I have two friends who are currently expecting baby girls. One of these soon-to-be mamas loves Halloween, and autumn in general. As soon as I found out she was expecting, I knew I wanted to make her and Baby Shae something special. This was the first thing I've ever knit without a pattern (aside from scarves), so it was really scary exciting. I made my friend a newborn-sized hat for Shae to wear home from the hospital (even though she's due in January); the pattern I wrote here, however, would fit a baby 3-6 months old.
I would say this pattern (the first one I've ever written!) is pretty easy. As long as you know how to use double-pointed needles, you can whip this cutie up in just a few evenings.
You will need:
- 2 skeins worsted weight yarn (1 orange, 1 green)
- US size 6 double-pointed needles
- Stitch marker
- Darning needle
1. Cast on 64 stitches (16 per needle) of orange yarn. Join for working in the round.
2. Knit 30 rows.
3. Begin decrease: *Knit 5, k2tog, repeat from * until end.
4. Knit 5 rows.
5. Repeat step 3.
6. Knit 2 rows.
7. Repeat step 3.
8. Knit 1 row.
9. *Knit 2, k2tog, repeat from * until end.
10. Knit 1 row.
11. Repeat rows 9 and 10 until there are 10 or so stitches remaining.
12. Bind off. (Cut the yarn, leaving about a 6" tail. Thread this through the remaining stitches using your darning needle, remove the knitting needles, pull tight, and tie, weaving in the ends.)
13. Cast on 20 stitches of green yarn (5 per needle) to start the stem, leaving a long tail. Join for knitting in the round.
14. Knit until the stem measures just over 1 inch.
15. Repeat rows 9 and 10 until there are 9 stitches left.
16. Bind off.
17. Thread the tail of the stem through the darning needle and stitch it to the top of the hat.
Next, I want to try the pattern with purple yarn instead of orange -- for a baby eggplant hat!
