Bootees, Mittens & Hat (newborn-3 months) in DK

Well its been a while since I last made one of these little sets.  This was one of the first things I was taught to knit as a child, I suppose because they were small items with a little bit of technical know how required but something we wouldn't get bored with too quickly and quite frankly fifty years ago there was always someone in the family or the wider circle of friends that were having babies, that and the school fete and local church bizarre who required small items for sale. My mother and grandmother rarely worked from a pattern everything was tucked away inside their heads ready to be bought to the forefront when the next expected baby was announced. In those days you didn't have a baby shower like they do now you were made a layette set which always from memory consisted of a blanket and or shawl, bootees, mittens and hats and two or three little cardigans oh and a little knitted teddy all presented in a little box or basket.  It's funny that even after all these years that these patterns have stayed lodged in my ageing brain too so I thought it was about time I started writing them down, I suppose it's no different to all the recipes we store in there we don't all turn to a recipe book to know how to make a shepherds pie.

This little set is made with Stylecraft Special DK in cream for the main colour and parchment as the contrast.

If you fancy having ago you can of course use whatever colour you fancy the bootees and mittens take about 50g of each colour so great for leftovers from your stash, but if you're making the hat as well to complete the set then you will need 100g of the main colour and 50g of your contrast colour, you may of course wish to make in a single colour then you will need 100g to make the set. You will need needle size 2.75mm and 3.25mm for a newborn or 3.75mm and 4mm for 0-3 month size.  Or as my mum would have said size 12 and size 10 or size 9 and 8.  The set in the picture is for a newborn.

Where to start??

Bootees 

With the smaller needle and your contrast colour cast on 30 stitches and starting with purl work in 2 x 2 rib for 30 rows increasing one stitch at the end of the last row.

Change to your larger needle and main colour and working in stocking stitch (one row knit one row purl) starting with knit work two rows.

Shaping the instep 

1st row - knit
2nd row - purl 21 and  turn
3rd row - knit 11 and turn

working on these 11 stitches only work 7 rows in stocking stitch

Decrease rows

11th row - k2togtbl (knit 2 together through back of loop) knit to the last 2 stitches K2tog (knit 2 together) (9 stitches)

12th row - purl
13th row - K2togtbl, knit to the last 2 stitches K2tog (7 stitches)
14th row  - purl

you now have 7 stitches.
Break off the yarn

With the wrong side facing rejoin to the 10 stitches on the left hand needle and purl to the end.

pick up & knit 10 stitches along right side of the instep

Next row - K10 and now pick up  and knit 10 stitches along the right side of the instep, knit across the 7 stitches and then pick up and knit 10 stitches along the left side of the instep and then across the remaining 10 stitches (47 stitches in total).

47 stitches in total 

Starting with a purl row work 5 rows more in stocking stitch.

Shape foot

1st row - K1, S1 (slip 1), K1,  PSSO (pass the slip stitch over), K16, K2tog, K5, K2tog, K16, K2tog, K1
(43 stitches)
2nd row knit
3rd row - K1, S1,  K1, PSSO, K15, K2tog, K3, K2tog, K15, K2tog, K1 (39)
4th row knit
5th row - K1, S1. K1, PSSO. K14, K2tog, K1, K2tog, K14, K2tog, K1 (35)
6th row knit
7th row - K1, S1, K1, PSSO, K13, S1, K2tog, PSSO, K13, K2tog, K1 (31 stitches)
8th row - Knit
Cast off

To make up join the foot and back seam reversing when you get to the rib and join on the right side so that you can't see the seam once you have turned the top down. Now you just have to make a second to make a pair.

Mittens

Using your smaller needles and contrast colour cast on 26 stitches and starting with a purl stitch work 2 x 2 rib for 30 rows., increasing one stitch at the end of the last row.(27 stitches)

Change to your larger needles and main colour and continue in stocking stitch (one row knit one row purl) and work 12 rows.

Shape the top

1st row - K2togtbl (K2 together through back of loop), K9, K2tog (knit 2 together), K1, K2togtbl, K9, K2tog (23 stitches)
2nd row - purl
3rd row - K2togtbl, K7, K2tog, K1, K2togtbl, K7, K2tog (19 stitches)
4th row - purl
5th row - K2togtbl, K5, K2tog, K1, K2togtbl, K5, K2tog (15 stitches)
6th row - purl

cast off .

To make up join your rib on the right side for turn down and on the reverse for you top and side seam of your mitten and now  make your second to complete your pair.


Hat

For your hat you can if you have a 40cm circular needle in the required sizes or on 4 dpns make your hat without a back seam if you choose to use a circular needle you may need to swap to dpns when shaping the crown if it becomes too tight to carryout the decrease rows.

With your smaller needle and contrast colour cast on 84 stitches and starting with a purl work 2 x 2 rib for 30 rows increasing one stitch at the end of the last row  (or round if using circular needles or dpns). (85 stitches)

Now change to larger needles and main colour and continue in stocking stitch (one row knit one row purl unless using circular needle or dpn where you will knit only) until your work measures 17cms.

Shape the crown

1st row - K4, k2tog (knit 2 together) 14 times, K1 (71 stitches)
2nd row - purl (or work another round without decreasing)
3rd row - K3, K2tog, 14 times, K1 (57 stitches)
4th row - purl (or work another round without decreasing)
5th row - K2, K2tog, 14 times, K1 (43 stitches)
6th row - purl (or work another round without decreasing)
7th row - K1, K2tog, 14 times, K1 (29 stitches)
8th row - purl (or work another round without decreasing)
9th row - K2tog, 14 times, K1 (15 stitches)

Break off the yarn and run through the remaining stitches and draw up and fasten off.


and there you have it my little bootees, mitten and hat set should you wish to have ago.

Mx