Knitty Gritty Thoughts: Free Easy Peasy Leftover Sock

Newborn Hat

Free Easy Peasy Leftover Sock Newborn

Hat
I have knitted many a umbilical cord hat over the years for gifts using my own pattern but
wanted to tweak it to use up all of my many (many!) sock yarn leftovers so I re-ran the
numbers and the decreases and here we are! I think it turned out really cute (and is uber
decadent in MCN Julie Spins yarn). I sewed a matching gnomey onesie and burp cloth as a
gift for a friend in my birth class.

If you'd like to make one too - the pattern is super simple.

Leftover Sock Newborn Hat (queue it up on ravelry here)

Diculty Level: Easy peasy!

Gauge: 7sts/inch
Materials:

Leftover sock yarn (I used .6oz of merino cashmere nylon Julie Spins Yarn)

3mm needles or size appropriate for gauge (you can use 12inch circulars, magic loop, dpn's,
2 circs, etc, whatever your favorite method is to knit a small circumference. Since the hat is
too tiny, 16 inch circulars won't do, they'll have to be smaller than that.) **Note- if you use 12
inch circulars, you will need to switch to dpn's when the head decreases make the
circumference too small. **

Darning Needle & Stitch Marker

Sizing: Please note, the sizes of newborn heads vary greatly. If you'd like to upsize or
downsize the pattern, use the gauge to calculate the size you want, and make sure that it's a
multiple of 10 and put that number in the directions. Easy Peasy!

Here is a fantastic (!) link to a size chart for baby heads, to better allow you to estimate sizes.

In this case, I wanted a newborn size so I want a finished size that fits a 13"-14" head, you'll
want a bit of negative ease in there for a good fit, so subtract one inch from the final size.
That leaves us with a knitted size of 12-13". Based on our gauge, 90 stitches will give us a
good number to CO for that final size.

Directions:

Cast-on 90 stitches. Join in round and placemarker.

Knit 3.5 inches plain stockinette

Start the head decreases:

Knit 8, K2tog all the way around

Knit 1 round plain

Knit 7, K2tog all the way around

Knit 1 round plain

Continue decreasing in this manner until you are down to Knit 1, K2tog

The next round, K2tog all the way around.

Slip1, K2tog PSSO, 3 stitches remain.

The 3 stitches remaining will become the i-cord umbilical cord. Start a 3 stitch icord and
continue for 2.5 inches. Slip 1, k2tog PSSO to bind o. Weave in ends. Tie the top in a knot
and voila! Easy Peasy Newborn Hat!
Happy Newborn Knitting! If you run into any questions or issues with the pattern please feel
free to contact me, my info is in the sidebar.