Tree of Life Preemie Cap Knitting Pattern by Ellen M. Silva - Detailed Instructions and Chart

copyright 2010 Ellen M. Silva copying for personal use permitted; all other rights reserved Tree of Life Preemie Cap Designed by Ellen M. Silva Ravelry: twinsetellen website: http://twinset.us

Materials and notions: Sock yarn (Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock, (\~12 grams) used for model), Double pointed needles, US size 1, darning needle. Gauge: \~8.5 st/inch in stockinette, 15 rows/inch in stockinette. Gauge is not critical - the cap will fit some baby! Final measurement is approximately 7" around and 3" in depth. Using Channel Island Cast On (see notes below), cast on 60 stitches. Divide needles among dpns (15-15-15-15 if using 5 needles, 15-15-30 if using 4). Join, being careful not to twist. Place marker for beginning of round. Row 1 - Knit Row2-Purl Rows 3-6: Repeat rows 1&2 twice. Three garter stitch ridges form the cuff of the hat. Work Rows 1 to 31 of the chart as shown. Repeat the chart twice to go around the circumference of the hat. Note that the shading in the chart is only for convenience in visualizing the hat pattern and does not indicate special stitches. Chart symbols: No symbol = knit - = purl C2B = cable two backwards (slip 1st stitch on cable needle, hold to back of work while you knit 2nd stitch, then knit stitch off cable needle)

copyright 2010 Ellen M. Silva copying for personal use permitted; all other rights reserved After finishing the 31st row, repeat Row 2-6 of the garter stitch cuff. Begin decreasing as follows: Remove stitch marker that indicates beginning of round. Knit 3 stitches and replace marker - you have just moved the beginning of the round by 3 stitches which will allow a row of decreases to be centered neatly above the tree of life pattern. Row 1: \*K8, K2tog\* repeat \*\* to end of round (6 stitches decreased, 54 st remain)

Row 2: Knit Row 4: \*K7, K2tog\*. ( 48 st) Row 4: Knit Row 5: \*K6, K2tog\* repeat \*\* to end of round (42 st) Row 6: Knit Row 7: \*K5, K2tog\* repeat \*\* to end of round (36 st) Row 8: Knit Row 9: \*K4, K2tog\* repeat \*\* to end of round (30 st) Row 10: \*K3, K2tog\* repeat \*\* to end of round (24 st) Row 11: \*K2, K2tog\* repeat \*\* to end of round (18 st) Row 12: \*K1, K2tog\* repeat \*\* to end of round (12 st) Break yarn. Thread tapestry needle and run yarn through live stitches. Cinch tightly and weave in end. Block as desired. Abbreviations: dpns - double pointed needles st - stitch(es) K - knit K2tog - knit 2 together CB2 - C2B = cable two backwards (slip 1st stitch on cable needle, hold to back of work while you knit 2nd stitch, then knit stitch off cable needle) Channel Cast On: Fold the yarn back on itself, resulting in a doubled yarn roughly as long in inches as the number of stitches to be cast on. Close to the cut end of the yarn, form a slip knot over your needle, as for a long tail cast on. This slip knot is your first cast on stitch. Coming from the needle you will have 3 strands, one attached to the yarn ball (strand A) and two in a loop, which you will handle as one unit (strand B). Arrange the yarn similar to a long tail cast on, with strand A passing over your index finger and strand(s) B wrapped around your thumb - BUT wrap strand B twice clockwise around thumb. With the needle tip, go over the top of strand A and catch the yarn, then bring the tip up through both loops of strand(s) B and catch strand A again, pulling it through the loops around the thumb. Drop the loops off the thumb and gently snug the resulting knot up below the cast on. This manipulation results in two cast on stitches with a decorative knot below. Continue in this manner until a sufficient number of stitches have been cast on. A characteristic of this type of cast on is that if your slipknot uses both strands of the doubled yarn, you will always end up with an even number of stitches. If you need an odd number of stitches, simply knit those two together on the first round.