This week I tried a few patterns that I have never done before. Tried to mix it up with some crochet, knit, beanies and bonnets. So here is what I accomplished:
First up is the
Preemie Crochet Hat from Britney Wolfe. I stumbled across her pattern on Pinterest and was tickled to find she is a home school graduate. This hat is a simple design that would be great for newer crocheters. I did make a few changes to the pattern because the one I worked up seemed a bit larger than I wanted for a newborn.
First I eliminated round 4 of the pattern. I think Wolfe was creating an oversize hat based upon the decreases around the brim. I couldn't get mine to look right and it
just seemed huge, so I cut out the last round of increases. Then I added two extra rounds of the ch 2, 1 dc in each stitch to end (round 5-6 in pattern which became rounds 4-7 for me). I then worked round 7 of pattern next but rather than dc2tog I did a back post dc for that stitch. Round 8 of pattern became my round 9. This allowed me to keep the spirit of the pattern while obtaining a size that I was after.
Next up is this
Precious Hearts Preemie Bonnet. I used Bernat Softee for this one because it is supposed to be a DK weight yarn, which is what the pattern calls for (the weight, not this specific yarn). The doll I used to model this hat is the size of about a 32 week preemie and as you can see it is a little short from crown to front. I would have to say that this is due to my yarn choice, and my distaste for gauge swatches and not the fault of the pattern. After completing the hat I checked the wraps per inch and it wasn't 11 (which is DK weight) even though many sites list is
as such. The good news is that babies come in all shapes and sizes. The bad news is that because this yarn is thinner than the pattern calls for the hearts don't stand out as much as they should. Instead they simply look like a blob without definition..... I plan to try this one again with a different yarn.
I have to say that this one is my favorite this week, although I do wish I had used a solid color of yarn so that the lace pattern on the sides would have come through a bit better. As you can see, this is a bit big for newborn, the the designer lists it as 0-6 months so that is to be expected. It isn't so big that it dwarfs the newborn head though. This is called the
Mori Hikari Baby Bonnet and you can find it over at the Little Precious Stitch. Despite having been on Ravelry for over a year there were only 2 projects for this pattern, which really surprised me. It was an interesting pattern and available in sizes all the way up to 24 months. The back of the bonnet was a bit different than I was used to but not hard to figure out. It was my first time attaching i-cord as an edging and I love the look of it.
This one is the
Sedge Stitch Newborn Beanie by Kerri Stinson. The original pattern calls for a DK weight yarn but the PDF download also includes suggestions for WW yarn. I used those, which meant a G hook for me. I modified this pattern as well. I skipped rd 6 as including
it yielded a circumference that was too large. I repeated rd 8 until
the hat measured 4.5 inches long before beginning the brim. I bet this would look cute with a crochet flower on it too. A few of the examples of Ravelry included a pom pom on the top which looked adorable as well.
This one was gorgeous also, and would have been my favorite except for one thing, while it is available free you have to give personal information to obtain the pattern. Designer Julie Grimmet has made this, the
Vintage Baby Bonnet, available on her blog. Place it in your shopping cart and you don't need a code or anything special. However, to check out you will need to include your name, address and phone number to download the pattern. I realize you can easily type in fake info, but it aggravates me to have those as required fields for an instant download.
That being said, the pattern is well written and since it uses a "medium weight" yarn it works up quickly in only 11 rounds. What really drew me to this pattern though is the crown of the bonnet. Just look at how pretty that is! Reminds me of a little flower. I can just picture this as part of a Christening layette.
And the final hat for the week is the
Baby Amanda Hat. As you can see this is a bit large for a newborn, it is advertised as being "infant" sized, more 3 months and larger. The front has a beautiful, textured design and it is really fun to knit up. My only complaint about this hat is the back. You can see where the pattern for each row begins and ends because it creates a weird line that runs up the back. I think with a little work that can be eliminated by moving a few stitches around each row.
So which is your favorite this week?
Until next time,
