Our fox ears chunky pixie bonnet winter hat knitting pattern is perfect for making handmade gifts for your loved ones, young and old. It is the perfect addition to your little one’s Halloween costume. Comes in sizes newborn, baby and children.
This free knitting pattern will give you all the details to make this hat in sizes newborn, toddlers and children.
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Although our patterns are always free on our blog, many prefer our premium ad-free, printer friendly, PDF versions. These are available to purchase HERE.
Supplies:
Yarn – Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick (Super Bulky 6). Colors – Pumpkin, Fisherman and Black.
Order online: (Lion Brand) (Amazon USA) (Amazon Canada) (Michaels) (Love Crafts)
Needles – Size 11/8mm needles or whichever size needed to obtain gauge. I knit mine on circular needles (going back and forth only. It is not knit in the round) so there’s lots of room for the bonnet on the needles when working the pattern.
Crochet Hook – Size 8mm/L or similar. The hook is used for making the side ties.
Darning needle, stitch marker, measuring tape and scissors.
Gauge:
4” x 4” = 9.5 stitches and 15 rows in stocking stitch (same as pattern). I recommend using US 11 needles, but if you are a loose knitter you may need to drop down, go up for tighter knitters.
Be sure to check your gauge to ensure the hat will fit your little one properly.
Abbreviations:
K = Knit
P = Purl
Sizes:
Newborn, 0-3 Months, 3-6 Months, 6-12 Months, 1-2 Years, 3-4 Years, 5+ Years
Directions
Newborn:
Cast on 27 stitches.
Row 1 – *K1 P1; repeat from * to last stitch, K1. Turn work.
Row 2 – *P1 K1; repeat from * to last stitch, P1. Turn work.
Repeat rows 1 and 2 until you have completed 4 rows.
Row 5 – P3, K to last 3 stitches, P3. Turn work.
Row 6 – P all. Turn work.
Repeat rows 5 and 6 until your work measures 5.25” deep.
Cast off. Cut yarn, leaving a long enough tail to stitch the back seam of the bonnet.
Move to the “Finishing the pixie bonnet” directions below.
0 – 3 Months:
Cast on 29 stitches.
Row 1 – *K1 P1; repeat from * to last stitch, K1. Turn work.
Row 2 – *P1 K1; repeat from * to last stitch, P1. Turn work.
Repeat rows 1 and 2 until you have completed 4 rows.
Row 5 – P3, K to last 3 stitches, P3. Turn work.
Row 6 – P all. Turn work.
Repeat rows 5 and 6 until your work measures 5.5”.
Cast off. Cut yarn, leaving a long enough tail to stitch the back seam of the bonnet.
Move to the “Finishing the pixie bonnet” directions below.
3 – 6 Months:
Cast on 31 stitches.
Row 1 – *K1 P1; repeat from * to last stitch, K1. Turn work.
Row 2 – *P1 K1; repeat from * to last stitch, P1. Turn work.
Repeat rows 1 and 2 until you have completed 4 rows.
Row 5 – P3, K to last 3 stitches, P3. Turn work.
Row 6 – P all. Turn work.
Repeat rows 5 and 6 until your work measures 6”.
Cast off. Cut yarn, leaving a long enough tail to stitch the back seam of the bonnet.
Move to the “Finishing the pixie bonnet” directions below.
6 – 12 Months:
Cast on 33 stitches.
Row 1 – *P1 K1; repeat from * to last stitch, P1. Turn work.
Row 2 – *K1 P1; repeat from * to last stitch, K1. Turn work.
Repeat rows 1 and 2 until you have completed 5 rows.
Row 6 – P4, K to last 4 stitches, P4. Turn work.
Row 7 – P all. Turn work.
Repeat rows 6 and 7 until your work measures 6.75”.
Cast off. Cut yarn, leaving a long enough tail to stitch the back seam of the bonnet.
Move to the “Finishing the pixie bonnet” directions below.
1 – 2 Years:
Cast on 35 stitches.
Row 1 – *P1 K1; repeat from * to last stitch, P1. Turn work.
Row 2 – *K1 P1; repeat from * to last stitch, K1. Turn work.
Repeat rows 1 and 2 until you have completed 5 rows.
Row 6 – P4, K to last 4 stitches, P4. Turn work.
Row 7 – P all. Turn work.
Repeat rows 6 and 7 until your work measures 7.25”.
Cast off. Cut yarn, leaving a long enough tail to stitch the back seam of the bonnet.
Move to the “Finishing the pixie bonnet” directions below.
3 – 4 Years:
Cast on 37 stitches.
Row 1 – *P1 K1; repeat from * to last stitch, P1. Turn work.
Row 2 – *K1 P1; repeat from * to last stitch, K1. Turn work.
Repeat rows 1 and 2 until you have completed 5 rows.
Row 6 – P4, K to last 4 stitches, P4. Turn work.
