CPAP-hat, sideways

A hat for premature infants, knit sideways, with straps to make sure the hat stays on the head. Especially useful for CPAP-treatment, since tubes equipment can be fastened to the hat.

This model require some sewing, but the result is a very elastic hat to fit well on baby's head.

The hat is made in garter-stitch, and you need to count ridges (2 rows make a ridge) to determine the size.
There are 5 sizes. The smallest size works for 7-800 grams babies, the biggest one for a small (3 kg) newborn.

You need: 4 ply cotton. For each hat you need 10-20 grams of yarn (35 - 75 meters) and needles size 2.5 mm - 3.0 mm.

Construction: Shaping the hat is done by increasing at one end, decreasing at the other end of the work. After some time, you switch increases and decreases to the opposite ends. The hat will end up having a zig-zag shape, and by sewing in specific places it will turn out to become a nice hat.

Technique: To make one, you can either pick up the strand between stitches and knit through back loop. This is difficult on the first row, though. I prefer a yarn-over, in witch the loop is twisted to prevent holes. (you can also make a yarn-over, then knit through back loop on next row)

Increasing to the left:
First row; knit 1, knit 2 together, knit to the last stitch, make 1, knit 1.
Second row; knit 20-22-25-27-30 stitches.

Increasing to the right:
First row; knit 1, make 1, knit to last 3 stitches, knit 2 together, knit 1.
Second row; knit 20-22-25-27-30 stitches.

Pattern: Cast on 20-22-25-27-30 stitches.
Knit the 2 rows of "Increasing to the left" 8-9-10-11-12 times
Knit the 2 rows of "Increasing to the right" 8-9-10-11-12 times
Knit the 2 rows of "Increasing to the left" 5-5-6-6-7 times
Knit the 2 rows of "Increasing to the right" 5-5-6-6-7 times
Knit the 2 rows of "Increasing to the left" 8-9-10-11-12 times
Knit the 2 rows of "Increasing to the right" 8-9-10-11-12 times
Cast off.

Sew the edge of the hat together as shown on bottom picture; green on green, pink on pink and yellow on yellow.
Sew the cast on and cast off edge together.

Straps: Using a suitable size of crochet-hook, begin at one the 2 broader "points" at the bottom of the hat, make 50 chain-stitches. Turn and work 50 slip stitches back. Weave in ends.

Voila - a hat! Now you can try one of the other sizes....

When I make a hat, I pick up stitches on the cast-on edge and knit cast-on and cast-off together, using a three-needle cast-off. The first times, sewing is better, because you need to understand which sides to sew together.