Baby Santa Hat

I mentioned that I was going to have a little suprise for you!

I want to thank you readers for the comments and encouragement you have given me this past year. I really love the contact with like-minded people that the blog brings into my life. Thank you!

Here is my Christmas gift to you: a free pattern for a sweet Baby Santa Hat.



This little nugget is so quick that you still have time to make one for the sweet baby in your life!

BABY SANTA HAT

copyright Emily Parson 2006

Materials:
1 ball white dk weight yarn. I used unknown from stash.
1 ball white Crystal Palace Squiggle (or other funky carry-along yarn.)
1 ball red dk weight wool. I used Jaeger Extra-Fine Merino dk.
16" circulars size 6 (or size you normally use with dk weight yarn, I used 4 because I am a super loose knitter and almost always go down 2 sizes from the ball band recommendation.)
dpns size 6

Gauge: approximately 22 sts/ 4" but this is not critical. Because the ribbing is stretchy, it can be a little smaller or bigger and still be fine. This hat fit my 6 month old and still fits her at age 2 1/2, although it is getting a bit snug.

Begin the white band: Starting with the white dk weight yarn only, and the circular needles, cast on 80 stitches.

Add the Squiggle to the plain white wool, and join to knit in the round, being careful not to twist. Place a marker for the start of the round. Do K1 P1 ribbing for 2", or approximately 15 rounds.

One thing you might notice, is that with funky fluff type yarn, the "fluffs" tend to come out on the wrong side. You can either take a hook and pull them out to make the right side fluffy, or at this point, you can flip your knitting inside out so the "wrong" side becomes the "right" side, and save yourself some work.

Begin the main section of hat: Drop both white yarns and start your red yarn. Knit 6 rounds.

Start your decreasing: if you look closely at the photo, you see that you will be staggering the decreases with every decrease round. If you line them up, you will have ridges going up your hat. Instead, by staggering them, they won't be too noticable.


(At some point below, you will want to switch to the dpns when the knitting becomes unmanageable on the circulars.)

K8, K2T all the way around. (72 sts)

K 6 rounds.

K4, (K7, K2T)* repeat until you have 3 stitches left in that round, K3. (64 sts)

K 6 rounds.

K6, K2T all the way around. (56 sts.)

K 6 rounds.

K3, (K5, K2T)* repeat 8 times until you have 2 stitches left in that round, K2. ( 48 sts.)

K 6 rounds.

K4, K2T all the way around. (40 sts)

K 6 rounds.

K2, K2T (K3, K2T)* repeat 8 times until you have 1 stitches left in that round, K1. (32 sts)

K 6 rounds.

K2, K2T all the way around. (24 sts)

K 6 rounds

K1, K2T all the way around (16 sts)

K 2 rounds

K2T all the way around (8 sts)

K2 T all the way around (4 sts)

Cut yarn, pull through remaining stitches and fasten on inside of the point. If you don't have this exact number of stitches left, or at any point if you are off by a stitch or 2, just fudge it. These number are here as a guide but it will be fine if it is not exact! I promise!

Make the fluffy ball: I thought it would be difficult to make a regular pompom out of this crazy yarn, so here is what I did instead: I cast on about 15 stitches with both white yarns and knit until it was a little square, then bound off. Using the plain white yarn and a darning needle, I made a running stitch around the edges, rounding off the corners a little to fudge it (again with the fudging it!) and gathered it up. Tuck the squared off corners to the inside, and fill the ball with a little fiberfill or even scraps of yarn. It doesn't take much.


Use the ends of the gathered yarn to stitch the ball to the top of the hat.

Put it on your favorite baby and bask in their cuteness!

Christmas 2004: Sophie, age 6 months.

Love,
Emily