Segmented Baby Hat

This is a cute hat for a baby, knitted sideways in garter stitch for squishy cosiness. It's made in 6 segments without a seam that could rub a newborn's head. You can highlight the segments with a contrasting colour or knit the whole thing in one colour, as you wish.

The finished size will be about 14.75" (37.5cm) around. It should fit a baby of 0-3 months, possibly older because the sideways garter stitch is very stretchy. For a bigger hat just knit a 7th segment, or make it smaller by only knitting five. And the height can be adjusted by turning up more or less of the brim.

To make it you need to know how to do a knit stitch. Although there's no purling you will also need to know how to insert your needle into the next stitch as if to purl and how to work purl 2 together (P2tog) when you get to the grafted join in Step 6. Instructions are given for the Kitchener graft and also for working short rows, creating an I-cord stalk and doing a provisional crochet cast-on. But don't worry if you can't crochet, there are other ways to cast on provisionally.

A pair of straight, single-pointed 3.75mm / US 5 / UK 9 knitting needles

A pair of double-pointed needles of the same size (for the optional stalk)

A crochet hook of the same size or a little larger (not essential)

About 25-30g / 1oz of DK yarn (a bit more if natural fibres)

About 5g / 0.2oz of DK yarn in a contrasting colour (for the 2-colour version)

A 2m / 2yd length of smooth yarn (for the provisional cast-on)

A small safety pin

A darning needle

To knit this hat we start with a provisional cast-on, that is a cast-on that creates live loops rather than a closed edge. When all the knitting is done the hat will be closed seamlessly (and invisibly) by grafting those live loops to the stitches on the needle created in the final row.

The hat is worked flat in garter stitch (every row knit) in 6 segments, each of which has a straight edge (the bottom of the hat) and a pointed end which forms the crown. The point is created by working short rows, that is by turning the knitting to start the next row before reaching the end of the row. The short rows get progressively longer for the first half of each segment, then progressively shorter for the second half.

If you just turned mid row without taking any precautions you'd be left with a hole, so we will use the (so-called) German Short Rows technique to prevent that happening. German Short Rows result in near-undetectable turns in garter stitch, are easy to learn, and the turning stitches are very obvious on the needle which makes finding the required turning point in the next row simple. You don't even need a row counter to make this hat and there is minimal stitch counting involved.

After knitting all the segments and grafting the start of the first segment to the end of the 6th one to close the hat, a short I-cord stalk is worked to finish off. But you can omit this if you don't have a set of double-pointed needles of the right size, or prefer the hat without it.

The 2-colour version of this hat is recommended for inexperienced knitters. It's much easier to see what's what when the first and last row of each segment are in a different colour from everything else.

Abbreviations

DPN - double pointed needle

WS - wrong side

RS - right side

MC - main colour

CC - contrast colour

K - knit

st/sts - stitch/stitches

DS - double stitch (see German Short Rows instructions below)

MDS - make a double stitch

K2tog - knit 2 stitches together

P2tog - purl 2 stitches together

General instructions

Instructions for the single colour hat are written in plain text. Where something different is needed for the hat with segments delineated in a CC, this is in italics.

If working in a single colour, slip the first st of every RS (even numbered) row. If working in main colour and contrast colour, don't slip the first st of every RS row, and don't break the yarn every time you've finished with that colour. Instead, twist the two yarns around each other at the start of every RS row to carry the unused colour up the inside of the lower edge of the hat, being careful not to pull the carried yarn so tightly that the lower edge’s stretchiness is compromised. Twist in the same direction each time for a neat edge.

Garter stitch looks the same on the right side and the wrong side. That means it's a good idea to mark the right side of the work with a safety pin once you've knitted a few rows of the first segment, especially if you're not using a row counter to keep track of your row number. But you can always tell the right side anyway, because the straight (brim) edge will be on the right and the pointy end of the segment (the crown end) on the left when the right side is facing you.

German Short Rows

In the photos above the provisional cast-on yarn is pink, MC is blue and CC is yellow.

