How to crochet a baby hat

I wrote these instructions at http://www.ehow.com/how_4532049_crochet-adorable-baby-hat-quick.html on how to make a baby hat with

• soft yarn
• crochet hook
• scissors
• tapestry needle

First, pick your yarn. If you know the gender of the baby, a blue or green color yarn is good for a boy, while pink and purple work nicely for a girl. Keep in mind, an itchy yarn won't be comfortable for a little one, so try to pick something soft. A yarn that is specifically made for babies is one way to choose your yarn.

Step2

Now, you can start crocheting. Take your yarn, and place it with the tail end pointing towards you. Put the crochet hook on top. Now, take the tail end and wrap it up and over the hook. You should now have the tail end pointing back at you, and the rest of the yarn pointing out away from you. Take the yarn from the ball of yarn and wrap it over the hook from back to front, then pull that yarn through the loop already on the hook. Pull tight, leaving a bit of room to continue crocheting.

Step3

Next, make a chain of three. Then you can decide to either Double Crochet or Half Double Crochet. Half double crochet will be thicker. Whichever you decide, you will do five more in the third chain away from the hook, or the first chain you created. This creates 6 HDC/DC's with the two chains acting as the first HDC/DC. Slip Stitch into the top of that chain.

Step4

Chain two. HDC or DC twice in every stitch, you should have 12 stitches altogether, slip stitch at the beginning to close.

Step5

Chain two. HDC or DC once in the next stitch and then twice in the stitch after that, repeat across. You will have 18 stitches at the end, slip stitch to close.

Step6

Chain two. HDC or DC once in the next two stitches, and twice in the next stitch. Repeat across. You will have 24 HDC's or DC's, slip stitch in the top chain to close.

Step7

Chain two. HDC or DC once in the next three stitches, and twice in the next stitch. Repeat across. You will have 30 stitches altogether. Slip stitch to close.

Step8

Chain two. This time you will HDC or DC once in every stitch. You will have the same number of stitches as the last row. Repeat this for two more rows, to add some length to your baby hat.

Step9

Now you can finish the hat by giving it a pretty edging. A simple edging for a boy is to do a single crochet around and slip stitch when you get back to the first stitch. For a girl you can do a simple ruffle edge. Chain three, single crochet in the next stitch. Chain three and single crochet again. Do this across. When you get back to the beginning, chain three, then slip stitch in the first chain you made.

Step10

Fasten off the yarn by taking your hook out and placing it into the loop facing the opposite direction. Now cut the yarn and pull up a loop pulling all the way through, nice and tight. Use the tapestry needle or the crochet hook to weave the yarn back into the hat. Trim the yarn down to about an inch and a half, you don't want to leave too much yarn, since this is for a baby. Remember to weave the yarn at the top of the hat now as well. Your hat is now finished.

Tips and Warnings

• For a boy you might want to do a front post back post double crochet edge. Simply, chain two, then insert your hook into the front post and double crochet in it. The next stitch you would go through the back and do a double crochet. Alternate this around. Slip stitch when you get back to the first two chains.
• Don't be afraid to add cute little embellishments or experiment with different colors of yarn.
• Variegated yarns can make interesting gifts. I have noticed that a blue variegated yarn can work up to look like blue camo.
• Try using two different colors at once.
• Crochet a little flower and sew it onto the hat for a baby girl.
• Don't add anything that could pose a hazard to a baby.
• No beads or strings.