Espresso Beanie

A new ribbed beanie pattern

I’m excited to finally share the Espresso Beanie.

This is one of those patterns that started from a very simple idea: a ribbed hat that you actually reach for, over and over again. Ribbed beanies are real workhorses in a knitwear wardrobe. They’re timeless, easy to wear, and endlessly adaptable, even when the design itself is very minimal.

Espresso beanie worn with my Ballard pullover

My first sample was knitted with Explorer Knits + Fibers Denali Sock and Suri Alpaca Lace, both in the My Guinness colorway. The fabric turned out incredibly soft, both visually and to the touch, with just enough halo from the suri to give it depth without feeling fluffy. This version has a triple-folded brim, which is very much my preference. Living in Finland, especially in Helsinki by the sea, winter can be cold and windy, and extra layers really do make a difference.

The Espresso Beanie includes two brim options: a triple-folded brim for maximum warmth, and a double-folded brim that works well for windless days and transitional seasons. For the shorter version, I used an old skein of Hedgehog Fibres Skinny Singles in Ghost, paired with Isager Silk Mohair. It’s one of those skeins that had been sitting in my stash for years, waiting for the right project. Both of my samples are knitted in twisted 1x1 rib, but I’m already planning a bright red version in regular 1x1 rib as soon as I finish a few other projects. (I have to give myself some rules, otherwise I’d just keep casting on everything I want to.)

Even though the pattern is very simple, small choices make a big difference. The brim length, how high you roll it, and your yarn choices all change the look of the hat. A high, triple-folded brim feels playful and modern, while a lower fold reads more classic. The same pattern can look completely different in bright colors versus muted tones, or when you play with marled, tonal, or solid yarns.

The look changes depending how high you roll the brim.

The Espresso Beanie is worked from the top down, which makes it easy to adjust the length as you knit and get exactly the fit you want. After the crown shaping, it’s a relaxing rhythm of ribbing. If you’ve knit ribbed hats before, Espresso is designed to sit right alongside them.

Espresso Beanie at a glance

• Top-down construction

• 1x1 ribbing (regular or twisted)

• Two brim options: double-folded or triple-folded

• Fingering weight + suri or silk mohair, or a single strand of DK

• Easy to adjust fit and length

• A true everyday, knit-more-than-once kind of pattern

The Espresso Beanie pattern is available now on Ravelry and sarinordlund.com. You can get it with a 15% discount until Monday January 19th (end of the day, Helsinki time) with code ESPRESSO.