NEWLY updated and revised AND available for in-store pattern purchase.

Here are some excellent resources for determining what size hat you need:

Head Circumference Size Guides:

• Craft Yarn Council - Basic guide - if you download the PDF and want to print the portion that contains the chart, print page 9. Additional baby/child size charts are on page 6.

• Bev’s Country Cottage - Pretty much everything you need to know if you knit knit hats for babies/children. On Ravelry, you can find her patterns here. Quoted below, emphasis mine.

Head/hat Size Chart - knitted or crocheted hats should be made about 1- 1 1/2” smaller around than the head circumference, as the hats should stretch and sizes are not an exact science! If you make it, someone will fit into it.

Janet’s Recommendation:
Knit a swatch hat by casting on for the smallest size, bearing in mind that the smallest size might have to be knit on DPNs (or Magic Loop or Two Circulars). For me, 72 stitches requires DPNs - it’s my preference. Because I typically do not like to knit baby hats on anything other than sport/DK, this means if I’m casting on 72 stitches, the hat will generally fit a newborn.

Using the guidelines from the Craft Yarn Council, on their Head Circumference Chart, here is a way to determine what your finished hat might measure:

Baby - 14” circumference means the finished hat might measure between 12” to 13” in circumference

Toddler - 16” circumference means the finished hat might measure between 14” to 15” in circumference

Child - 18” circumference means the finished hat might measure between 16” - 17” in circumference