Knitted Unisex Baby Hat

Knitted Unisex Baby Hat

Following the "success" of my first ever knitted project - Hearts baby blanket - I was eager to try my hand at knitting a baby hat for my new baby.

Again, I turned to Ravelry as it's such a vast database of free patterns, and many are suitable for absolute beginners. I chose "Simple newborn hat with a touch of lace" project as it seemed simple enough.

Since I did not have the same yarn, it was a bit of a guesswork to decide on number of stitches to cast on. I knew however, that I did not fancy knitting with multiple knitting needles in the round, so I opted to learn "Magic loop" method off YouTube - it took several attempts to grasp it but I was definitively worth it!

CO 90 st on a magic loop 3.25mm circular needles. Started with 6 rows of 1K,1P rim, followed by 9 knit rows. Then Lace pattern as per instructions. Continued knitting till 4inch tall, and then followed reduction pattern. Hat turned out to be about 41cm circumference, but the rim can be double folded to fit a newborn. As a final touch, added an i-cord and a leaf from the pattern by White Apple Baby Hat by Michaela Klose. Used a baby doll as my trusted model.

I’m very happy with it since it’s only my second ever project so quite easy pattern for a beginner to grasp. And I felt quite proud to try putting my own stamp on the project by customising it a little, with the addition of the leaf, even though I feel it turned out a bit too big. But as it was intended to be only used for the new baby after being born, I decided to keep it as it is.

Update: The baby "liked" that hat (and the blanket), and he looked absolutely adorable @ 1 day old in it (although the hat had to be turned up a few times as it was a touch too big).

Looks much better on a real baby than the doll