I’ve been asked to contribute a knitting pattern using my cashmere yarn to a new book being published. We have come up with a beret for roundabout reasons and I’m busy trying to think of the best way of using the cashmere in an interesting way which will not be impossible for an average knitter.

I can use colour or texture or of course, both. I’m not a knitwear designer, nor do I have any design training and now is the sort of time it shows! Fortunately I have plenty of good friends out there in the On Line community who have and I think I’ll get there.

The yarn looks better I feel knitted fairly simply. Colour or texture but not both. My current thinking is perhaps a target effect. The natural cashmere (Ecru) colour for the rim and then circles of other colours leading to the centre.

How to do the edge is the other question. I have seen a few with a knitted I-Cord instead of a rib. That might look good – certainly a bit different! I’m completely open to suggestions so if anyone knows of a really good idea I could adapt and make my own I would be grateful to hear of it.

While on the yarn story, we may have a television crew here next week. Our cashmere enterprise has been picked up by the media. Great for publicity of course but really scary!!