Baby hats for NICU

Several years ago, after I "relearned" to knit, I embarked on a Lenten project to knit baby caps for the local NICU. As I was a new knitter, knitting a flat (as opposed to an in the round) hat pattern was easiest...and it is still my go-to pattern for fast and easy baby hats. It is also my choice for "sanity knitting" on trains and subways.



My basic recipe is to cast on an even number of stitches (judging by yarn weight and choice of needles), knit 1 purl 1 rib for about an inch, stockinette for about 4 inches, and then a series of decreases. When I have just a few stitches left on my needles, I snip the yarn (leaving about 10"), pull the yarn end thru tightly to pull closed the "peak" of the hat, and then stitch down the back. A hat for a preemie should fit an average grapefruit. For tiny preemies, the width of an orange, but keep the 4" of stockinette...the babies heads are often "longer" than we think :)



Do you have a favorite "go to" pattern?