Jan’s Baby Hat and Booties:

Baby Bee Sweet Delight Baby Yarn (comes in a huge variety of colors. I get it at Hobby Lobby) Used doubled throughout (I wind the yarn into balls and use the strand from the inside and outside of the ball)
I don’t know the exact amount of yarn I use. I can get 2 or three sets from one ball of yarn.
Size 7 needles. I use a 40-inch circular

I use the magic loop method of knitting in the round. You’ll have to adjust the instructions to fit your method of knitting in the round.

This hat is pretty basic for a rolled brim baby hat. If I haven’t written the instructions out clear enough, I am sure you can find better instructions somewhere else. This is a very rough set of instructions, because I basically just cast on and knit this one without a pattern. I tried to write it down though. I hope it’s helpful.

Cast on 60 stitches and join, being careful not to twist the stitches.
For a hat with a ribbed brim, work 1 and ½ inches of ribbing, then work straight until hat measures 5 inches from base of ribbing. If you want a rolled edge, you just knit straight. Eventually, the edge will roll up to the position it wants to be in. Knit until the piece of knitting measures 5 inches from the base of the rolled edge.

Decrease as follows:
Dec round 1: knit 4, knit 2 together all the way around.
Round 2, and all even rows until row 10, knit all stitches
Round 3: knit 3, knit 2 together. Repeat all the way around
Round 5: knit 2, knit 2 together, repeat all the way around
Round 7: knit 1, knit 2 together, repeat all the way around
Round 9, and all subsequent rows: knit 2 together
When you have 3 stitches left, work 1 cord for 1 inch if you want a little nub,
For 2 inches if you want a loop at the top
Work for 3 inches if you want a little knot on top.

Once you have worked the desired amount of I cord, pull thread through the all three stitches. If you just want the little nub, run the needle down through the I cord to the inside of the hat, and weave in the end securely. For the little loop, again run the darning needle down through the I cord to the inside, then bring your needle up close to the base of the beginning of the I cord, bend the end of the I cord down and secure it close to the base of the I cord.

For the knot, I use the end of the yarn to help me tie the knot, especially if I ended the I cord a little soon. Once I get the knot tied, I thread the ends of the yarn through the darning needle, and hiding the yarn in the I cord and knot, run it through to the inside, where I weave in the end securely.

You can add variety to this hat by choosing a knitting stitch and adjusting the number of stitches you cast on, or knitting in different color stripes. It is a very quick pattern, and I can get one of these done in a few hours, if I work on it diligently. It makes good travel knitting.


Baby Bootees
Same yarn as the hat, used doubled throughout.
This pattern also assumes you know something about short row heels.

Like I said earlier, I use the magic loop method of knitting in the round, and I knit from the toe up. I use a figure 8 cast on, using the cable of my 40-inch needle as waste yarn, instead of a second needle. After I cast on, it looks something like this.

I knit the stitches off the first needle, then slide the needles around (if you know magic loop, you know what I am talking about) and then knit the stitches that were cast on over the cable.

If you knit on two circular needles, Cat Bordhi does something very similar in her Baby Life Ring socks found here (this is a pdf file, by the way). I also think she explains it much more efficiently, so read hers first!

So, I cast on 6 stitches using the figure 8 cast on, basically. This gives me 12 stitches total when I start the toe, 6 on each side. I knit one round plain,
The next round goes knit 1, Make 1(using your favorite method of increasing without making a hole) knit 4, make 1, knit 1. Repeat once over the next 6 stitches. You now have a total of 8 stitches, each side for a total of 16 Knit plain until sock measures 2 inches from the beginning of the toe. Knit 8 stitches, the heel will be worked on the second set of 8 stitches. This would be a good way to learn to knit a short row heel, as it’s very tiny, and doesn’t take long. A larger heel such as those for an adult are worked the exact same way, just over more stitches. I just work mine knitting back and forth, so I don’t have to purl, but I have written the instructions with the assumption you are purling the wrong side rows.

Row 1: With yarn in the back, knit 7. Pass yarn to the front, slip the last stitch, and pass yarn to the back,
Row 2: Turn work. Slip first stitch, purl next 6 stitches, pass yarn to the back, slip next stitch, and pass yarn to the front.
Row 3turn work, with yarn in the back, slip first stitch, knit the next 5 stitches, pass yarn from back to the front, slip 2nd from last stitch, pass yarn from front to back,
Row 4 turn work with yarn in front, slip 2nd stitch, purl next 4 stitches, pass yarn from front to back, slip the next stitch, pass yarn from back to front
Row 5, turn work, and slip the now wrapped 2nd stitch to right hand needle. With yarn in back, knit the next 3 stitches. Pass yarn from back to front, slip third stitch from the end, pass yarn from front to back
Row 6, Turn work, with yarn in front, purl 2 pass yarn from front to back, slip third stitch. Pass yarn from back to front.
Row 7slip stitch just wrapped. With yarn in back, knit 2pass yarn from back to front slip third stitch. Pass yarn from front to back
Row 8 with yarn in front, slip stitch. (third stitch is now wrapped twice) purl 2. Pass yarn from front to back. Slip next stitch. Pass yarn from back to front.
Row 9: turn work with yarn in back slipstitch now wrapped twice. Knit next three stitches. Pass yarn from back to front. Slip next stitch. Pass yarn from front to back.
Row 10: Turn work. With yarn in front, slip next stitch. Purl next 4 stitches. Pass yarn from front to back. Slip next stitch. Pass yarn from back to front,
Row 11: Turn work. With yarn in back, slip next stitch. Knit 5 pass yarn from back to front slip next stitch. Pass yarn from front to back.
Row 12: Turn work. With yarn in front, slip next stitch. Purl next 6 stitches. Pass yarn from front to back, slip last stitch, pass yarn from back to front, turn work.
Row 13: With yarn in back, slip next stitch, knit next 7 stitches. Pick up two stitches in the small gap there between where the heel started and ended.
Row 14Turn the work slip the first picked up stitch to the right hand needle, then purl the next 9 stitches. Now, using purls, pick up two stitches in this gap.
Row 15: Turn work. Knit next twelve stitches off back of heel, then the 8 stitches for what is now the front of the leg.
Row 16: Next, do a left leaning decrease, knit 8, do a right leaning decrease, knit 8
Row 17: Knit every stitch.
Row 18 Do a left leaning decrease, knit 6, do a right leaning decrease, knit 8
You have now reduced back to the 16 stitches you need for the leg.

I usually knit straight for an inch, inch and a half, and then do 6 rows of 2 x 2 ribbing. This makes a nice little cuff on the bootie. Another option that I use is to do 2 rows of ribbing, and then 4-6 rows of straight knitting. This makes a little rolled cuff on the socks that is really cute with the rolled brim hat.

I know this is a very rough pattern, but I did my best. There are much better explinations of a short row heel and picking up stitches out there, if mine is too confusing. Just use a search engine and start looking. Obviously, I am not a pattern writer. Hope this helps someone out there.

Next time, pictures of lace, I promise!