Kitty hat

Kitty Hat for Blythe Doll

What Is Being Made

The Kitty Hat for Blythe Doll is a small-scale knitted hat designed specifically for collectible Blythe dolls and similar fashion dolls. This downloadable knitting pattern by designer Anna Kibalchich-Poda from BannAnnaBears accommodates two different doll head sizes, making it versatile for various doll types including Neo Blythe, Icy dolls, American Girl dolls, Middie Blythe, Holala, Pipita, and Hachichi dolls. The hat features decorative ties and pompons, giving it a charming, playful aesthetic suited to doll fashion and accessories.

Techniques Used

This beginner-level knitting pattern employs fundamental knitting techniques appropriate for crafters new to the craft. The pattern utilizes increases and decreases to shape the hat structure, including left lifted increases (LLI) and right lifted increases (RLI) for expanding stitches, as well as decrease stitches that lean directionally—slip, slip, knit (ssk) for left-leaning decreases and knit 2 together (K2tog) for right-leaning decreases. The pattern also incorporates purl-based decreases (ssp and P2tog) for shaping. Selvage stitches are used to create clean edges on the finished piece. The pattern includes repeat sequences indicated by parentheses and multiplication notation, allowing crafters to work sections systematically.

Stitches Used

• Knit (K) – the fundamental stitch creating the primary fabric texture
• Purl (P) – the reverse of the knit stitch, used for texture variation and shaping
• Selvage stitch (slst) – edge stitches for neat finishing
• Left lifted increase (LLI) – an increase method that leans left
• Right lifted increase (RLI) – an increase method that leans right
• Slip, slip, knit (ssk) – a left-leaning decrease stitch
• Knit 2 together (K2tog) – a right-leaning decrease stitch
• Slip, slip, purl (ssp) – a left-leaning purl decrease
• Purl 2 together (P2tog) – a right-leaning purl decrease

Materials and Tools

The pattern calls for fingering weight yarn in a 3-ply or 4-ply weight category. The recommended yarn is ALIZE Atlas, a blend of 49% wool and 51% polyester with a yardage of 250 meters per 50 grams (approximately 273 yards per 1.76 ounces). Notably, the yarn is knit using two threads simultaneously, effectively doubling the yarn weight for appropriate fabric density on the small doll scale.

Two needle sizes are required depending on the doll's head circumference:

• 3 mm needles (US size 2 ½) – for larger dolls with a 28 cm (11 inch) head diameter, such as Neo Blythe, Icy dolls, and American Girl dolls
• 2 mm needles (US size 0) – for smaller dolls with a 20 cm (7.87 inch) head diameter, such as Middie Blythe, Holala, Pipita, and Hachichi dolls

Decorative finishing elements include ties and pompons for embellishment. Alternatively, crafters may create these decorative elements themselves using a 2 mm crochet hook if preferred, adding a personalized touch to the finished hat.