Super Soft Newborn Hat & Booties

Who doesn't love knitting things for babies?! They knit up quick and because they are so tiny they are always way more adorable than the big adult version. My sister is 8 months pregnant with her first baby and, needless to say, I am knitting up a storm for this baby! We live in Texas, so there isn't much need for super warm baby clothes, but as soon as there is even the slightest chill in the air, this baby will be covered head to toe in his crazy aunt's knitwear!

Another thing I love about making stuff for babies is that you can use oddments of yarn leftover from other projects. Because don't you just hate wasting yarn!? I'm basically pathological about it. I recently found a bunch of my old yarn and I realized (for some reason) I saved yarn scraps that were one and two inches long.... I mean, what was I planning to do with it? Who knows [*shakes head*].

I recently bought a few skeins of Fibre Company's Road to China and I am in love! It's a beautiful blend of baby alpaca, silk, camel and cashmere and comes in so many wonderful colors. This yarn is so soft and luxurious when you touch it, it feels like air! Perfect for a baby's sensitive skin. I decided to use it to make a hat and matching booties for my new nephew. I used my favorite booties pattern which is from Elizabeth Zimmerman's collection of newsletters from 1958 to 1968, titled "The Opinionated Knitter".

I designed the perfect baby hat to go along with these booties using my new favorite sport weight yarn from The Fibre Company. So I hope you have fun making it for all the new babies in your life!

Super Soft Striped Newborn Hat

This pattern uses a double left-slanting decrease, called SK2P, to shape the crown. To make the decrease, slip the next stitch on your left needle knitwise, then knit the next two stitches together (k2tog). Pass the slipped stitch over the the stitch you just knitted together.

Materials

Yarn: 1 skein each of The Fibre Company's Road to China, shown here in Riverstone (color A) and Lapis (color B); fiber content: 65% Baby alpaca, 15% Silk, 10% Camel, 10% Cashmere

Needles: Size US 6 double pointed needles (change needle size to obtain correct gauge)

Notions: stitch marker, tapestry needle

Dimensions

5.5" tall x 6.25" wide when laid flat and not stretched

Gauge

24 sts = 4" in St st

Pattern

With color A, CO 80 sts.

Place marker and join for working in the round, taking care not to twist your sts.

Knit in 1x1 rib for 1".

*With color A, knit two rounds in St st.

With color B, knit two rounds in St st.