Although I have been promising a knit vest for toddler Henry for over a year now, I ended up first knitting a hat for his younger sister Louisa, who also lives in D.C. Don't worry though Henry — your overdue vest is in progress!
I used the same pattern for both of the Louisa hats (the Louisa series, if you will. One hat though was completed over a year ago and not originally intended to be a part of the series). Knitting these hats have reminded me of the significance of yarn selection because although I used the same pattern, the hats look and feel quite different because I used different types of yarns for each.
Hat #1
Hat #2
As I note above, I did not knit these hats up at the same time — I actually completed Hat #1 a year ago, and have been waiting for a toddler to give it to. I ended up picking the same pattern for Louisa's hat, Hat #2, because I liked the simplicity and elegance of the first hat, and I decided to avoid an animal-type ear hat because I couldn't quite find a pattern I liked. Hat #2 is larger than Hat #1 as the measurements for Louisa indicated that she needed a larger hat, but I think that both will fit her well for the next few years which is a rarity in children's knitting (and clothes, generally). As guidelines for the future, I think I will use the Hat #1 measurements for children up to age 3, and then Hat #2 for children over the age of the 3. And this pattern I think will continue to be in heavy rotation in the future. Here are the details for both hats:
Pattern: Large version of the Baby Hat from One Skein
Hat #1
Yarn: Plymouth Baby Alpaca DK in a maroon shade, 1 skein
Needles: Size 6 dpns
Post-Blocking Measurements: 8.5 inches wide at the widest point (= 17 inches wide around the hat), 6.5 inches tall with shaping taking up the last 2 inches
Hat #2
Yarn: Karabella Aurora 8 in color 716, 1 entire skein (it was a close call at the end of the hat)
Needles: Size 8 dpns
Post-Blocking Measurements: 9.5 inches at the widest point (= 19 inches wide around the hat), 7 inches tall with shaping taking up the last 2.5 inches
Look, look, Louisa loves her hat!
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