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I knit a Baby Bear Balaclava for one of Kenji’s friends’ birthdays. One drawback of meeting a lot of babies around the same age is that they all have birthdays around the same time! So that means that Tomiko and I are knitting lots of cute and cozy baby hats.
One concern that comes up among other moms that I’ve met is how to keep our babies’ necks warm. Scarves are a choking hazard, so initially I thought of knitting cowls or neckwarmers. However, a balaclava is a great option because it is also a hat that a baby will have a hard time ripping off! This Baby Bear Balaclava by Pernille Larsen is super cute because of the little bear ears.
The pattern calls for sport weight yarn. I used 1.25 skeins of of Naturally Soft Merino by MillaMia, a gorgeous sport-weight yarn that is super soft and pill-resistant. Importantly for a baby, however, it is machine-washable!
I knit the 12-24 month size since I wanted to make sure that this balaclava would fit for this winter and maybe the next. My gauge is normally loose, so I used 2.75 mm needles for this pattern. I had some trouble with following the pattern due to various stitch marker placement, but Knitting For Olive is very responsive email-wise. So if you have any questions, feel free to email for assistance!
The balaclava construction is quite interesting: first you knit the face ribbing. Then with short row shaping, you knit the head shape and ears. The Baby Bear Balaclava uses German short rows for the shaping. I am well-versed in wrap and turn short rows, so this was a bit of an adjustment for me. Also, I initially felt doubtful that the ears would work out as I was knitting them. However, with a bit of shaping and then grafting, they ended up adorable!
After finishing the head, you knit the ribbed neck, and finally the front and back bib, which you shape with more short rows. To finish it all off, the pattern calls for an Italian bind off. I’m not sure if it’s the same, but I used a tubular bind off instead. It creates a neat but stretchy finish for 1×1 ribbing. I found this tutorial by Shibui Knits really helpful.
Get the Baby Bear Balaclava pattern by Pernille Larsen on Ravelry here.
Check out our other baby knits here:
- Hosenmatz Pants by Mayumi Kaliciak and Antje Litzmann
- Marshmallow Baby Set by Lilia Vanini
- Baby Brights Tights by Lion Brand Yarn
- Teddy Bear Sweater by Marta Porcel
- Bayside Beanie by Stacey McCrea Warner
- Doe Cap by Jenny Gordy
- Remi Cardigan by EweKnit
Aww! How adorable is that! Perfect to keep little one’s warm. x
Such a sweet hat. Thanks for linking with #pocolo
The balaclava is almost as cute at the model!! Thanks for sharing at My Big Fat Menopausal Life’s Share the Wealth party!! I’m so glad you joined!
Perfect solution! And something like it would be perfect for anyone who doesn’t like a cold neck.
Thanks for adding this to the FWF party 🙂
Rachelle
Just so adorable, and so wonderfully functional! thanks so much for sharing on craft schooling sunday!
[…] through March, perfect for gifting handknits! Last year I knit everyone hats (including the Baby Bear Balaclava). Many of those hats still fit their recipients this winter. So this year, I decided to knit other […]