I Knit the Doe Cap, a pattern by Jenny Gordy in Making magazine, for a friend’s baby. The pattern is a bonnet style with adorable ears that you knit and then sew on. I suppose you could change the shape and length of ears if you wanted. A piglet, rabbit, or cat bonnet would be adorable! You could also use bouclé yarn to give a cool texture to the animal ‘fur.’

Hats and baby items especially are a great way to use up single skeins of yarn. For this baby’s hat, I used a super soft brown sport-weight alpaca yarn from Oakridge Farm here in Ontario. I bought the yarn at the Woodstock Fleece Festival (aka Woolstock) a couple years ago. As the hat is so small, it took me just two days to finish the knitting portion! I then knit a second one using a beige alpaca yarn, also from Oakridge Farm. For the second hat, I knit one size larger, and with slightly longer ears.

My knitting gauge is always loose, so I used 2.5 mm needles instead of the recommended 3.5 and 3.75 mm ones. Since the baby is due this summer, I knit the 6-12 month size. I want this baby to stay warm once winter rolls around! If you want to knit a different size, however, the pattern includes six sizes from 0-3 months up to 6 years.

To knit the hat, you start by knitting back and forth in ribbed rows, then you join and work in the round for a bit. Next, you knit decreases to shape the crown. The first I-cord tie is knit and attached to the opening in the hat, then second I-cord tie is knit. Lastly, you knit the ears and then sew them to the top of the hat. Before these projects, I had never knit I-cord before. However, I found these instructions very helpful. Just make sure you knit them long enough to tie under your little one’s chin!

Get the pattern for the Doe Cap in Making No. 2 Fauna, available here.

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