By now, I’m sure you’re wondering, when are we actually going to start making a hat?! But, trust me, a little preplanning during the design phase will really help when it comes to the making stage. And, crocheters, forgive me, but when it comes to hats, the knit version is usually an easier project for a newborn because the extra give and stretchiness will help if sizing is off. In my next post, we’ll talk about designing a crochet baby hat for a six-month old.
Our first design project is going to be a knit beanie hat for a newborn-to-three month old.
We’ve gotten a lot accomplished so far: we’ve picked out just the right yarn for this project (a DK weight super wash wool yarn); we’ve decided what type of baby hat to make (a beanie), and, now, we’re going to figure out what size to make it. The decision about needle size has kind of been made for us since we decided to use DK yarn, but feel free to experiment with needle sizes during the next step (yarn swatch) to see and feel the different fabrics that result from the changes in needle size. I suggest that, since we’re making a hat that doesn’t require a “drape” and that we want to be a little denser for warmth, you start with the needle size suggested on the yarn’s wrapper or a size smaller. I usually use a size 5 (3.75 mm) or size 6 (4.00 mm) needle with DK yarn.
So, as I remarked above, the first step in this process is going to be knitting a little swatch to get familiar with our yarn (I know, I know, no one wants to hear about, much less make, a “gauge swatch” as it is called, but, since we are starting from scratch in designing this baby hat, we’ve got to get a feel for how this yarn is going to operate, especially if we are experimenting with needle sizes). We’ll want to knit a 4 inch by 4 inch square to see how many stitches in a 4 inch row we get as well as how many rows we get in a 4 inch length. Once we get a swatch whose fabric we like, we’ll want to wash it to see what that does to our swatch. Once you wash and block the swatch, you’ll then measure again to see if there’s been any shrinkage or stretch.
Now that we know what to expect of our yarn, we can start calculating how many stitches we need to cast on for the hat. An average head circumference for a newborn is around 13.5 inches/34 cm, and baby’s head will grow to about 14.5 inches/37 cm in the first three months. So, we’re going to average that out to about 14 inches since our knit hat should have enough give in it to stretch as baby grows (and it might be a bit big at first, but not for long!).
Here’s where some basic math is going to come in handy — we are going to multiply the number of stitches we counted in our 4 inch row by 3.5. For example, if we had 18 stitches in our gauge swatch, we’ll want to cast on 64 stitches (I know, the math actually came out to 63 stitches, but I like using even numbers).
Oh, I should have mentioned that, with a knit hat, it is easier to start at the brim and knit, then decrease to create the crown. When we discuss making a crocheted hat, I will suggest starting at the crown and increasing stitches to work our way down to the brim.
Now, here is where the fun and aggravation starts! Cast on 64 stitches, knit them up and see if you’re getting about 14 inches of outcome. It’s hard to tell when the stitches are on the needles, but you’ll need to be prepared to experiment with the needle sizes and yarn to see if you’re getting the results you want.
Decision point: do you want a ribbed brim or a rolled brim for the beanie? This is an aesthetic decision, though it too could affect the stitch count and sizing of the hat. Ribbing makes the hat stretchier, which helps us with the sizing; a rolled brim is just easier in terms of getting started. I prefer the ribbed brim because I really like the look of using a 2x2 ribbing.
In the next post, we will talk about stretchy cast-on options and how to plan out the height of the hat to crown to ensure a proportionate hat in terms of width and height and its design elements.
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