1. Knit to the turning point and then turn the work. The yarn is now at the front.
2. Slip the next stitch purlwise (ie without twisting it) - this is the stitch just knitted. The first photo above shows the stitch in the process of being slipped.
3. Take the yarn over the top of the right needle to the back and pull it gently. The second photo shows how it will look with the needle inserted in the next stitch ready to knit it.
4. With slightly more tension than usual on the yarn for the first few stitches, carry on knitting along the row. The 3rd photo shows what it will look like from the back (WS) after knitting 3 more stitches.

Looking back at the stitch that was slipped, you'll see that it has two legs both at the back and the front of the work. This is a double stitch (DS) and it marks the turning point. Where the instructions in Step 4 say turn and then MDS (= make double stitch), this means work a short row by following 1-4 above.

When you reach a double stitch in a subsequent row, treat it as a single stitch by working both of its legs together, as you would when making a K2tog decrease. And count each DS as a single stitch too, not two stitches. The 4th photo in this step shows a DS that is the next stitch to be worked. The final photo shows the tip of the right needle inserted from left to right through both legs of the DS, ready to knit.

Using a single-pointed needle with a length of smooth spare yarn that contrasts well in colour with the yarn you're going to be using next (that's CC for the 2-colour hat), cast on 32 stitches provisionally.

The commonest way to do a provisional cast-on is with a crochet hook. You can do this by crocheting a short chain before crocheting 32 more chains over the knitting needle with the yarn held under the needle (see photos above) - just take the yarn back underneath the needle after making each chain stitch over the top of the needle. End with another short chain that dangles below the needle.

Secure the end of the chain in the spare yarn by taking it through the last chain and then tie a knot in the tail as a reminder that this is the end from which the chain can be undone.

There's another way of working a crochet provisional cast-on that some people prefer. Crochet a loose chain that's about 40 stitches long and then pick up stitches with a knitting needle one by one in the working yarn (CC) through the back loops (the bumps) of 32 chain stitches in the middle of the chain. You'll find plenty of online video tutorials for both types if you search for "crochet provisional cast-on".

Alternatively, for those who don't possess a crochet hook and wouldn't know what to do with it if they had one, search "provisional cast on without crochet hook" and you'll find there are other methods.

If you use a method such as the second type of crochet cast-on above that leaves you with stitches in the working yarn on the needle, these count as the first row.

Remember, you only knit Row 1 the first time around if the stitches on the needle after the cast-on are not already in the working yarn. As before, the provisional cast-on yarn is pink, MC is blue and CC is yellow.

Rows 1 (WS): In CC, knit all sts.

Row 2 (RS): Change to MC. K22, turn.

Row 3 (WS) and all following WS rows except for Row 13: MDS, knit to end of row.

Rows 4, 6, 8, 10: Knit up to and including the DS then 2 more sts, turn.

Row 12: Knit to end of row. (This should be 2 sts beyond the last DS.)

Row 13: Knit all sts.

Row 14: K30, turn.

Rows 16, 18, 20 & 22: Knit until 1 st remains on the left needle before the first DS, turn.

After completing row 23 there will be 5 DSs on the needle.

Row 24: Change to CC, knit all sts. (This should mean knitting 21 sts before reaching the first DS, then knitting that DS and a plain st, 4 further DSs with a plain st between each pair and 2 plain sts beyond the last one.)

The first segment is now complete.

Work Rows 1-24 four more times to make a total of 5 segments. As each segment is made, the hat will become more 3-dimensional.

Then work Rows 1-23 of the 6^th segment. The 24^th row will be created in the next step by Kitchener-grafting the start and end of the hat together using CC yarn to make a seamless join.

Single colour hat: Break the yarn, leaving a tail of at least 1m / 40".

2 colour hat: Break the CC yarn leaving a tail of at least 1m / 40". Break the MC yarn leaving a short tail at the lower edge of the hat to be darned in later.

Most instructions for grafting two pieces of knitting together are for stocking stitch (aka stockinette). Grafting garter stitch is different but similar, so do check the instructions below even if you've worked a Kitchener graft before.

Undo the provisional cast-on stitch by stitch from the end with the knot, catching each live stitch in turn and putting them onto a needle - see first photo above. Start at the crown so that the pointed end of the needle ends up at the lower edge of the hat, or just transfer them (purlwise) afterwards to another needle if your provisional cast-on "unzips" in the opposite direction. Make sure these stitches are all mounted on the needle untwisted, ie with the front leg slightly to the right of the back leg.

