Okay, I held off for as long as I could. But we're nearly halfway through September, Arkansas's heat wave is nearly gone, and it is just plain time to start talking about pumpkin things. Actual pumpkins, pumpkin-flavored drinks, pumpkin recipes--I love them all. But it wasn't until I had my daughter a couple of years ago that I learned of the wonderful world of pumpkin hats.
I love a good theme hat, obviously. But a pumpkin hat? Oh man. Knock me over with a skein of sock yarn. I cannot handle that kind of cute. One of the very first times I successfully followed a hat pattern was when I made my little girl a pumpkin hat. I was super motivated because there was no way I was going to take her to the pumpkin patch without a hand knitted pumpkin hat.
 |
| Oh look, it's all my dreams coming true in one chilly afternoon. Also, holy crappy decrease stitches, Batman! |
My little girl's hat still fits her, but I wanted to try out the Punkin' Patch hat from Warm Hats for Wee Noggins because this pattern has a leaf AND a tendril. Besides, I rationalized to myself, I have a friend at work who loves pumpkins and this would be really precious on her granddaughter. And you guys, this little hat did not disappoint.
I love it!
As always, I went down a needle size (to a Size 7) because of my gauge, but that's it. And that's not even really a mod. Everything about this adorable little creation is perfect. It calls for your standard worsted weight yarn, and I used some Red Heart and Vanna's Choice along with scraps for the leaf and tendril.
It doesn't hurt a bit, I swear! Since there's only three rows of knitting with two colors, and the hat itself is so small, this would be an excellent introduction to stranded knitting for a beginner. And, it's adorable. Just stinking adorable.
As you can tell, this hat will fit a head slightly larger than a pie pumpkin.
I knit this in the 12 months size, but Warm Hats for Wee Noggins includes instructions for 3 preemie sizes and 3 full-term sizes with each pattern. This could be a lovely little hat for any small person--especially those little folks who need warmth the most!
I really love this hat. I love the way you knit the stem. I love that the leaf is lighter than the stem. I love that the tendril ..... exists. Seriously, even if you don't have the yarn to make the leaf a lighter green than the stem, please find a tiny bit of scrap yarn to make this tendril. It's an itty bitty amount of knitting and it's all curly and adorable and the perfect thing to add to a perfect hat for a perfectly adorable baby. You just have to. Promise me.
I realize I sound a bit silly but I take my silly hats very seriously. It's nearly fall and the pumpkins are here.
More importantly, so are the pumpkin hats!
Thank you. I still knit for my hospital's NICU and I still make at least 4=6 pumpkin hats a year for Halloween for our little Littles. This pattern will always be a "labor of love" for me!
How wonderful! I'm sure they're well-appreciated.