What to knit Wednesday: Baby Hats

Another Crooked Little Baby Hat

Today's 'What to knit Wednesday' post is about baby hats. In my friendship circle there have been a LOT of babies in the past 4 years and during the past year I have endeavoured to give handmade items to these babies rather than buying stuff. Small items being the quickest projects, I have spent my time busily knitting bonnets and hats for these little humans and here is my list of 5 patterns that are my go to head warmers.

1. The Crooked Little Baby Bonnet designed by Melissa LaBarre.

I have blogged about this pattern before and it is my go to item for little girls. I won't harp on about it again but do read the post on what I love about this pattern here.

A newborn size Aviatrix

2. Aviatrix designed by Justine Turner.

This is my go to bonnet for little boys. Justine offers this pattern on Ravelry for free and she has designed it for multiple sizes and multiple yarn weights. Knit flat but using short rows to shape the crown of the hat, this pattern is enjoyable for it's clever design as well as it's cute aviator style. Though I generally do love this pattern, I do modify it by knitting a pair of i-cord straps rather than following the designed chin strap.

Recently I have knit a big child size aviatrix for my boy as a 5th birthday present. He is a bit dragon mad so I knit some spikes to sew onto the hat. The stocking stitch sections lend itself perfectly to having spikes sewn on and instantly it becomes a dragon hat. It is worth mentioning that I found the pattern for the spikes from 'The Ninja Herself' blog.

Baby Bear Hat knit with Malabrigo Worsted

3. Baby Bear Hat designed by Jennifer Dickerson.

For those Winter born bubs I like to gift them this little Baby Bear Hat to make them look even cuter than their natural babyness. Jennifer generously offer this pattern for free on her blog, Fiber Flux and has multiple sizes available. Nobody can resist a baby in a bear hat.

This Garter Ear Flap Hat is just too cute with it's little tassel on top.

4. Garter Ear Flap Hat by Purl Soho.

I recently knit this for a friend's little girl to wear this coming winter. Garter stitch is so commonly used for baby items because it is a classic look but it will also be a cosier garment because of the denser fabric that the stitch creates. 

This Purl Soho pattern is also free on their Purl Bee blog and it too comes in multiple sizes. The hat is knit in the round and short rows are used to create the ear flaps; no seaming is required at all. The addition of the little tassel on top is just a sweet little touch that makes this pattern all the more appealing.

Image source: Pickles blog

5. Cool Kid Hooded Hat from the Pickles blog.

Yet another free pattern, the smallest size that this comes in is 6-12 months, so not exactly newborn gifting but it is such a cute knit that I felt it worth mentioning in this post. Knit with DK/ 8ply weight yarn held double it is a super warm hat that is designed to not be easily pulled off. When the fit is right the hood will wrap snuggly around the child's face and the extra section that comes down the neck to cover the shoulders will challenge the most Houdini like child. The Pickles blog is written by Norwegian designers Anna and Heidi Pickles and you can probably guess why they have designed such a cosy baby knit - if it's not obvious, think about how low the temperatures will get during a Norwegian Winter.

The classic garter stitch paired with contrasting stripes and hood edge is a winning combination in my humble opinion. The one I knit for Miss L in 1-2 year old size was still a bit big last year and looked more like a mini poncho but it was such an easy thing to throw on her when we headed out the door during those cold months.

So here we are 5 super cute bonnets or hats to keep tiny heads warm. Please share your favourite baby hat patterns. Or tell me what features do you look for in hats for kids? Ear flaps? Chin ties or straps? Pom poms on top?

It is worth mentioning, that since multiple sizes are offered for these patterns (other than The Crooked Little Baby Bonnet and the Cool Kid Hooded Hat is only up to size 6) you can knit a family set of these hats if it so takes your fancy. I'd love to see a family of Garter Ear Flap hats one day so get knitting friends.

-- On a side note: The Purl Bee blog and the Pickles blog are both worth a look at if you are looking for some well designed patterns. Both blogs offer a number of their designs for free; the Pickles girls will generally offer one size for free and have purchase details for other sizes. Patterns are of varying skill levels but all are very well explained and often provide links to tutorials for their more complicated steps. Patterns are of all categories from garments for babies to homewares. Check them out if you haven't already come across them.