Sometimes the first stitch is hard to find but if you end up with only 31 sts instead of 32, don't worry, just check that you haven't missed one somewhere in the middle of the row, in which case a stitch from the next row will be hanging in mid air. Assuming you haven't missed one, you'll just need to create an extra stitch at the crown when you reach the end of the graft, with a backwards loop cast-on using the tail of yarn from the first (CC) row. (Search for a YouTube video of how to do a backwards loop cast-on if necessary.)

Bring the edges to be grafted together, with the hat right side out. Position the needles with the one carrying the cast-on stitches (in CC) above the needle carrying the last row stitches, both needle tips pointing to the right, as shown in the 2nd photo. The garter bumps on the lower needle will be close up against the needle, while there's a small gap between the garter bumps and the upper needle (in each case when viewed from the outside of the hat). If this isn’t so then you have either worked one row extra in the last segment or one too few. Stretch the knitting away from the needle as shown in the close-up in the third photo to reveal that small gap with Vs visible next to the needle.

Now bring the wrong sides of the first and last segments together while keeping the needles next to each other, so that the needle with the cast-on is at the back and the last segment worked is at the front, facing you.

Thread the long tail of (CC) yarn from the front needle onto a darning needle. Prepare to start the graft by taking the needle upwards through the first purl bump (ie the MC bump beneath the first stitch) on the inside of the rear needle, pulling the yarn through. Then take it through the first st on the front needle purlwise (ie right to left) – leaving the st on the knitting needle – and do the same with the first st on the rear needle. Pull the yarn through. Graft along the row as follows:

1. Take the yarn through the first st on the front needle knitwise (ie left to right) and slip it off the knitting needle. Then take it through the next st purlwise and leave it on.
2. Repeat that with the first two sts on the rear needle.
3. Repeat from the start all the way along the row, front needle first then rear needle. Chanting may help: “Front: knit off, purl on. Back: knit off, purl on.”

If this is your first Kitchener graft, err on the side of pulling the yarn too loose rather than too tight, because it’s much easier to tighten it afterwards than make it looser.

When you come to a DS on the front needle, graft it in the same way you would knit it, ie take the darning needle through both legs either as K2tog or P2tog, as appropriate.

At the end of the row after working through stitches on the rear needle you may be left with two stitches on the front needle even though there's only one at the back, as a result of only catching 31 of the provisional cast-on stitches. Use the tail of yarn at the crown - the (CC) tail from where the first row started - to create an extra stitch on the back needle with a backwards loop cast-on.

When you have only 2 sts left on each needle, work the sequence 1-2 above for the final time to leave just one st on each. Finish by taking the yarn through each in turn (front then back as before) knitwise and slip it off.

Adjust the tension of the graft if necessary to match the rest of the hat. Do this by working along it from the start at the brim with the tip of a knitting needle, sorting out any unevenness and working any excess yarn along the row until it can be pulled free at the crown end. Don't break the yarn yet.

(The hat shown in the photos is a small one with only 5 segments because I ran out of blue yarn.)

There will be a small hole at the crown of the hat where the long rows of each segment come together. Take a few stitches with the darning needle on the inside of the hat to secure the tail of yarn after the grafted row, then run the yarn through the first stitch of each segment (which is in CC) and draw it up on the inside to close the hole. Again, take a few sts to secure the yarn*, then bring it out of the centre of the crown, around a DPN and back down again 3 times to make 3 sts on the DPN close together, ready to work an I-cord. Bring the tail back up again near to the last of these stitches and remove the darning needle.

Work several rounds of I-cord to give you a stalk of whatever length seems right – 4-8 rounds should suffice. To do that:

1. Knit across the 3 sts on the DPN.
2. Slide the sts to the other end of the DPN, keeping the working yarn at the back.
3. Repeat from the start.

When the stalk is long enough, thread the tail back onto a darning needle and take it through all 3 sts (starting with the one you would knit next if you were going to work another round), then take it down the centre of the stalk and secure it on the inside of the hat. Don't pull it too tight or it'll distort the stalk.

Alternatively, omit the I-cord stalk and just darn in the end of the yarn used for the graft on the inside of the hat when you reach * above.

Finish by darning in the remaining end(s).