Working up in two hours from just one skein, pretty LAUREL is the perfect last-minute gift.

The yarn is held doubled, or you can substitute one strand of superbulky (you’ll need at least 60 yards) or multiple strands of lighter yarn to achieve gauge. Keep in mind that using a bulky single instead of a smooth plied yarn may slow you down, especially if you’re using pointy needles (switching to a soft twist single like Reynolds Blizzard added about 45 minutes to my knit time to avoid splitting the yarn).

To finish the beret, I simply soaked it, ran it through the spin cycle, and dried it flat, maintaining its bouncy quality. If you prefer a slouchy beret with more drape, give it a good tug all around before you lay it out to dry.