Hats · Beginner

Baby bonnet

A bonnet is a beanie turned sideways: the cast-on edge with its hem goes round the face from ear to ear, the knitting runs back over the head, and the gathered end closes the back. A short seam below the gather shapes it to the back of the head.

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All steps, charts, sizes and checks (for printing)

Virtual test knit

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Every row of every piece on this page has just been knitted on a model of your machine, for the size, machine and gauge you chose. The model follows each needle's loops through transfers, held needles, hems and cast-offs, then measures the finished pieces.

56 rows and 3,630 stitches knitted, 33 stitches transferred, 0 held-needle passes: no dropped stitch, no hole, no lost loop, every stitch cast off or secured at the end.

Measured on the simulated pieces
Measurement	Should be	Simulated
Front edge, ear to ear	21–23 cm	✓ 22 cm
Depth, front edge to back of the head	11–13 cm	✓ 12.3 cm
Rows end where they started	0–0 rows	✓ 0 rows

The simulation checks the instructions and the arithmetic. Yarn, tension and blocking still differ from knitter to knitter, so knit the gauge swatch first and type in your own numbers. Knitted one? We would love a photo: support@purlbed.com.

Newborn · Single bed, punch card · Gauge (stocking stitch, after steaming): 30 sts × 40 rows

Sizes

Measurement	Newborn	Baby 3–6 months
Front edge, ear to ear over the head	22 cm	25 cm
Depth, front edge to back of the head	12 cm	14 cm

You will need

Yarn: A soft, washable baby yarn (merino or a cotton blend): 4-ply / fingering on a standard machine, DK on mid gauge.

About 15 g in total for this size (an estimate from the area of the pieces; buy a little more).

Also: Tapestry needle, Waste yarn and ravel cord, Transfer tool, Ribbon or yarn for the ties

Gauge swatch first

Cast on 40 needles with waste yarn and knit a few rows. Change to the main yarn and choose a tension that gives a fabric you like (see the starting points below).
Knit 60 rows. Tie a contrast thread to the 11th needle from each side at row 10 and row 50, so the marks are 20 needles and 40 rows apart.
Knit a few rows of waste yarn and take the swatch off. Steam or wash it the way you will treat the finished piece, and let it rest flat for a few hours.
Measure between the marks: stitches in 10 cm = 20 ÷ width in cm × 10, rows in 10 cm = 40 ÷ height in cm × 10. Type the two numbers into the gauge boxes above; that tension is your main tension (MT).

Pieces

Bonnet

Cast on 66 sts, 56 rows. Flat size about 22 × 12.3 cm.

Row by row

Bring 66 needles into work (L33 to R33). Cast on with waste yarn, knit about 10 rows, 1 row of ravel cord, then change to the main yarn. Set RC to 000.
Turned hem: knit 6 rows at MT−1, 1 row at MT+2 (the fold line) and 6 rows at MT−1. Hang the loops of the first main-yarn row (just above the waste yarn) back on the needles, then knit 1 row at MT (RC 014). Remove the waste yarn later.
Knit 40 rows at MT (RC 054).
Move every other stitch onto its neighbour and put the empty needles out of work (66 → 33 sts). Knit 2 rows (RC 056).
Cut the yarn leaving about 30 cm. Thread it through every stitch with a tapestry needle, take the stitches off the needles and pull the top closed.

Bed chart

Row 1 is at the bottom. Arrows mark the transfers; the key under the chart names each colour.

Needle notation

Step 1 at the bottom; only the needles around the changes are shown.

Row sequence (5)

Rows	What the carriage knits	Tension
1–6	Stocking stitch	MT−1
7	Stocking stitch	MT+2
8–13	Stocking stitch	MT−1
14–54	Stocking stitch	MT
55–56	Stocking stitch	MT

Opens a copy of this piece as an editable bed chart in your browser.

Finishing

Pull the gathering yarn tight and fasten it on the inside.
The bonnet is knitted flat: from the gather, sew the two side edges together for about 5 cm with mattress stitch. This seam runs down the back of the head; the rest of the side edges stay open and go round the neck.
Sew a tie (ribbon or a twisted cord) to each front corner, weave in the ends and steam lightly.

Notes and changes

Front edge and depth are starting values from common baby bonnets. If you can, measure the baby over the head from ear to ear and change them in the size boxes.
Keep the ties short, no longer than 25 cm, and take the bonnet off before the baby sleeps.

What the words mean

Short rows (引返): knitting only some of the needles for a few rows while the others wait. The middle grows taller than the sides, which makes a cup: that is how the heel and toe of a sock get their curve.
Hold: the needle position for short rows: a needle pushed all the way forward keeps its stitch and does not knit while the carriage is set to hold.
Turned hem: a neat double edge: knit a strip, then fold it up and hang its first row back on the needles, so the edge is a fold instead of a raw cast-on.
1×1 rib: one stitch on the main bed, one on the ribber, side by side: the stretchy edge of socks, cuffs and hat brims. Needs a ribber or a double bed.
Decrease / increase: making the piece one stitch narrower or wider at the edge. Fully fashioned means moving the 2 edge stitches in (or out) with a transfer tool, so the edge stays smooth for sewing.
Transfer tool: the small hook (1, 2 or 3 prongs) that lifts stitches off needles and puts them on others.
Waste yarn: a few rows in a spare colour knitted before or after the piece and pulled out later, leaving open loops to hang back or sew.
MT (main tension): the tension dial number of your gauge swatch. MT−1 is one number tighter, MT+2 two numbers looser.
RC (row counter): the counter on the carriage. Set it to 000 after casting on; every step says what it should read when the step is done.
L10 / R10: needle numbers, counted outwards from the middle (0) of the needle bed.
Mattress stitch: the usual way to sew knitted pieces together: you catch the bar between the first two stitches on each side, so the seam disappears.
Duplicate stitch: embroidery that follows a knitted stitch's V shape with a needle and a second colour, so the pattern looks knitted in.

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Baby bonnet

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