Lightweight V-Stitch Preemie Beanies – Free Crochet Pattern

This time last year (2017), I shared free crochet patterns for the Chunky-Like Preemie Baby Beanies, and the Chunky-Like Preemie Granny Square Beanie. Around this time, I worked up two of these Lightweight V-Stitch Preemie Beanies, but never got around to completing the set. I figured with Spring upon us now, what better to share than a lightweight, lacy hat pattern with you, especially some as cute as these?!

Materials:
     – Small Amounts of Lightweight (#3) Yarn – I used Baby Bee’s Sweet Delight from my local Hobby Lobby in the Sugarplum (Lavender), Sand Castle (Tan), Mint Charm (Pale Green), and Splash (Bright Blue) colorways 
     – H8/5mm Crochet Hook
     – Tapestry Needle for Weaving in Ends

Material Notes:
     Yarn Alternatives: Red Heart’s Anne Geddes Baby Yarn, Hobby Lobby’s I Love This Sport Yarn


When choosing your yarn, make sure to choose something that you know can withstand being machine washed and dried multiple times, because it most likely will be. Also, you’ll want something that won’t irritate babies skin, so either an acrylic, polyamide, or nylon blend, or any of these in combination with cotton. No wool, and I do not suggest a 100% cotton as these tend to grow a lot, and don’t have any other fiber to help it bounce back.


Spring can also make us think of yellow, but hospitals do not like to put yellow hats on babies because it can make them appear jaundice. 

Time Spent:
     I had the 1-1 1/2 lb and 2-3 lb sizes done in just under 15 minutes each, the 3-5 lb done in just under 20 minutes and the 6-8 lb hat done in just under 30 minutes. That’s less than an hour and a half for all four!

Measurements:
The 1 – 1 1/2 lb size has a crown of 2 1/2″ in diameter, a circumference of nearly 7 7/8″ to fit a head size of 8″ – 9 1/4″, and is 3″ in length.

The 2 – 3 lb size has a crown of 3″ in diameter, a circumference of nearly 9 1/2″ to fit a head size of 9 3/4″ – 11″, and is also 3 1/2″ in length.

The 3 – 5 lb size has a crown of 3 1/2″ in diameter, a circumference of nearly 11″ to fit a head size of 11 1/4″ – 12 3/4″, and is 4 3/8″ in length.

The 6 – 8 lb size has a crown of 4″ in diameter, a circumference of nearly 12 1/2″ to fit a head size of 13″ – 14″, and is 5 3/8″ in length.

*Stretch depends on your yarn brand selected. I feel Sweet Delight has a little more than the usual two inches worth of stretch. Typically, I work my hats two inches smaller than needed to account for the stretch, but following the Preemie Project guidelines, they would like each hat to be just one inch smaller than the given sizes and so I have worked this pattern accordingly.

Gauge:
     15 HDC by 11 Rows = 4″ by 3.5″

Abbreviations:
     – HDC – Half Double Crochet
     – DC – Double Crochet


Special Stitch:
     – V-Stitch – (DC, chain 1, DC)

Pattern Notes:
     Beginning chain 2 does not count as a stitch in the crown, but does in the body of the hat, which will be marked with “counts as a … here and throughout).

Join to the first stitch of each round, unless otherwise stated.

Crown is worked (and written) in a non-traditional manner to help keep seam straight. You will work the last stitch of the round into the same place as the first stitch, however, it will be on the right side of the beginning chain.

Patterns:


1 – 1 1/2 lbs:
     Chain 4. Join to form a ring. Chain 1. Work 9 HDC into the ring. Join. (9 HDC)

R2: Chain 2. DC into the first HDC, 2 DC into each of the next 8 HDCs around, DC into the first HDC. Join. (18 DC)


R3: Chain 2. DC into the first 2 DCs, (2 DC into the next DC, DC into the next DC) 8x, DC into the first DC. Join. (27 DC)

R4: Chain 2 (counts as a double crochet here, and throughout). DC into the 2nd DC, and the next 25. Join. (27 DC)

R5: Chain 3 (counts as a double crochet plus chain 1 here, and throughout). DC into the 1st DC, [skip the next 2 DC, (DC, chain 1, DC) into the next DC] 8x. Join to the 2nd chain. (9 V-Stitches)


R6: Slip stitch into the next chain space. Chain 3. DC into the same chain space, [(DC, chain 1, DC) into the next chain space of the previous v-stitch] 8x. Join to the 2nd chain. (9 V-Stitches)

R7: Chain 2. DC into each chain space, and DC around. Join. (27 DC)

Fasten Off and Weave in Ends.

