Idea for knitting a frilly edged baby bonnet – plus free pattern

Written by: Maz from the Knitting Times. Post contains affiliate links.

If you are a follower of The Knitting Times, you will know that I love to knit baby hats and bonnets. One of the reasons for this is that baby hats are a great, quick way to try out new yarns. It is also good to have some little hats ready made for last minute new baby or baby shower gifts. Baby hats and bonnets are also simply super fun and cute to knit.

I recently bought some King Cole Opium yarn to try out. I have to say, I don’t quite fancy knitting a large project with this yarn. I will explain why shortly. What I think the Opium yarn is great for though is for a adding a frilly, bobbly edge with no effort whatsoever.

I hope that this little baby bonnet demonstrates how King Cole Opium can transform a very simple baby bonnet into something quite unique and interesting looking. Please read to find to find the free knitting pattern and to learn more about this unusual yarn.

About King Cole Opium yarn

King Cole describes their opium yarn as follows:

“This fabulous fashion yarn comes in a range of delightful colours. The varied thickness of the yarn allows you to knit quickly as a chunky yarn weight and gives a great lacy look”.

The yarn is a mixture of cotton and polyamide, and has an unusual thick and thin texture. It is knit as chunky yarn on 6mm needles, creating a lacy effect just from working stocking or garter stitch.

You can purchase or view the yarn here at The Knitting Network. You will also find here some patterns, showing how the yarn looks when knit into a regular garment such as a cardigan.

I actually find thick and thin yarn very difficult to knit with on larger needles. I think it is gets very fiddly when knitting up the thin pieces of yarn. I absolutely cannot knit King Cole Opium on 6mm needles.

A strand of King Cole Opium, you can see the thick and thin texture that creates a lace effect as you knit.

The baby bonnet (which is a size newborn to approx 3 months) was knit using 4mm and 5mm needles. The Opium yarn was knit with 4mm needles. This was much more comfortable to knit than on larger needles. Please note however that other knitters may totally disagree with me. Opium is a popular yarn and I am sure that many crafters enjoy being able to knit it up quickly on 6mm knitting needles.

I used it as the trim on a newborn baby bonnet and you will find the free knitting pattern below. The pink yarn is a milk cotton imported from China. This is not actually cotton, it is a mixture of cotton and acrylic. If you have ever wondered whether or not these Chinese yarns are worth buying, I can confirm that they are excellent quality and very soft. The one I bought (here, from Ebay) is often described as 5 ply, or 5 strand, and is an aran thickness yarn. Very nice – I will certainly be buying some more.

Baby Bonnet Knitting Pattern

To knit this cute little baby bonnet which fits newborn to approx 3 months, you will need a pair each of 4 and 5mm knitting needles. You will also need a small amount of King Cole Opium (or any other preferred aran yarn) and approx 25g of aran yarn in a main colour. You also need some scissors and a sewing up needle.

Your bonnet border should look like this before adding in the main yarn – a long tail at each side.

NOTE: WHEN CASTING ON AND CHANGING TO THE MAIN YARN, LEAVE A LONG TAIL OF YARN, APPROX 50CM. THIS WILL BE USED TO MAKE THE TIES LATER. THIS METHOD MEANS A MINIMAL AMOUNT OF SEWING IN OF ENDS AND A SMOOTHER FINISHED PIECE.

On 4mm needles and with the brim yarn (King Cole Opium) cast on 47 stitches.

Knit (garter stitch) 7 rows.

Change to 5mm needles and the main yarn. Work the following 2 row pattern:

k
k3, p to last 3 stitches, k3

Work these 2 rows until piece measures 11cm from cast on edge (the longest piece of the Opium yarn). End on a wrong side row, with right side facing for the shaping.

This is sewing point.

Shape back of crown as follows:

Thread through strands of yarn to form bonnet ties and then braid.

k1, (*k3, k2tog; repeat from * to last stitch), k1 (38)
p
k1, (*k2, k2tog; repeat from * to last stitch), k1 (29)
p
k1, (*k1, k2tog; repeat from * to last stitch), k1 (20)
p2tog across row

Thread yarn though remaining stitches and gather to form back of bonnet. Sew back seam up until * sewing point.

Sew in any loose ends.

To make the braids, thread one long strand though each side of the bonnet fronts. Add more strands for a thicker tie. Braid and knit to finish, trimming to neaten.