newborn ribbed hat pattern

I made a really little hat for a really little head. I’ll post a picture when there’s a little head to put it on.

This hat is very basic, very quick to knit, and VERY SMALL, truly a newborn or large preemie hat. It won’t fit a month old baby, for instance. Notice also the decreases change a bit towards the end to make a rounder crown. Please comment if you find any errors in my pattern!

Yarn is Peaches and Creme 100% cotton, and not much of it. One ball is more than plenty. (Any worsted weight cotton will do, but wouldn’t you rather support a lovely American made yarn like Peaches and Creme?)

I used US size 8 DPNs (5mm), use whatever gets you a gauge of 4st/in in st st AFTER washing and drying.

Cast on 48 stitches in a nice, stretchy cast on. I like the Twisted German cast on, but a standard long tail cast on is probably okay, if you do it loosely. 48 stitches conveniently means 16 stitches per needle.

Join and K1 P1 for 18 rows.

Row 19: *work in pattern for 6 stitches, k2tog*

Row 20: work in pattern as established, knittng the knits and purling the purls

Row 21: *work in pattern as established for 5 stitches, k2tog*

Row 22: as row 20

Row 23: *work in pattern as established for 4 stitches, k2tog*

Row 24: as row 20

Row 25: *work in pattern as established for 3 stitches, k2tog*

Row 26: *work in pattern as established for 2 stitches, k2tog*

Row 27: *work in pattern as established for 1 stitch, k2tog*

Row 28: *k2tog*

Cut yarn, draw through remaining stitches, poke through middle hole, weave in all ends. I split the yarn into its plies and wove those in as invisibly as possible so the hat was reversible. Machine wash and dry hat to tighten stitches, find newborn still wet behind ears to put on, and you’re done.