Guidelines for making knitted and crocheted baby items for Love Thy Baby
1. Use very soft yarns which have no wool content. 2 and 3-ply yarns are best for hats and booties since newborn skin is so delicate.
4-ply yarn is too bulky, except for afghans.
2. Be cautious about keeping your items clean for the babies.
If items have been exposed to allergens such as perfumes, smoke, animal hair, etc.,
wash (with little or scent free soap) and dry them. Put in plastic bags for delivery.
3. Your booties and hats should have some give and be stretchy.
If you tend to knit or crochet tightly, try a bigger hook/needle.
4. You may want to size most items for larger preemies and full size newborns.
Remember that these little ones grow very fast. Parkland has said that they
fold up a cuff to make a hat smaller when it is too big.
5. If you make hats with booties, size them for matched sets:
preemie size hat with preemie size booties and
newborn size hat with newborn size booties.
6. To keep your booties together, use a yarn needle with a short piece of contrasting yarn
and tie a bow to secure. If matched to a hat, put the booties inside the hat and tie
through the hat and booties.
7. Consider making your afghans about 30" to 36" wide, so they can be used
for a longer time. A generous size is about 36" x 40"
8. Here's a baby measurement chart that may be used for size guidelines:
weight head circumference chest length foot length
3 - 5 lbs. 12-1/2" - 13-1/2" 10-1/2" - 12" 15" - 17" 2-1/2" - 3"
6 lbs. plus 14" - 15" 12" - 14" 17" - 21" 3-1/2" - 4"
9. Please make hats 5” to 6” tall, not including the turned up brim.
To prevent unnecessary trauma, very tiny babies are usually not dressed, so generally, there is
greater need for preemie hats that are sized 12-1/2” or so. Newborn hats sized about 14” for full
term babies are the most needed.
The internet is a great source for patterns. Just keep our measurement guidelines in mind. Some
of our favorite sites:
bevscountrycottage.com – contains many links to other sites
ravelry.com – a knitting and crocheting community, with many free patterns
