How to Knit a Baby Hat with Yarn

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An easy DIY guide to creating a darling baby hat

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Preparation

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Knitting the Baby Hat

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Expert Q&A

Knitting can be fun and relaxing. There is no better starter knitting project than knitting a baby hat: you can do it in a short amount of time, you only need one skein of yarn, and people with new babies love hand-crafted gifts! Whether this hat is for your own little bundle of joy or a gift for a friend who is expecting, it’s sure to be loved.

Things You Should Know

Select the yarn type, color, and needle size you want. Then, cast on your knitting.
Create a 5-inch (12.7 cm) swath using a basic knit. Then, taper off at the top of the hat and cut off any excess yarn.
To finish, sew the sides of the hat together with a needle or bobby pin and flip the hat inside out.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Preparing to Knit

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1
Select the type of yarn. Because you have chosen to knit a baby hat, you will more than likely select a baby yarn.
- Consider buying extra-soft baby yarn, but know that you do not have to buy a yarn that is specifically made for babies.
- Know what yarn weight you need. Most baby items are made from lighter weight yarn, either “superfine” (1) or “fine” (2). ^{[1]XResearch source}
2
Decide what color of yarn you prefer. Remember that not all parents want pink for a girl or blue for a boy. Consider a gender neutral color or primary color.
- Consider choosing a variegated baby yarn instead of a solid color. There are also some new yarns that form a pattern as you knit.
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3
Select the right needles. Many baby hat patterns require size 6 (4mm) needles.
- Start with straight needles if you are just beginning to knit. Circular needles are generally used by more advanced knitters.^{[2]XExpert SourceJen Webber
  Knitting SpecialistExpert Interview. 4 August 2020.}
- Determine how big your needles need to be. The needle size determines how big the loops are in your hat, and the wrong needles may lead to the hat being the wrong size. Note that there are metric and US sizes, so you may need to convert the size.^{[3]XResearch source}

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Knitting the Baby Hat

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1
Cast on your knitting. Casting on is the way that you begin your knitting by creating a row of loops on one of your needles. See How to Knit for step-by-step instructions for casting on.
- Cast on 60 loops (if using 4mm needles) (more if the hat is not for a newborn).
- Hold your needles so that the left needle has the knitting on it, the needle points are facing away from you, and the yarn is leaving the needle to the right, on the bottom side of the needle.
2
Knit a 5 inch swath using a basic knit stitch. This will probably be about 50 rows if you’re using a fine baby yarn.
- Hold the needle with the cast-on loops in your left hand and pass the needle in your right hand through the stitch and behind your left needle.
- Wrap a loop of yarn counter-clockwise around the right needle point.
- Pull the right needle off through the stitch on the left side, and push the top stitch off of the left needle.
- Each knit stitch will add one loop to the needle on the right and remove one from the needle on the left. When you finish a row, change the needles to your other hands so that you start each row with the knitting on the left needle.
- Be sure your knitting trails to the right as you are knitting, towards the (at first) empty needle.
3
Taper off for the top of the hat. After knitting for about 5 inches (13 cm), begin to decrease the length of your knitting.^{[4]XResearch source}
- Instead of going through one stitch with your right needle, go through two stitches.
- Continue the 2-stitch decrease until you have only one loop left on your needle.
Be sure to leave yourself a nice long tail of yarn for sewing the sides of the hat together. Tie the tail in a simple knot where it leaves the knitting before you begin to stitch with it.^{[5]XExpert SourceJen Webber
Knitting SpecialistExpert Interview. 4 August 2020.}
Use a large sewing needle or a bobby pin, sew the hat sides together. Weave the excess yarn in and out along the two sides. Tie off the end and cut off the remaining tail.
The stitched seam should be on the inside, where it won’t be seen.
Wrap it nicely or include it in a display that includes other practical baby items, such as on top of a “diaper cake.”

Expert Q&A

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Question
Is this a good beginner project if I'm new to knitting?
Jen Webber
Knitting Specialist
Jen Webber is a Knitting Specialist and the Manager of The Quarter Stitch, a crafting store based in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. With over 17 years of knitting and crafting experience, Jen helps educate customers and the public on best knitting practices for their DIY projects.
Jen Webber
Knitting Specialist
Expert Answer
Not really. It's not impossibly hard, but this is a good second or third project. I'd recommend starting with something that doesn't require special needles.
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Question
Can you knit a baby hat on straight needles?
Jen Webber
Knitting Specialist
Jen Webber is a Knitting Specialist and the Manager of The Quarter Stitch, a crafting store based in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. With over 17 years of knitting and crafting experience, Jen helps educate customers and the public on best knitting practices for their DIY projects.
Jen Webber
Knitting Specialist
Expert Answer
You can try, but it's going to be pretty tough. Circular needles are much easier to work with if you're making a baby hat.
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Question
What size should a baby hat be?
Jen Webber
Knitting Specialist
Jen Webber is a Knitting Specialist and the Manager of The Quarter Stitch, a crafting store based in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. With over 17 years of knitting and crafting experience, Jen helps educate customers and the public on best knitting practices for their DIY projects.
Jen Webber
Knitting Specialist
Expert Answer
It totally depends on the baby! Keep in mind that the size really only matters when you're making the initial cylinder. Once you have that initial circle completed, you just slowly shorten each additional row to create the cap.
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Tips

Block the baby hat when you are finished to give it a more professional look. This involves wetting the hat, then allowing it to dry in the shape you want it to maintain. ^{[6]XResearch source}
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You can easily add more rows or increase the stitches per row to change the size of the baby hat.
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Knitting on circular needles is more advanced, but a hat knitted with circular needles won’t require stitching (and won’t have a seam).
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