Row 7 – P all. Turn work.
Repeat rows 6 and 7 until your work measures 7.75”.
Cast off. Cut yarn, leaving a long enough tail to stitch the back seam of the bonnet.
Move to the “Finishing the pixie bonnet” directions below.
5 + Years:
Cast on 39 stitches.
Row 1 – *P1 K1; repeat from * to last stitch, P1. Turn work.
Row 2 – *K1 P1; repeat from * to last stitch, K1. Turn work.
Repeat rows 1 and 2 until you have completed 5 rows.
Row 6 – P4, K to last 4 stitches, P4. Turn work.
Row 7 – P all. Turn work.
Repeat rows 6 and 7 until your work measures 8.25”.
Cast off. Cut yarn, leaving a long enough tail to stitch the back seam of the bonnet.
Move to the “Finishing the pixie bonnet” directions below.
Finishing the pixie bonnet:
Fold the bonnet in half with the wrong side facing out (pearl side). Thread the yarn from the cast off edge onto the darning needle. Using the whip stitch, work along the back seam from the bottom to the top. Secure the yarn at the top and weave in the end. Turn work to the right side facing out (knit side).
Making the ties:
The side ties are made with a crochet hook. If you are unfamiliar with crocheting, there are many Youtube videos explaining how to do the two basic stitches: Chain (ch) & Slip Stitch (sl st). As an alternate, you can cut three pieces of yarn twice as long as you want the ties to be, slip them through a gap at the bottom corners of the bonnet and braid them. These look very sweet and are a great alternative to the crocheted ties.
Insert the hook into a gap at the corner edge of the brim. Hook the yarn and pull it through to the outer side of the bonnet.
ch 29 (Newborn, 0 – 3 Months)
ch 31 (3 – 6 Months, 6 – 12 Months)
ch 33 (1 – 2 Years)
ch 35 (3 – 4 Years)
ch 37 (5 + Years)
Once you complete your chain, sl st back up through each ch stitch until you reach the top.
Slip stitch through a couple of stitches on the inside of the bonnet to secure the tie. Cut the yarn and knot it with the end from the beginning of your chain. This will ensure the tie will not come undone or be pulled out. Weave in all of the ends up the inside of the bonnet. Repeat on the other side.
Making the ears:
You will make two separate pieces and stitch them together. Make two outer ears and two inner ears before moving to the next step. Leave a long tail at the start of each ear piece. You will use these to stitch the ear together and to attach to the hat.
Inner Ear:
Cast on 5 in contrast color. Turn after completing each row.
Row 1 – K all.
Row 2 – P all.
Row 3 – K1, K2tog, K2 (4 stitches)
Row 4 – P all.
Row 5 – K1, K2tog, K1 (3 stitches)
Row 6 – P1, P2tog (2 stitches)
Row 7 – K2tog. Cut yarn and pull through the last stitch.
Outer Ear:
Cast on 7 in main color. Turn after completing each row.
Row 1 – K all.
Row 2 – P all.
Row 3 – K2, K2tog, K2 (6 stitches).
Cut Pumpkin yarn and switch to Black here for two tone ears.
Row 4 – P all.
Row 5 – K2, K2tog, K2 (5 stitches)
Row 6 – P1, P2tog, P2 (4 stitches)
Row 7 – K1, K2tog, K1 (3 stitches)
Row 8 – P1, P2tog (2 stitches)
Row 9 – K2tog. Cut yarn and pull through the last stitch.
Attaching The Ears:
Place the inner and outer ear pieces together. The pearl sides go on the inside (touching one another) and the knit sides facing the outside. The outer ear should frame the inner ear.
Using the contrast color tail, begin stitching the two pieces together. When picking up on the inner ear, insert your needle into the turn stitches. When picking up on the outer ear, insert your needle into the 1st pearl stitch of each row (not the turn stitch). This will hide the yarn along the back the best possible. If you pick up the turn stitch on the outer ear, the contrast color yarn will be visible on the front and back of the ear.
Continue working up the ear to the top and back down the other side. When you get to the tip of the ear, tuck the two tails from when you finished the ear pieces into the inside of the ear. Once you finish the ear, give those two ends a gentle tug if you want to adjust the shape of the ear at the top. Tuck these tails inside the ear or cut if they are quite long. Do not cut the two tails from the starting of each ear piece. If the contrast yarn is showing along the back, gently pull the white stitches next to it to try and hide it. If the white is fully exposed on the back, you may be inserting your needle into the wrong spot.
When attaching the ears to the hat, use the contrast color tail to attach along that same colored section of the ear and main color tail to stitch along the sides and back.
Repeat for the second ear, making sure they are placed evenly on the bonnet.
Although our patterns are always free on our blog, many prefer our premium ad-free, printer friendly, PDF versions. These are available to purchase HERE.
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