Pixie Bonnet

Pixie Bonnet by Mary Gonzales

Project Overview

The Pixie Bonnet is a newborn-sized knitted hat designed by Mary Gonzales. This downloadable knitting pattern creates a cozy, structured bonnet perfect for infants. The design combines simple stockinette stitch sections with garter stitch detailing to produce a charming, classic bonnet shape suitable for new babies.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a newborn pixie bonnet—a close-fitting hat with a distinctive bonnet silhouette. The finished garment features a flat, folded construction that creates the bonnet's characteristic shape and provides coverage for a baby's head and ears. The bonnet is worked primarily in flat knitting before being seamed together using a three-needle bind-off technique.

Knitting Techniques Used

The Pixie Bonnet employs several fundamental knitting techniques suitable for crafters of various skill levels:

• Garter Stitch: Created by knitting every row, this textured stitch forms the foundation of the bonnet and provides structure and elasticity
• Stockinette Stitch: Alternating knit and purl rows create this classic smooth fabric, used for the main body sections of the bonnet
• Three-Needle Bind-Off: An advanced finishing technique that simultaneously binds off and seams two sets of live stitches together, creating a sturdy, invisible seam. The pattern divides stitches in half on the circular needle and uses a double-pointed needle to knit corresponding stitches from front and back needles together
• Casting On: The pattern begins with a standard cast-on of 32 stitches worked flat on circular needles

Stitches Featured

The pattern utilizes two primary stitches:

• Garter Stitch (Rows 1-3 and Rows 5-6 repeated): Knitting every row creates horizontal ridges and produces a dense, spongy fabric with excellent stretch and recovery—ideal for a bonnet that must fit snugly around a newborn's head
• Stockinette Stitch (Row 4 and alternating rows): Purl rows interspersed with knit rows create the smooth, classic appearance characteristic of stockinette fabric

Materials and Tools

Yarn: The pattern calls for 1 skein of Berroco Kodiak in the Glacier colorway, or any bulky weight yarn on the lighter side of the weight range. Super chunky yarn weight creates quick results and produces a warm, cushy fabric suitable for newborns.

Needles: Size 13 needles are used throughout the project—specifically a 16-inch circular needle for the main body and Size 13 double-pointed needles for the three-needle bind-off finishing technique.

Additional Supplies: A yarn needle for weaving in ends, scissors, and a tape measure for checking measurements are required. An optional stitch marker helps track the beginning of rounds, though this pattern is worked flat rather than in the round.

Pattern Specifications

The Pixie Bonnet is designed for newborn sizing. The pattern begins with a cast-on of 32 stitches and continues until the piece measures 5 inches in length, ending on a wrong-side (purl) row to maintain pattern consistency. The three-needle bind-off technique creates the final seam, transforming the flat rectangle into the bonnet's finished three-dimensional shape.