Toddler Winter Wear

Got another commission from a friend who wanted a hat and scarf set for her toddler. Apparently stuff in stores isn't really fitting. She was looking for gloves as well, but crochet does not seem to be able to deal with making fingers that small as I found plenty of fingerless options and mittens.

I decided to make this Toddler Cabled Slouchy Beanie by AllAboutAmi. I've been thinking about making an adult one for myself after the chunky one was so fun to make, so I had my eye on the pattern for a while. Calls for a 4.00 mm G hook** and Lion Brand Heartland Yarn. I decided to go with one of the Tweed colorways called Mount Rainier Tweed which is a light gray with flecks of other colors. The extra colors made it bit more whimsical for a kid, I thought, and might match with a lot more outfits.

made this much progress at school

I started working on this at my husband's school where he teaches. I got the band done in about 40 minutes and then got a little over two of the cable sets done while watching the school's girl varsity soccer game. So I would say I got about 1/3 through the project in about 3 hours. Since there are more cables than the chunky beanie, and since the hook and yarn is much smaller, I knew it would take longer.

Hat ready for pom pom made with the wooden fork.

I managed to finish the hat and add the pom the next day in about 5 more hours. For such a detailed looking hat, I am very happy with that amount of time. I do think it came out pretty cute, but still doubt my color choice a little bit.

Finished!

Note**: You might remember, from my old post, that we learned that G hooks have changed thickness, from old hooks with 4.25mm to new hooks with 4.00mm. I bought a new one in 4.00 for the Autumn Diamond Gloves, but never used it since I had started with a 4.25mm on that project and didn't want to switch hook thicknesses. Glad I got to use the new one for this pattern!

Time to complete the hat: 8 hours
Difficulty: Intermediate

Next Up: I thought I might try to make a cabled scarf to match. I came up with the pattern below. It has a raised edging row and a center cable and is done over 14 stitches to keep it thinner for smaller bodies.

Cabled Toddle Scarf: Using a 5mm hook and same yarn. Chain 2 for turn counts as dc!
Chain 16, turn and dc in second chain from hook, 14 dc across.
 *optional second start: Or do 14 foundation chain dc, chain 2 and turn.
Row 1 (right side): 2dc, 1 fpdc, 2dc, skip next 2 dc, 2 fptc in next 2 dc, go back and do 2 fptc in ones you skipped, 2dc, 1 fpdc, 2dc, chain 2, turn
Row 2 (wrong side): 2dc, 1 bpdc, 2dc, 4 bpdc, 2dc, 1 bpdc, 2dc, chain 2, turn
Row 3 (right side): 2dc, 1 fpdc, 2dc, 4 fpdc, 2dc, 1 fpdc, 2 dc, chain 2, turn
Row 4 (wrong side): 2dc, 1 bpdc, 2 dc, 4 bpdc, 2dc, 1 bpdc, 2dc, chain 2, turn
Repeat Rows 1-4 till reaching desired length or about 40 inches.

Rows 1-5 of my cabled scarf.

I got through the first 5 rows and although I liked the pattern and the design it made, I decided that the flecking and color made it all but impossible to see the cable or edging detail. Since it was a lot of work to do it, I decided to rip it out and go with a more standard stitch. But I have a feeling I will work this pattern again at some point!

I decided to try out the Ribbed Picot Stitch scarf by Delia I found on Ravelry. I shared a picture with the client and she liked it. I liked the picot edging detail and the keyhole to help keep it on an active kid. I've seen this toddler in action and she loves to climb and run, so perhaps this will be a good feature. Not sure if it really matches the hat in style, but it certainly is cute and fun.

I started off as suggested with chaining 91... It came out pretty short, even for a tiny person. Then I realized I was still using my 5.00mm hook, not the 5.5mm as suggested. Perhaps that bit of extra would help, so I started over. Still think it is a bit short but it is for a short person.

This scarf too less than half a skein. I can see how it could easily be adapted for larger people. It took maybe 2 hours to do. Maybe. I do like how it came out and since it is a shorter scarf I can see it easily being tucked in a coat and certainly never trailing on the ground collecting dirt. I hope they both work out!

Time to complete the scarf: Maybe 2 hours, but I bet it is a little less.
Difficulty: Easy

Finished Pieces!