Coming to the end of my 2nd pregnancy, I’ve found myself in nesting mode overdrive. All projects seem to be put to the wayside unless it’s directly related to baby prep. This includes of course my knitting and knit design. I found myself suddenly and hopelessly obsessed with the idea of “baby’s first outfit”. I knew that I wanted the chance to make something unique yet simple and classic for those first moments… and of course, what it was going to be made of was of the upmost importance.

Recently I finished making my partner a set of arm warmers out of some incredibly soft and rich locally spun sport weight Alpaca in a classic grey tone. I couldn’t get over how soft but solid it seemed and in my boyfriend’s preferred colour no less. It just seemed fitting to use this same wool for baby’s first newborn hat, especially since we didn’t know the gender and prefer neutral tones anyways. Not only did I trust it would be soft and gentle enough on new skin, but I was confident that it would provide the warmth needed during our rainy West Coast of Canada on Vancouver Island.

Once one cap was done, I became interested in modifying the pattern to give it more texture. During my pregnancy, I found myself drawn to ocean imagery; dark watery colours, marine mythology, scales… I also happened to be visiting Tofino for the weekend and had spent most of my time looking out at the vast grey skies and volcanic rocky shores as I drank the most delicious Earl Grey tea from my ocean front room. The texture I selected reflects all of those things. When I look at it, I see sea serpent scales and rocky coastlines. I then decided a pair of matching leg warmers were in order to keep the chill away during those first diaper changes, and of course I couldn’t just stop there. In the end I created two versions of the hat as well as two styles of leg warmers to match (classic knit and textured).

Below find the pattern for each set (either classic knit or textured). Knit either set in a neutral or earthy tone for a classic look suitable for any gender or knit up in a colour of your preference for a more personal. Either way, this set is bound to become a family keepsake long after babe has outgrown their first outfits.

Pattern Directions:

Finished Measurement:

Hat: 34 cm / 13.5 inch circumference
Leg Warmers: 14 cm / 5.5 inch circumference

Tools and Materials: 

• 3mm circular needles long enough for magic loop or dpns
• Sport weight alpaca – approximately 50 grams

Gauge: 22 sts and 30 rows of stockinette stitch = 10 cm / 4 inches.

Abbreviations: 

CO – Cast On with a Cast on of your choice that is elastic (I use the long tail CO method)
BO – Bind off with a Bind off of your choice that is elastic (I use the Russian BO method)
K – Knit
Ktbl – Knit through back loop
K2tog – Knit two stitches together
Sl – Slip stitch purl wise
Wyif – With yarn in front

Mock Honeycomb Pattern (adapted to work in the round)
Rows 1 and 3: *k1, sl 3 wyif*; rep from * until end of round.
Rows 2 and 4: Knit to end of round.
Row 5: k2, *insert needle under all the slipped stitch strands below and knit the next st bringing the strands over and off the right needle, k3; rep from * until last 3 stitches, insert needle under all the slipped stitch strands below and knit the next st bringing the strands over and off the right needle, k1.
Rows 6 and 8: Knit to last stitch, sl 1 stitch wyif.
Rows 7 and 9: Sl 2 wyif, *k1, sl 3 wyif*; rep from * until last 2 stitches, k2.
Row 10 and 12: Knit to the end of round.
Row 11: *insert needle under all the slipped stitch strands below and knit the next st bringing the strands over and off the right needle, k3*; rep from * until end of round.

Cox Bay Newborn Hat Pattern:

Cox Bay Newborn Hat (Classic Knit):

CO 72 stitches, join in the round.

Ribbing: *K1tbl, p1*; rep from * until end of round.
Repeat round 5 more times for a total of 6 rounds of ribbing.

Body: Knit in the round until body measures 4” / 10 cm from CO edge.
Continue onto crown decreases.

Crown Decreases:

Row 1: *k7, k2tog*; rep from * until end of round.
Row 2 (and all even numbered rows): Knit until end of round.
Row 3: *k6, k2tog*; rep from * until end of round.
Row 5: *k5, k2tog*; rep from * until end of round.
Row 7: *k4, k2tog*; rep from * until end of round.
Row 9: *k3, k2tog*; rep from * until end of round.
Row 11: *k2, k2tog*; rep from * until end of round.
Row 13: *k1, k2tog*; rep from * until end of round.
Row 15: *k2tog*; rep from * until end of round.

Thread yarn through remaining stitches to secure, weave in loose ends and block.

Cox Bay Newborn Hat (Textured):

CO 72 stitches, join in the round.

Ribbing: *K1tbl, p1*; rep from * until end of round.
Repeat round 5 more times for a total of 6 rounds of ribbing.

Body: Working t in the “Mock Honeycomb” pattern listed above. Work Rows 1-12 3 times.
Next Row: *k1tbl, p1*; rep from * until end of round.
Continue onto crown decreases.

Crown Decreases:

Row 1: *k7, k2tog*; rep from * until end of round.
Row 2 (and all even numbered rows): Knit until end of round.
Row 3: *k6, k2tog*; rep from * until end of round.
Row 5: *k5, k2tog*; rep from * until end of round.
Row 7: *k4, k2tog*; rep from * until end of round.
Row 9: *k3, k2tog*; rep from * until end of round.
Row 11: *k2, k2tog*; rep from * until end of round.
Row 13: *k1, k2tog*; rep from * until end of round.
Row 15: *k2tog*; rep from * until end of round.

Thread yarn through remaining stitches to secure, weave in loose ends and block.

Cox Bay Newborn Leg Warmers Pattern

Newborn Leg Warmers (Classic Knit): (not pictured)

CO 32 sts

Bottom Cuff: *k1tbl, p1*; rep from * until end of round. Repeat 5 more times for a total of 6 cuff rib rows.

Body: Knit in the round until leg measures 12 cm / 4.5 inches from CO edge.

Top Cuff: *k1tbl, p1*; rep from * until end of round. Repeat 7 more times for a total of 8 cuff rib rows.

BO, weave in ends and block.

Newborn Leg Warmers (textured):

CO 32 sts

Bottom Cuff: *k1tbl, p1*; rep from * until end of round. Repeat 5 more times for a total of 6 cuff rib rows.

Body:Working t in the “Mock Honeycomb” pattern listed above. Work Rows 1-12 5 times.

Top Cuff: *k1tbl, p1*; rep from * until end of round. Repeat 7 more times for a total of 7 cuff rib rows.

BO, weave in ends and block.

My assistant and soon-to-be big sister helping with the staging. 

Find the Ravelry Page for the Cox Bay Newborn Hat Here

Happy Knitting! 
Nat 
Wolf & Faun Knits