Purple Pigtails (or not) Baby Cap
This quick and easy baby cap was designed for the "Click for Babies Period of Purple Crying Caps."
Click for Babies is a North American initiative to help educate caregivers about normal infant crying, how to cope with crying and the dangers of reacting to crying in frustration by shaking or harming an infant. Seven states in the U.S. and two Canadian provinces are involved in a pilot project having volunteers knit or crochet purple caps to send home with babies born in participating hospitals during the month of November, 2011. Click for Babies prefers no pompoms, tassels or tie cords because of choking danger; that's why the cap is Pigtails (or not). I think it's cuter with the tassels, but one must follow the guidelines if it's being donated. So knit a hat for your baby, and knit one to go home with a newborn: http://www.clickforbabies.org/
There are multiple options for this cap:
SideAandSideBaretwosidesofthe same stitch. To use them with the rolled brim, however, the proper stitch sequence must be followed in order for the brim to roll correctly. Follow the instructions for either Side A or Side B in the pattern belowto achieve thedesired look. The difference in appearance due to using different size needle or by knitting tension can be quite noticeable. Bind off style should also be considered.
Using the Kitchener stitch to close the top of the hat provides a continuous looking bind off and preserves the curved look of the stitches on Side B. If the Kitchener stitch is not in your knitting arsenal, a three needle bind off can work as well. It does form a noticeable ridge, but by turning the cap inside out before doing the three needle bind off, a continuity similar to Kitchenering can be achieved. Simply stuff the cap through the hole in the middle of the needles and, bingo!, it's inside out. Corners can be left plain for donation caps or decorated with tassels, pompoms, crocheted CurlyQ's, bows, braids, or whatever strikes the knitter's fancy, This baby cap is a team effort. The original pattern was written by Amy Wunx and posted to Ravelry's Free Pattern Testers group. Thanks to: MoreThanltSeams for the CurlyQ tassels; marthajane73 for turning the 3 needle bind off inside out; marthajane73 and tecumsehstitcher for suggesting Side B is the pretier, and allof the testers for constructive criticism and excellent suggestions. Difficulty Level: Easy (links to video tutorials at end of pattern) Skills: Knitting in the round, long tail cast on, knit, purl, and Kitchener stitch or three needle bind off Sizes: Newborn 12"/30cm circumference, 3 Months 13"/33cm, 6 Months 14"/36cm, 12 Months 17"/43cm Yarn: Worsted weight, 45 - 100 yards / 40 - 95 meters Needles: Use one or two circular needles or double pointed needles, US 7 - 5 mm or size to achieve gauge. s: tapestry needle optional: scissors, cardboard, size G or H - 4.5mm crochet hor Gauge: 5 stitches wide by 6 stitches tall per inch/2.5cm in stockinet Abbreviations: K = knit, P = purl Note: Hats should have some negative ease to stay put on the head, so for the best fit, measure around the baby's head at ear tip level and select a size somewhat smaller than the baby's head from sizes listed above.
Pattern:
Cast on 60 (66, 72, 84) stitches using the long tail method. Join for knitting in the round. Place a marker to indicate the beginning of round. Rows 1 to 6: \*K\* (This forms the rolled brim.) Continue using instructions for either Side A or Side B SideA Rows 7 to 10: \*K1, P2\* Rows 11 to 14: \*P1,K1, P1\* Rows 15 to 18: \*P2, K1\* Side B Rows 7 to 10: \*K2, P1\* Rows 11 -14: \*K1, P1,K1\* Rows 15 to 18: \*P1, K2\* Repeat Rows 7 to 18 until hat measures approximately 4"-10cm (4.5"-11.5cm, 5"-13cm, 6"-16cm) from bottom edge of rolled brim. Evenly arrange 30 (33, 36, 42) stitches on each of two needles. Join the front to the back of cap using either the Kitchener stitch or a three needle bind off. Weave in any ends. Embellish as desired. To make tassels, wrap yarn around a piece of cardboard, tie, and sew to the top corners of the hat. (The tassels shown are 2.5"/6.5cm long, and the yarn was wrapped 12 times around the cardboard.) To crochet CurlyQ's, Chain 14, make 3 single crochets in second stitch from hook and in each chain back to the beginning. Do not fasten off. Chain an additional 14 stitches and repeat process. Attach CurlyQ's to hat. Tutorials: www.knittinghelp.com long tail cast on knitting in the round with double pointed needles Kitchener stitch three needle bind off www.youtube.com Cat Bordhi: circular knitting on two cable needles Liat Ghat: one circular needle - aka Magic Loop Make It Mine Magazine: how to make a tassel Crochet With Chris: how to crochet a corkscrew
