Knitted Sweetheart Beanie

Picture yourself in a cozy winter setting, sipping on hot cocoa by the fireplace while wearing a charming accessory - the Sweetheart Beanie. This handcrafted beanie is made with love and care, featuring intricate knitted details that add a touch of warmth and style to your winter wardrobe. The soft yarn used in crafting this beanie ensures a comfortable fit, keeping you snug and stylish during the chilly months. The Sweetheart Beanie is not just a hat, but a statement piece that showcases your unique sense of fashion. Whether you're out for a stroll in the snow or meeting friends for a coffee date, this beanie is the perfect companion to elevate your winter look. With its classic design and sweet charm, the Sweetheart Beanie is sure to become your go-to accessory for adding a touch of whimsy to your winter ensembles.

Sizes: Child (roughly 20" in circumference) and Adult (roughly 22" in circumference) (instructions for the Adult hat will follow those for the Child hat in parentheses)
Yarn: Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash Sport (100% Superwash Merino Wool; 136 yards [125 meters]/50 grams); #901 Cotton Candy - one to two skeins

Needles: One 16" circular needle in size US 5, one 16" circular needle in size US 6, one set of double pointed needles (dpn), also in size US 6, and a cable needle (cn) or dpn for cabling

Notions: Tapestry needle, stitch marker

Gauge: 22 stitches = 4 inches
So let's get started! Using your size 5 needle, cast on 108 stitches loosely (120 stitches for the larger hat), place marker, and join in round. Then we'll knit the following ribbing row:

A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns (as I last used in the Heart Headband) and a simple cable. It's also time to switch to your size 6 circular needle. And as a quick note:

rt (right twist): knit two together, leaving stitches on left-hand needle; next, insert right-hand needle from the front between the two stitches just knitted together, and knit the first stitch again. Finally, slip both stitches from left-hand needle together

lt (left twist): with right-hand needle behind left-hand needle, skip one stitch and knit the second stitch in back loop; then insert right-hand needle into the backs of both stitches and k2tog-b (knit two together through back loops, inserting right needle from the right)
fc (front cross): for smaller size, slip 2 stitches to cable needle and hold in front; k2, then k2 from cn (for larger size, slip 3 stitches to cable needle and hold in front; k3, then k3 from cn)

And now the pattern!

Row 1 (and every odd row): * p2, k10, p2, k4 * (larger size: * p2, k10, p2, k6 *)

Row 2: * p2, k3, rt, lt, k3, p2, fc * (larger size: * p2, k3, rt, lt, k3, p2, fc * )

Row 4: * p2, k2, rt, k2, lt, k2, p2, k4 * (larger size: * p2, k2, rt, k2, lt, k2, p2, k6 * )

Row 6: * p2, k1, rt, k4, lt, k1, p2, k4 * (larger size: * p2, k1, rt, k4, lt, k1, p2, k6 *)

Row 8: * p2, rt, k6, lt, p2, k4 * (larger size: * p2, rt, k6, lt, p2, k6 *)

Row 10: repeat row 2

Row 12: * p2, lt, rt, k2, lt, rt, p2, k4 * (larger size: * p2, lt, rt, k2, lt, rt, p2, k6 *)

Row 14: * p2, k1, m1r, k2tog-tbl, k4, k2tog, m1l, k1, p2, k4 * (larger size: * p2, k1, m1r, k2tog-tbl, k4, k2tog, m1l, k1, p2, k6 *)

Row 16: * p2, k10, p2, k4 * (larger size: * p2, k10, p2, k6 *)
Knit rows 1 - 16 twice for both sizes, and then we'll knit the following transition rows before moving on to the decreases:
Transition Row 1: * p2, k10, p2, k4 * (larger size: * p2, k10, p2, k6 *)
Transition Row 2: * p2, k10, p2, fc * (larger size: * p2, k10, p2, fc *)
If you're knitting the larger size, you'll also need to include four extra rows, which go as follows:
Extra Rows 1 & 2: * p2, k10, p2, k6 *
Extra Row 3: * p2, k10, p2, ssk, k2, k2tog *
Extra Row 4: * p2, k10, p2, k4 *
And from here on out, the pattern will be the same for both sizes, and will go as follows:
Decrease Row 1: * p2, k10, p2, ssk, k2tog *
Decrease Row 2: * p2tog, k10, p2tog, rt *
Decrease Row 3: * p1, k10, p1, k2tog *
You may want to switch to your dpns about now...
Decrease Row 4: * p1, ssk, k6, k2tog, p1, k1 *
Decrease Row 5: * p1, ssk, k4, k2tog, p1, k1 *
Decrease Row 6: * p1, ssk, k2, k2tog, p1, k1 *
Decrease Row 7: * p1, ssk, k2tog, p1, k1 *
Decrease Row 8: * p1, k2tog, p1, k1 *
Decrease Row 9: * p3tog, k1 *
Decrease Row 10: * p2tog *
Clip tail and thread through final 6 stitches. Pull tight, thread to inside of hat, and tuck in ends.