Newborn hat and mitts

It seems like a foregone conclusion that I would knit something for this baby, but as I thought about it, a baby sweater just wasn’t an appealing option. It would be grown out of so fast, it’s a not-insignificant chunk of knitting, Kidney Bean will be born at the beginning of spring and the end of wool sweater season, and I hear tell that babies are messy. I know for sure that any yarn which will tolerate a lot of washing, isn’t one I’ll enjoy knitting with. So I was stymied.

These little accessories were just the right amount of knitting, though. One precious little baby hat and baby mitts to stop her scratching herself… with very long ribbed cuffs that will, I hope, keep them on her hands. All of these knit up very fast–I did a pair of mitts during the Superbowl last night and still had time to make Chex mix and boo at the halftime show.

FREE PATTERN!!!
Yep, I made this up all by m’self. I hope they fit.

Ideal yarns: are the heavier fingering weights and lighter DKs. I used Blue Sky Alpacas Alpaca Silk. I think Blue Moon Fiber Arts lightweight and Shelridge Farms Soft Touch Ultra would also be excellent candidates… most sock yarns are too thin to look good when knit on 3mm needles, unfortunately.

Needles: these are knit in the round on two circular needles or a Magic Loop, size small US3/3mm.

Hat
Using Turkish cast-on, cast on 16 wraps (32 sts total). Knit one round.
On each needle, (K1, Kfb, K to last two sts, Kfb, K1) until each needle has 24 sts on it.
(K one round plain, then (K1, Kfb, K to last two sts, Kfb, K1)) until each needle has 32 sts on it, 64 sts total.
K plain for 2.5″ more
K in K4, P4 ribbing for 2.5″ more
Bind off, weave in ends

Mitt
Using Turkish cast-on, cast on 8 wraps (16 sts total).
(K one round plain, then (K1, Kfb, K to last two sts, Kfb, K1)) until each needle has 16 sts on it, 32 sts total.
K plain for 1.5″ more
K in K2, P2 ribbing for 2″ more
Bind off, weave in ends