Knitted baby hats

 Elsewhere on this blog I have shown some of the items I have knitted over the years. They are toys, primarily, although I'm still pleased about the Nativity set, which comes out each December. The last toys I knitted were a couple of dolls, complete with clothing, for my grandchildren. 

That was a long and quite complex project, and afterwards I decided to take a break from knitting toys. Our local friends' offspring had plenty of soft toys, and were growing too old to want new ones. Our grandchildren also had a large number of soft toys. I still wanted to knit regularly - it's supposed to be beneficial to both physical and emotional health. But preferred projects that could be completed in just a few days, rather than many weeks.

I had previously knitted bonding squares and blankets for premature babies, for an organisation in the UK. But it had become increasingly difficult to get them to their destination, and the requirements were quite rigid. Only pastel colours, precise sizes that varied from hospital to hospital. And then they said that they didn't want anything from households with cats. I had been careful to keep the knitting away from our cats, of course. But that meant I could no longer knit for this group. I tried to find out if hospitals in Cyprus needed bonding squares or blankets, but it appeared that they already had plenty. 

In the meantime, however, a friend had started working with mothers and babies of refugees and asylum seekers in Cyprus. They always wanted blankets, but much bigger than the ones needed for premature babies. I did knit a couple, but blankets of 80-90cm squared take quite a while to finish. I made some bonding squares, and a few were used, but they're quick to knit, so no more were needed. And during the pandemic, they weren't allowed to use them.

So, as it was getting a bit cooler (this was December 2021) I then wondered if beanie hats would be useful - and was told, 'Yes please!'

I had a couple of patterns for baby hats from the premature baby group, but of course they're intended for very small babies. So I increased both the needle size and the number of stitches, and tried a prototype using double knitting yarn. It was received gratefully by the young mother, and, I was told, exactly the right size. 

It was a simple pattern: 64 stitches, then six rows of ribbing, followed by 30 rows of stocking stitch, and a few rows of decreasing before pulling up the remaining stitches to form the top, and then sewing up the seam.  It usually takes me 3-4 days to complete a hat, depending on how much time I spend knitting.

One of the things I don't like about knitting is counting rows. So I decided from the start to make my hats striped. That made them more interesting, too, as I selected colours that I liked together, and also meant I could use up some fairly small balls of yarn that were left over from other projects. 

Here are a few examples of the first hats I produced. I couldn't decide, at first, if I preferred the thinner stripes with two rows of each colour,  or the wider ones with four rows of each colour. 

One of the things I appreciated was that the mothers - many of them from African countries - like bright colours, so I'm no longer limited to pastels. I don't use yarn that's specifically intended for babies, as it's not going next to their bodies, but over hair. 

At first I kept track, but it wasn't long before I lost count. Of course knitted beanie hats aren't needed in the summer in Cyprus, but I tried to make sufficient that each new baby could be given one in the cooler months. 

Then early in 2023, one of the women who works for the refugee/asylum seeker group asked if I could also knit some  bigger hats for older babies and young toddlers. I was delighted to be asked, and quickly realised that I should make them in slightly different styles so it was immediately obvious which size they were intended for. 

For older babies - typically six months to a year - I cast on 72 stitches, and knit 8 rows of rib (k1 p1), then I knit six stocking stitch rows with the main colour, followed by two of a contrast. I repeat this four times, then a couple of extra rows with the main colour, so there are 34 rows of straight stocking stitch. That's then followed by the decreasing and finishing steps. 

The decreasing rows, for both these and the newborn baby hats, are: 
First row - k2, k2tog, repeat to the end of the row.
Second row - purl
Third row - k2 k2tog, repeat to end
Four row - purl
Fifth row - k2tog to end
Sixth row - purl

That leaves 16 stitches for the newborn hats, 18 stitches for the bigger ones. I cut off the yarn, leaving a longish strand, and thread it into a darning needle then pull it through the stitches and pull tight.  

Then, with the hat inside out, I sew up the seam, using both that thread and the one left at the bottom from casting on. Of course I make sure all threads are firmly finished and threaded through stitches so the hats won't come apart. 

It should be obvious from the way the decreasing works that the initial number of stitches must be divisible by four. The 'preemie' hat pattern on which I based mine had 60 stitches and smaller needles. I use size 4mm (8 in the old-style UK measurement, and apparently 6 in US sizes). But anyone wanting to try these probably needs to experiment, depending on the size of the baby or babies you're knitting for, and your tension. 

As for hats for toddlers (around age 1-2 years), after researching average head circumference I decided to try starting with 80 stitches, and making wider stripes. I use k2 p2 rib for the bottom, and do eight rows. Then a total of 38 straight rows of stocking stitch in stripes of 8 rows (and an extra six in the main colour at the end). For the decreasing rows I start with an extra one: k3 k2tog, repeated to the end (followed by an extra purl row, of course). 

I have friends who knit beautiful and complex shawls, blankets and other projects, and I have immense admiration for them. But I don't have the patience for those, which require a lot of row- and stitch-counting, and a fair bit of repetition. I have been making baby hats for two-and-a-half years now and there's enough variety in the styles and colour choices that I don't find it boring. And it's satisfying to know that they're being used, at least in the cooler months.