February/Valentine's Day Recipient

I'll be mailing the items I'm making for February/Valentine's Day to Womack Army Medical Center this Friday.

Hat with Hearts

This is variation on the hat pattern found here.

Using double knitting yarn and size 2 dp needles, cast on 48 stitches and rib, K1, P1, for six rounds. Knit one round, increasing 2 stitches on each needle for a total of 54 stitches. Knit another round and then begin following chart using contrasting color. Knit 8 rounds. Use the preemie pattern version for decreasing. Finish with a pom-pom or short I-cord.

Camo Hats and Booties

These are knit using the worsted weight hat pattern but without the pom-pom. The booties are made from this basic booties pattern . Nurses have told me that military daddies really like these for their baby boys so I always try to include at least a couple of sets when I send a donation package to an army hospital.

Schedule for 2007

The hats and booties I'm knitting now will be mailed USPS Priority Mail on February 9th to ensure they arrive by Valentine's Day the following week.

Other mailing dates I've decided on are:

April 2 for Easter (April 8th) and spring
June 29 for Fourth of July and summer
October 26 for Halloween and autumn
December 19 for Christmas and winter

I haven't chosen the recipient hospitals as yet.

Double Seed-Stitch Preemie Hat and Bootie Pattern

This pattern uses the same basic pattern as the baby cable hats. I used size 2 DPNs and double knitting (sportsweight) yarn.

Cast 48 stitches on three dp needles (16 stitches on each needle).
K1, P1 rib for 6 rounds
Pattern:
Round 1: K2, P2
Round 2: K2, P2
Round 3: P2, K2
Round 4: P2, K2
Repeat for 20 rounds
Decrease as follows, repeating on each needle
Round 1: K6, K2 tog, K6, K2 tog (14 stitches each needle)
Round 2: K5, K2 tog, K5, K2 tog (12 stitches each needle)
Round 3 K4, K2 tog, K4, K2 tog (10 stitches each needle)
Round 4: K3, K2tog, K3, K2 tog (8 stitches each needle)
Round 5: K2 , K2tog, K2, K2 tog (6 stitches each needle)
Round 6: K1, K2 tog, K1, K2 tog (4 stitches each needle)
Round 7: K2 tog, K2 tog (2 stitches each needle)
Round 8: K2 tog (1 stitch each needle)
Make short I-cord, using 3 stitches
Weave in all ends

The bootie pattern I used is this pattern. I made them the smallest size and changed the cuff to double seed stitch as follows:

Round 1: K2, P2
Round 2: K2, P2
Round 3: P2, K2
Round 4: P2, K2

Three Boucle Hats

These three hats were knit using the same pattern as the baby cable hats but using stockinette stitch instead of the pattern stitch.

One More Baby Cable Hat with Booties

Worsted Weight Hats and Booties for Preemies

Here is the pattern for the hats:
Using worsted weight yarn, cast on 36 stitches and divide equally (12 sts on each needle) on three size 3 dp needles.
Knit in K1, P1 rib for six rounds. Knit 16 rounds in stockinette stitch.

Decrease as follows:
Round 1: K4, K2 tog, K4, K2 tog (10 sts each needle)
Round 2: K3, K2 tog, K3, K2 tog (8 sts each needle)
Round 3: K2, K2 tog, K2, K2 tog (6 sts each needle)
Round 4: K1, K2 tog, K1, K2 tog (4 sts each needle)
Round 5: K2 tog, repeat (2 sts each needle)

Gather all stitches and close.
Make pompom and attach to top of hat.

Use this pattern to knit matching booties, using the smallest size.

Pattern for Matching Booties

I used this pattern to knit matching booties, using the smallest size and changing the cuff to the baby cable pattern as follows:

Row 1: (Right side) Knit into the second stitch, pulling the new stitch through but not slipping it off the needle, then knit into the first stitch, and slipping both to the working needle, P2 (on last P, P two together -- 16 sts)
Row 2: K2, P2

Pattern for Baby Cable Hats

These hats and booties use the same pattern stitch. Here are photos of the first three sets I've knit.

This is the pattern for the hats:

I used size 2 DPNs and double knitting (sportsweight) yarn.

Cast 48 stitches on three dp needles (16 stitches on each needle).
K1 in back of first stitch, P second for 8 rounds.
Pattern:
Round 1: K2, P2
Round 2:Knit into the second stitch, pulling the new stitch through but not slipping it off the needle, then knit into the first stitch, and slipping both to the working needle. P2
Repeat for 36 rounds (18 baby cables)
Decrease as follows, repeating on each needle
Round 1: K6, K2 tog, K6, K2 tog (14 stitches each needle)
Round 2: K5, K2 tog, K5, K2 tog (12 stitches each needle)
Round 3 K4, K2 tog, K4, K2 tog (10 stitches each needle)
Round 4: K3, K2tog, K3, K2 tog (8 stitches each needle)
Round 5: K2 , K2tog, K2, K2 tog (6 stitches each needle)
Round 6: K1, K2 tog, K1, K2 tog (4 stitches each needle)
Round 7: K2 tog, K2 tog (2 stitches each needle)
Round 8: K2 tog (1 stitch each needle)
Make short I-cord, using 3 stitches
Weave in all ends