Wednesday 15 April 2009

7

15 minute double knot hat for a newborn baby

I'm still plugging away at making some things for my new nephew and thought he should have a bunch of simple beanie hats in bright colours. I couldn't find any tutes online, so I've just winged it. They're so fast and easy to make, so I thought I'd share!


You'll need knit fabric with a reasonable amount of stretch, I like interlock or cotton with a lycra element. I've used a serger, but you can use a normal sewing machine with a stretch ball point needle. When you attach the band to the hat I'd use a stretch or zigzag stitch or it won't have any give.
  1. Draft your pattern like so:

  2. Cut two hat pieces, and one band piece on the fold. The stretch of the fabric should be across the hat (horizontally). It makes sense to cut them with right sides facing so you can pin them straight away. Or you can be cavalier like me and not pin at all!

  3. Stitch the two hat pieces together (right sides facing) around one side edge, along the top edge and down the other side edge. Still folded in half, stitch the raw edges of the band together (right sides facing).

  4. Turn hat right side out. Use the non-sharp end of a pencil or a knitting needle to push the skinny bits out. Fold the band in half lengthways, hiding the stitching in the inside. Press the band if necessary so the raw edges align.

  5. Place the band inside the hat with the side seam of the band matching up with one of the side seams of the hat. Match up all three raw edges and pin. The dotted line below shows where the band is sitting.

  6. Stitch all the way around, attaching the band to the hat. Pull the band down and press.

  7. Use your thumb to roll the band up to cover the stitching. You can see from the picture below that the crease from pressing before is now in the middle of your new folds.

  8. Continue around the whole band, rolling up and covering the stitch line. Press again. At the side seam, use your sewing machine to stitch back and forth a couple of times to tack your band in place.

  9. Tie your knots and give Noddy a makeover:

Note: The dimensions provided are for snug fitting hat for a very new baby with a 14 inch head circumference. If you'd like to make it a bit roomier or for an older child increase the measurements accordingly (the knot bits can stay the same or you can make them fatter and longer- your choice!):

  • 3 month old: Width of hat to 7.5 inches, height to 5.5 inch. Width of band to 7.25 inches, height to 3.75 inches
  • 6 month old: Width of hat to 8 inches, height to 6 inch. Width of band to 7.75 inches, height to 3.75 inches
  • 12 month old: Width of hat to 9 inches, height to 6.5 inch. Width of band to 8.75 inches, height to 4 inches
  • 2 year old: Width of hat to 9.5 inches, height to 7 inch. Width of band to 9.25 inches, height to 4.25 inches
  • 3 year old: Width of hat to 10 inches, height to 7.5 inch. Width of band to 9.75 inches, height to 4.5 inches

7 comments:

  1. Noddy looks fab!

    Wish I had a small baby to try it out on :D

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  2. Yes, you should have a baby explicitly for this purpose :)

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  3. I don't even know one I could borrow for a trying on session! :D

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  4. That hat is fab - makes me almost want to have another go at sewing - maybe not I have an issue keeping in a straight line LOL

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  5. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  6. Your blog is outrageous! I mean, Ive never been so entertained by anything in my life! Your vids are perfect for this. I mean, how did you manage to find something that matches your style of writing so well? Im really happy I started reading this today. Youve got a follower in me for sure!

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