Monday, February 16, 2009

V's Baby Hats

One of my roommates from university days is expecting her first baby in the next couple of weeks. She doesn't read the blog, but saw on Facebook that I knit a lot and asked me to make her a yellow hat as a keepsake for the new baby. I was so excited for her - even when we were living together in 1997 she was unable to have children. All these years later, what she thought would never be, has happened - I'm almost as happy as she is.


I wanted it to be a gift from me but she refused, shuddering at the crassness of asking for her own baby gift, and insisted on sending me money. I immediately decided that she'd be getting not just the yellow hat she'd wanted, but a pink and a blue one too.


The yellow one came together fast. I like it but I did briefly wonder whether it was a little too feminine for a gender-neutral garment...in the end I figured it was fine - if there's a dude around who can carry off a picot-edged bonnet, he is definitely a newborn.

Note: Hat title links are to the Ravelry project page.



Yellow Hat
Yarn: Mandarin Petit 100% cotton
Needle: 3mm bamboo circular, magic loop
Pattern: No pattern, but based on a baby hat I saw on the web somewhere. It's a simple picot cast-on, a bit of garter, and one eyelet row. I used a five-point decrease for the crown.



Pink Hat
Yarn: Lana Grossa New Cotton, 60% cotton, 40% microfiber
Needle: 4mm bamboo circular, magic loop
Pattern: No pattern. Made up a travelling rib using yarnovers as the increase and SSK as the decrease. Crown decreases in pattern to a swirl top.



Blue Hat
Yarn: Patons Bumblebee Baby Cotton, 100% cotton
Needle: 3.5mm bamboo circular, magic loop
Pattern: No pattern. Moss stitch with a four-point double-decrease every row to make a square top.

I love crown decreases.


Those finished, I wanted to make a cuddlier one, a hat that would really keep the little blighter warm. I took some Classic Al from the stash, leftovers from my father-in-law's Christmas sweater, and cast on some rib to knit this:


White Hat
Yarn: Elsebeth Lavold Classic Al (50% Alpaca, 50% Merino)
Needle: 4 and 4.5mm bamboo circulars, magic loop
Pattern: No pattern. Used a closed cable from Continuous Cables, changed it up a bit to fit a rib better. Crown decreases in pattern to a four-stitch i-cord for three inches. I-cord is knotted to finish.

Crown decreases and i-cord.


I'm a little bit pleased with myself for coming up with a way to make the cables flow up through the crown decreases and into the i-cord with no interruption...it's very gratifying that it worked out, first time too. I am writing up the pattern for this hat and once I figure out how to do up the chart for download, I'll post it here on the blog. It's such a cute little thing, I couldn't just keep it all to myself.

15 comments:

Jodi said...

She's going to love them! What a wonderful group of hats -- my fav is the white cabled one. The decreases are ingenious!

Darci said...

These are beautiful!

Anonymous said...

They are all great! I love the cabled one it is adorable... but then again I do love them all ;)

Anonymous said...

Adorable, one and all. Is it wrong that I want to wear that pink one?

Anonymous said...

Those are gorgeous and look like so much fun to knit.

Have you read Julie and Julia by Julie Powell ? I just read it and thought of you because she (author/main character) is a huge Buffy fan and is also very funny. I think you would relate to it - I did to an uncanny degree.

Stace' said...

You ARE Superwoman!

Susie Hewer said...

Cute hats! Love the cable one - very ingenious. That doll has got very creepy eyes though!!!

Valerie said...

What a lucky mom and baby! I especially love the cable hat.

Dave Hingsburger said...

Do you lock that doll up in a closet at night? Scary looking thing. Forget 'things that go bump in the night' ... they aren't have as scary as those EYES

Dave Hingsburger said...

oh, and, nice hats ... out of my head damn doll, OUT OF MY HEAD.

Kris said...

The hats are adorable!

Cynthia said...

What a nice stack of hats! And the white cables are ingenious. As for the picot edging, just think of princes swathed in lace. All babies look good in lace! (but that doll is creepy)

Annalea said...

Oh hurray and hurrah for surprise babies! I'm so happy for your friend, too. :oD

And Lizbon's going to have to arm wrestle me to see who gets to wear the pink one . . .

Anonymous said...

oooohhh your cables make me so happy jealous weepy it's sssoooo cute I love your knitting how you just whip it.
humph, grumble

ok love and peace swoon

Anonymous said...

Ok - LOVE the white cables. Please, please, please post the pattern when available. :)