Free Preemie Hat Pattern~

My lys has been collecting preemie hats to take to the local NICU (neonatal intensive care unit).
I knit a few up on Sat. and wrote down how I made them so YOU can make them too.
Great stash buster project and a quick knit. Use a washable yarn, preferably a non-synthetic fiber.
*For now the pattern is just gauged for a heavy worsted yarn, I will edit is as I work out gauge variations. For now you will have to swatch for a different weight yarn or wing it.*
Embellishments are cross-overs from my Baby Pip hat pattern, to which I will also be adding a preemie version.
I will also link this from my Free Pattern page on the site.
I am working on a Kitty version and a Christmas version also..... what else- Elvis version? Troll?

Preemie Hat Pattern

Finished size is 10 inches around and about 5 inches in height.

Heavy worsted yarn
Size 10 1/2 double point needle
Stitch Marker
Yarn needle
Crochet hook (for flower)
Instructions:

~ Cast 30 stitches onto 3 dpn
~ Place marker at beginning of round
~ Knit in the round until hat measures 3 inches from the edge
~ Decrease round *Knit 8, K2tog*, repeat around hat (since the hat is so tiny I did not place markers at each round, do so if you need to )
~ Knit 1 round normally
~ Decrease round 2 *Knit 7, K2tog*, repeat around hat ~ Knit 1 round normally
~ Continue to rotate between the decrease rounds and normal knit rounds until you have 12 stitches left.(For a pointier hat, continue to decrease until 6 stitches are remaining)
~ Cut yarn and thread through remaining stitches, pull opening closed and secure.

Leave hat as-is or embellish as desired.

To make bear ears:
I used a single strand of a dk to worsted weight yarn on size 8 needle.
~ Cast on 4
~ Row 1, Knit
~ Row 2, knit increasing 1 st in front and back of each stitch (8 st)
~ Knit 6 more rows
~ Bind off loosely
~ Attach to hat

To make a crochet flower:
~ Ch 5 and slip hook through first chain and sl st to connect, making a ring
~ Ch 3, dc 9 times more into the center hole of the ring
~ Connect to first dc
~ Ch 3, in first dc tr 3, * skip 1 dc, in next dc (sc, ch3, 3 tr)*, rep from * 4 more times around edge of ring, making 5 petals.
~ Attach to hat