Finished object file: Newborn Vertebrae | Patons Dreamtime 4ply

A wee wooly gift for a wee little bub

Today I had the pleasure of packaging up a little woolly gift to send to my friends in Sydney to welcome their new daughter. I love handmade gifts and I love being able to give something that I lovingly made myself to my dear friends.

Not being 100% sure that they were expecting a girl I opted for a gender neutral item. Kelly Brooker of Peka Peka Designs has a great little pattern that is available for free called 'Newborn Vertebrae'. It's a very simple buttonless cardigan but sometimes the simple items are the best for newborns. What is the point of having an extremely pretty piece of clothing that will get puked on and be grown out of within a few weeks? Also, how clever is this buttonless design? No small fiddly buttons to deal with for overtired parents. LOVE IT!

Kelly also sells the Vertebrae pattern in sizes for older babies and kids in a combined ebook. As well as that she has also designed a mama sized one too. I like the idea of a mama sized Vertebrae as a stylish and simple open cardigan that perfectly complements a growing baby bump.

Simple designs are often the best for newborns

Also thrown into the gift is another Crooked Little Baby Bonnet that I had previously posted about in the blog. This one was knit quite a few months ago out of Quince & Co. Chickadee wool. I had held off gifting it to anyone because I thought the size of it came out a bit too small even for a newborn. My friend's new bub is a wee little girl born at 2.2kg so I think this will be perfect for her.

This is my favourite baby bonnet pattern for little girls

Since I cannot give her a big auntie cuddle I can send her my love and prayers and wrap her up in some comfy woollies.

Do you have any favourite newborn knits? What are your essential 'must have' items for new babies (not necessarily knitted)?

Babies need bonnets

My favourite thing to knit for new babies is a bonnet. I just finished one for our friends in Sydney who are expecting their first. 

For little girls my go to pattern is Melissa LaBarre's Crooked Little Baby Bonnet. The pattern is designed for worsted weight yarn to fit at 6-18 month but it also gives a suggested conversion for newborn babies. Melissa suggests by using sport weight yarn and using 3.75mm needles a bonnet sized 0-4 months can be achieved.

The first time I knit this I used some left over Quince & Co. Chickadee in Frost that I bought from my favourite online yarn store, yarn haus. Knit on the suggested 3.75mm needles the bonnet knit up into a tiny little slip of a thing. Though very cute I thought it would really only fit a small baby for a very short amount of time - because we all know how quickly those little bubs grow.

A tiny little bonnet knit in a 100% wool Quince & Co. yarn knit on 3.75mm needles

Since that first knit up I have made it twice and have upped the needles to 4mm for the bonnet and 3.25mm for the i-cord straps. I personally like the slightly larger fit that results from the larger needles.

Side by side the size difference is more discernible

I have also tried it with different yarns because now that we have moved into the Australia summer gifting a woolen bonnet is a little silly in my honest opinion. So, I've tried this pattern in two beautiful yarns that I purchased from my LYS, Sunspun in Canterbury. Debbie Bliss ecobaby cotton as well as some left over Skein Merino Silk Sport (a 50/50 merino silk composition that is just so luscious to touch).

Beautiful colourways and soft squishy yarn make Skein one of my favourite yarns to knit with

The cotton is ideal for the warmer temperatures but I didn't like the lack of springiness that cotton yarn is subject to. The bonnet is soft to touch and drapes nicely but I'd prefer it to hold shape a bit better since it is a hat after all.

This little cotton bonnet was ideal for a little December bub

The third time I knit it with the Skein Merino Silk Sport hoping that the springiness of the merino would help the hat hold it's shape. Now, after I have blocked it, my conclusion is that it worked really well in this yarn. There is a delicious softness that will make it lovely to wear against the skin and just enough spring to keep the shape of a hat. 

bonnet love

Just by knitting this pattern multiple times I have played around with sizing and yarn composition. This has given me the opportunity to learn more about matching the right yarn to my projects and how to make things bigger or smaller.

This pattern has really proven to be "third time the charm" and I have really enjoyed the experimenting and learning process that I have undergone each time I knit it.

The perfect little knit for a precious little baby girl

And the next time there is a boy baby to knit for I'll showcase my go to baby boy beanie pattern.