Five Genuinely Useful New Baby Makes #5: Knit Hat

Here’s the final (sniff) instalment of this legendary series of blog posts. I may well have saved the best for last as well. This project is insanely cute but it can be whipped up in the last half an hour before you need to leave for the baby shower! As with all these projects (check out the previous ones #1, #2, #3 and #4), it’s a chance for you to pick some fabric that reflects the style preferences of the parents (or just yourself!), rather than having to opt for the ubiquitous pastel pink or blue that’s found in most baby sections of a department store. I'd just like to thank The Village Haberdashery for allowing me to repost this blog post, as well as the others, over here. On with the tutorial…

Step 1: Cut a rectangle of knit fabric (we used the Andover jersey knits in Peony) 42cm wide X 38cm high.

Step 2: Fold the rectangle in half so that the shorter sides match up, with the right sides of the fabric facing each other. Pin round the three raw edges (there’s no need to pin the folded edge) whilst leaving a gap of approx. 6cm along one of the shorter edges (see the chalk marks in the image above).

Step 3: Stitch round the three edges where you just pinned with a 1cm seam allowance. Pivot at the corners so you get nice sharp right angles (see image above). Don’t forget to leave that gap!

Step 4: Trim away the two corners where you pivoted to within 2mm of the stitching.

Step 5: Turn the rectangle through the gap so that the right side of the fabric is now facing outwards. Use pin or something pointy to tease or poke the four corners out so they are nice and neat. By hand, slip stitch the gap closed.

Step 6: Push one of the short edges up inside to meet the other.

Step 7: Turn up the bottom edge to make a brim of approx. 4cm deep. Optional: make a couple of stitches at either side at the top of the brim to keep it in place.

Step 8: Pinch each corner to make ‘ears’. Push the needle through each ‘ear’ (see image above) then wrap the thread tightly round it a few times before knotting the thread.

Ta daaaaaa! Now, quick, get to the baby shower or you’ll be late and there’ll be no cake left.