Thank you” in Quenya, one of Tolkien’s Elvish languages :D)