Knit Bayside Beanie and Free Pattern by Stacey McCrea Warner

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One of our friends had a baby at the beginning of October, and so I decided to knit him a hat! I chose to knit the Bayside Beanie by Stacey McCrea Warner, since it’s so cute with its top knot! This is a free pattern that comes in Baby and Toddler sizes. It’s quick to knit, since baby heads are small and the yarn is thick.

To knit the hat, I used just under one skein of Zegna Baruffa Merinos Otto, an aran weight yarn that I bought at the Canadian Textile Museum Bazaar. I only had one colour, Olive Green, in my stash. However, I would have loved to make the hat striped had I had two colours!

The hat is easy enough for beginners, while throwing in some fun techniques. You knit the hat in the round, and the hat has a rolled brim instead of ribbing. The body is just plain stockinette, so you could also add in your own colourwork, simple lace, or cables if you want. Then after you knit the decreases, you knit the I-cord topknot. I suppose you could knit that little topknot as long as you want, but I stopped after about 10 cm. This also makes binding off really easy!

As my knitting gauge is always loose, I used 4.0 mm needles instead of the suggested 4.5 mm ones. This made the hat turn out slightly larger after blocking. However, a hat that is slightly too big is better than one that is slightly too small. Especially for a growing baby!

Get the free pattern for the Bayside Beanie on Ravelry here.

Check out other baby hats I knit and crocheted:

• Doe Cap
• Toddler Turban
• Toddler Earflap Hat