Our granddaughter Zara Rose was born to my stepdaughter Melody and her husband Jeff on November 20, 2013. Since they live in chilly Vermont, I knew that she could use a warm winter hat and decided to create one to give to her on her first Christmas. What better design to have on a precious little girl’s hat than a series of hearts, separated by a row of peek-a-boo eyelets to provide some accent without taking away warmth (after all, every little child loves to play peek-a-boo!) When planning what size to make the hat, I decided to make it a size that would be appropriate for a child that is between the ages of one and four, so that Zara could grow into it soon and also be able to wear it for a few years.

For anyone who wishes to make a smaller or larger hat, the pattern could be adapted by knitting it in DK or sport weight yarn to fit a newborn or toddler, or in a bulkier weight yarn for an older child or an adult. The total yardage for knitting this hat with suggested yarn and needles is between 150-200 yards, so you would choose between 75-100 yards of two different colors, and you can use scraps of a third color for the center of the duplicate stitched flower buds. (These yardage estimates may be generous, but will ensure that you have enough yarn to complete the hat.)

While I didn’t include this in the pattern instructions, you may also choose to weave a contrasting color yarn through the eyelets, as I did on the second hat. I think this makes a nice touch!

This pattern could be used as a learning tool, as it incorporates several different techniques such as knitting in the round, knitting from simple charts, two-color stranded knitting, yarn-over stitches (for the eyelets), making an i-chord, and duplicate stitches. Please email me directly on Ravelry if you have any questions about the pattern. I hope you enjoy making this hat!