2 – 3 lbs:
     Chain 5. Join to form a ring. Chain 2. Work 10 DC into the ring. Join. (10 DC)

R2: Chain 2. DC into the first DC, 2 DC into each of the next 9 DCs around, DC into the first DC. Join. (20 DC)

R3: Chain 2. DC into the first 2 DCs, (2 DC into the next DC, DC into the next DC) 9x, DC into the first DC. Join. (30 DC)

R4: Chain 2 (counts as a double crochet here, and throughout). DC into the 2nd DC, and the next 28. Join. (30 DC)

R5: Chain 3 (counts as a double crochet plus chain 1 here, and throughout). DC into the 1st DC, [skip the next 2 DC, (DC, chain 1, DC) into the next DC] 9x. Join to the 2nd chain. (10 V-Stitches)


R6: Slip stitch into the next chain space. Chain 3. DC into the same chain space, [(DC, chain 1, DC) into the next chain space of the previous v-stitch] 9x. Join to the 2nd chain. (10 V-Stitches)

R7: Chain 1 (doesn’t count as a stitch). HDC into the 1st DC, and into each chain space, and DC around. (30 HDC)

Fasten Off and Weave in Ends.

3 – 5 lbs:
     Chain 4. Join to form a ring. Chain 1. Work 9 HDC into the ring. Join. (9 HDC)

R2: Chain 2. DC into the first HDC, 2 DC into each of the next 8 HDCs around, DC into the first HDC. Join. (18 DC)


R3: Chain 2. DC into the first 2 DCs, (2 DC into the next DC, DC into the next DC) 8x, DC into the first DC. Join. (27 DC)


R4: Chain 2. DC into the first 3 DCs, (2 DC into the next DC, DC into each of the next 2 DC) 8x, DC into the first DC. Join. (36 DC)

R5: Chain 2 (counts as a double crochet here, and throughout). DC into the 2nd DC, and the next 34. Join. (36 DC)

R6: Chain 3 (counts as a double crochet plus chain 1 here, and throughout). DC into the 1st DC, [skip the next 2 DC, (DC, chain 1, DC) into the next DC] 11x. Join to the 2nd chain. (12 V-Stitches)


R7 – 9: Slip stitch into the next chain space. Chain 3. DC into the same chain space, [(DC, chain 1, DC) into the next chain space of the previous v-stitch] 11x. Join to the 2nd chain. (12 V-Stitches)

R10: Chain 2. DC into each chain space, and DC around. Join. (36 DC)

Fasten Off and Weave in Ends.

6 – 8 lbs:
     Chain 5. Join to form a ring. Chain 2. Work 11 DC into the ring. Join. (11 DC)

R2: Chain 2. DC into the first DC, 2 DC into each of the next 10 DCs around, DC into the first DC. Join. (22 DC)

R3: Chain 2. DC into the first 2 DCs, (2 DC into the next DC, DC into the next DC) 10x, DC into the first DC. Join. (33 DC)


R4: Chain 2. DC into the first 3 DCs, (2 DC into the next DC, DC into each of the next 2 DC) 10x, DC into the first DC. Join. (44 DC)


R5: Chain 2 (counts as a double crochet here, and throughout). DC into the 2nd DC, and the next 43 (which includes one into the first stitch to count as an increase). Join. (45 DC)

R6: Chain 3 (counts as a double crochet plus chain 1 here, and throughout). DC into the 1st DC, [skip the next 2 DC, (DC, chain 1, DC) into the next DC] 14x. Join to the 2nd chain. (15 V-Stitches)


R7 – 11: Slip stitch into the next chain space. Chain 3. DC into the same chain space, [(DC, chain 1, DC) into the next chain space of the previous v-stitch] 14x. Join to the 2nd chain. (15 V-Stitches)

R8: Chain 1 (doesn’t count as a stitch). HDC into the 1st DC, and into each chain space, and DC around. (45 HDC)

Fasten Off and Weave in Ends.

A set of these hats work up in less than an hour and a half, and don’t take much yarn. Please take time to work up at least a set, and send in to either The Preemie Project or your local baby hospital.

Please feel free to make and sell your own Lightweight V-Stitch Preemie Beanies using this pattern, but please DO NOT claim this pattern as your own nor should you sell my pattern, and DO NOT re-publish my photos as your own. DO NOT copy and paste my pattern anywhere, link to it instead.