Nutmeg Pixie

Nutmeg Pixie Hat by Fox and Folk

Project Overview

The Nutmeg Pixie is a beginner-friendly knitted hat designed by Fox and Folk, available in four infant sizes: newborn, 6 months, 9 months, and 12 months. This downloadable PDF pattern creates a classic pixie-style hat perfect for babies and young toddlers.

What is Being Made

A fitted pixie hat for infants, constructed using circular knitting techniques. The hat is worked from the crown downward in the round, starting with a small cast-on that increases to shape the crown and head opening.

Knitting Techniques Used

• Circular knitting in the round – The hat is worked using either double-pointed needles (DPNs) or the magic loop method with circular needles for seamless construction
• Increases – Both right-leaning (M1R) and left-leaning (M1L) make-one increases are used to shape the crown and expand the hat
• Decreases – Knit two together (K2tog) and slip, slip, knit (SSK) decreases are employed for shaping
• Stitch marker placement – Markers track the beginning of rounds and pattern repeats throughout the knitting

Stitches Used

• Knit stitch (K) – The primary stitch forming the fabric
• Purl stitch (P) – Used for textural variation
• Knit two together (K2tog) – Right-leaning decrease
• Slip, slip, knit (SSK) – Left-leaning decrease for balanced shaping
• Make 1 Right (M1R) – Increase worked by inserting the left needle into the bar between stitches from the back and knitting into the front
• Make 1 Left (M1L) – Increase worked by inserting the left needle into the bar between stitches from the front and knitting into the back

Materials and Tools

Yarn: Fingering weight yarn is required, with yardage ranging from 115 to 165 yards (105 to 151 meters) depending on the size being knitted. This lightweight yarn creates a delicate, well-fitting hat suitable for infant wear.

Needles: Two needle sizes are used for this pattern. US 3/3.25 mm needles (available as DPNs or 9" circulars, or 24" circulars for magic loop method) are used for the main fabric. US 2/2.75 mm needles in the same configuration are used for ribbed sections or finishing details.

Notions: Stitch markers are essential for tracking the beginning of rounds and pattern repeats. A yarn needle is needed for weaving in ends upon completion.

Gauge and Sizing

The pattern is worked at a gauge of 14 stitches over 2 inches (5 cm) in width and 11 rows over 1 inch (2.5 cm) in height. Achieving the correct gauge is important for proper fit across the four infant sizes offered.

Construction Method

The hat begins with a small cast-on of 6 stitches joined in the round, with careful attention paid to avoid twisting stitches at the join. A stitch marker is placed at the beginning of the round and slipped throughout the work to maintain round integrity. This crown-down construction allows for easy customization and a seamless finish.