Baby Fruit Hat

I’ve often thought it would be nice to have a fruit hat to go with the popular Baby Raglan-Sleeve Sweater pattern we sell in the shop.

Well, here it is!

This is a basic roll-bottom hat made with the same Cherub DK that you use for the sweater. As a matter of fact, you can knit the hat out of the yarn that remains from making the sweater. All you need is a small amount of the Cherub in green for stems and leaves. The two hats I made were a grape and a blueberry.

Basic Hat Pattern

Cast on 80 sts on a #5 16-inch circular needle.

Knit until piece measures 5 inches long, unrolled.

Begin decreasing as follows, changing to double-pointed needles when necessary:

Row 1: Knit 8 st then knit two stitches together. Repeat until you have finished the row.

Row 2: Knit entire row around.

Row 3: Knit 7 st then knit two together. Repeat around to end of row.

Row 4: Knit.

Row 5: Knit 6 st, knit two together. Repeat to end of row.

Row 6: Knit.

Row 7: Knit 5 st, K2tog. Repeat to end of row.

Row 8: Knit.

Row 9: Knit 4 st, K2tog. Repeat to end of row.

Row 10: Knit.

Row 11: Knit 3 st, K2tog. Repeat to end of row.

Row 12: Knit 2 st, K2tog. Repeat to end of row.

Row 13: Knit 1 st, K2tog. Repeat to end of row.

Row 14: K2tog all the way around.

Grape Variation

Change to green yarn and knit the remaining 8 sts for two rounds.

K2tog around.

Place the remaining 4 sts on one needle and knit as I-cord for 7 rows.

K2tog twice

I-cord the remaining 2 sts for 1 inch.

K2tog and knit last stitch for 1 inch.

Break the yarn, leaving 8 inches of tail, and pass tail through remaining stitch.

Thread the tail through the I-cord and down through the top of the hat.

Pull on the end gently to form a spiral.

Secure the vine to the top of the hat in a few places.

Sew in ends.

Blueberry Variation

Change to green yarn and knit remaining 8 sts for about an inch.

Break yarn and draw the end through the loops.

Leaf

Cast on 3sts.

Purl one row and all even numbered rows.

Row 1: K1, M1, Sl1, M1, K1.

Row 3: K2, M1, Sl1, M1, K2.

Row 5: K3, M1, Sl1, M1, K3.

Row 7: K4, M1, Sl1, M1, K4.

Row 9: K5, M1, Sl1, M1, K5.

Row 11: K6, M1, Sl1, M1, K6.

Beginning on the next knit row (Row 13), work the next 10 rows as follows:

Row 1: K7, Sl1, K7.

Row 2: Purl.

When the ten rows are complete:

Begin decreasing again, purling all even-numbered rows:

Row 1: K6, Sl2 knitwise, K1, pass slipped stitches over, K6.

Row 3: K5, Sl2 knitwise, K1, pass slipped stitches over, K5.

Row 5: K4, Sl2 knitwise, K1, pass slipped stitches over, K4.

Row 7: K3, Sl2 knitwise, K1, pass slipped stitches over, K3.

Row 9: K2, Sl2 knitwise, K1, pass slipped stitches over, K2.

Row 11: K1, Sl2 knitwise, K1, pass slipped stitches over, K1.

Break the yarn and draw it through the remaining 3 sts.

Steam the leaf to flatten it out and sew it to the top of the hat any way you like.