Caps for Kids

A local charity sent out a plea for warm winter hats for a schoolful of children. For me, this was an opportunity to develop some new patterns and explore techniques.

Ready to knit up some caps on the fly? Here are some Design Guidelines. Also check my Original Patterns page for more hat designs.

Patterns for Kids' Caps

[Click on photo to go to pattern]

Two-needle Garter Stitch Caps

This is a super-easy pattern, suitable for teaching beginning knitters. It's done in garter-stitch on two needles and uses short rows to shape the top. The pattern can be adapted to different yarn gauges and hat sizes by altering the number of sections knitted.
[Two caps from the same pattern in worsted- and bulky-weight yarns.]

Cabled Cap

Revised 6 March 2003 Shown here in a sportweight wool, to fit a small child, this can be made to fit larger heads by using thicker yarn or by adding to the number of cables. The tapering at the top is done by gradually reducing the size of the cables.
[A cabled cap in red.]

Three-flower Pattern Hat

This bulky-weight rolled-brim cap is quick to knit, with a cheerful color pattern by Barbara Walker.
[Flower pattern from Barbara Walker, in bulky yarn.]

Ribbed Cap with variations

A basic Knit 2 Purl 2 rib can produce several styles of caps
[Stripes add interest to this version.]
[Stripes add interest to this version.]

Simplest of All

Quickly knitted in bulky or worsted weight, here's a simple stockinette beanie style cap with optional contrast stripes, and spiral crown decreases

Tip: Make your own needles!

Inexpensive double-point needles for these caps can be made from wooden dowels, available at crafts or home improvement stores. A 3/16 inch dowel is approximately a needle size 8, and a 1/4 inch dowel is about size 10 1/2. Simply cut to the length you like (I like about 9 or 10 inches for caps), sharpen the ends in a pencil sharpener, and sand smooth with #220 sandpaper. A 36-inch dowel costs less than a dollar and will make three or four needles; you'll need 4 or 5 needles to knit a cap in the round.

Posted 26 January 2003 Contact: jgibson@cts.com.

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Judy Gibson, Descanso, California.
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