Make it special with the Little Dots Preemie Baby Hat Crochet Pattern

Are you the proud owner of Sunflower Cottage Crochet’s popular Little Dots Collection? Then, you’re going to love this precious pattern for crochet preemie baby hats!

Designed along the same lines as my other Little Dots crochet patterns, these adorable creations are sure to become personal favourites. The ‘little dots’ in these preemie baby hats are designed to flatten when baby lies on them so you don’t need to worry about the bobbles being uncomfortable at all!

Whether you’re making a special hat for that new grandbaby or want to make something extra-special for a preemie or newborn in need, this easy yet sweet crochet beanie hat can be finished in no time at all.

Inspiration behind the design

As mentioned above, the Little Dots Preemie Baby hat has been designed specifically to go with the other items in the Little Dots Collection. They were released as part of my annual charity event – the Preemie Crochet Challenge 2023

I just love how this one turned out. The dots add an element of cuteness that is just adorable, and unisex! And the bobbles are designed to flatten when lain on so they are not uncomfortable in the slightest.

There are 4 preemie sizes included in this pattern:

• Preemie up to 2lbs
• Preemie up to 2-4lbs
• Preemie up to 4-5lbs
• Preemie up to 5-6lbs

Larger sizes will be available later in the year.

Have you checked out the other patterns in this collection?

Click the photos below to check out the free patterns on the blog posts.

Construction of the design

The Little Dots Preemie Baby hat crochet pattern is worked from the brim up and in the round so there is minimal seaming (only to close the top of the hat once completed).

Not only is this one a great pattern for beginners, it is an easy 2 row repeat that works up quickly in 3 weight (DK) yarn and a 4mm hook.

The Yarn

For my versions above I used Stylecraft Special DK.

I like to use this yarn because it is readily available here in the UK and comes in a huge range of colours. It is 100% premium acrylic and each skein is 295 meters / 322 yards so you get a lot of yarn for your money.

It is also perfect for baby items like this because it can be washed at 40 degrees and can be tumble dried! Both of these are so handy when you have a little one.

Some alternative yarns I would recommend for this pattern are:

• Stylecraft Wondersoft DK
• Patons Astra
• I Love this Yarn! Sport from Hobby Lobby
• Any acrylic King Cole DK yarns
• Colourfusion DK from Premier Yarns.

Get the PDF pattern!

You can find the ad-free PDF Pattern for this one in all of my shops:

This Preemie baby hat pattern specifics:

Materials:

·       #3 weight yarn of your choosing – approx. yardage is listed blow in the sizing section. ·       4mm hook ·       Stitch markers (optional) ·       Scissors ·       Tapestry needle

Gauge:

For the main textured section of the hat I got 10 sts and 10 rows as per the pattern to 2”. Width is more important than the height for this pattern.

Sizing:

This pattern is written for several preemie sizes:

• Preemie up to 2lbs – approx. 55 yards of yarn
• Preemie up to 2-4lbs – approx. 63 yards of yarn
• Preemie up to 4-5lbs – approx. 71 yards of yarn
• Preemie up to 5-6lbs – approx. 79 yards of yarn

Abbreviations used:

·       Ch(s)–chain(s) ·       St(s)–stitch(es) ·       rep–repeat ·       sk—skip ·       HDC – half double crochet ·       HDC2Tog – half double crochet 2 together ·       TC – Treble crochet ·       Ss – slip stitch ·       YO—yarn over ·       FO—fasten off

Other notes:

·       Written in US terms. ·       These hats are made from the bottom up. ·       Ch stitches at the beginning of each row or round  do not count as a st unless otherwise stated. ·       Your stitch count will remain the same as per row 1 for each round until you start your hdc2tog. ·       When working your slip stitches do not make them too tight because you will need to work into these on the next row! ·       The dotty texture is worked on the wrong side rows. ·       Where the pattern differs for each size it will be written as  2lbs (4lbs/5lbs/6lbs) (eg 1 (2/3/4)

Special Stitches:

Treble Crochet (TC):

YO twice, insert hook into next st, YO and pull through, *YO and pull through two stitches on your hook. Rep from * twice more. TC completed.

Foundation Single Crochet (FHDC):

You can find my tutorial on the foundation stitches (you will find the fhdc at about 20 minutes into the videos:

Half double crochet 2 together (HDC2tog)

YO, insert hook into indicated st, YO and pull through, YO and insert hook into next st, YO and pull through, YO and pull through all 5 loops on hook.

Camel Stitch:

The camel stitch is worked by inserting your hook into the 3^rd loop of an HDC stitch, which, for this pattern, is in the inside of the work (since we’re working in the round).  This pushes the top 2 V’s to face more outward, thus creating a “knit stitch” look.  Complete an HDC in the 3^rd loop of the HDC from the previous row. 

The Little Dots Preemie Baby Hat Pattern:

** This is a free pattern on the blog. Please do not copy and paste any part of it or print this pattern out. Please bookmark this page and use the website to work up your pattern. This helps my small business greatly as it provides a little bit of ad revenue which will in turn will allow me to continue to create free content for you!**

To make the band:

Row 1 –           FSC 3(3/4/4). OR

                        CH 4 (4/5/5), SC in second CH from hook and each CH across. (3(3/4/4))

Row 2 –           Turn, Ch1, SC BLO in first st and each st across. 

Rows 3 on –     Repeat row 2 until your band measures 8”(10”/11”/12”)

Joining your ends –   Ch1, grab the starting end of the band (first row done), and line it up to match the final row of the band.  Sew the ends together with a SS join in each stitch

You are now working in the round.

To make the main body of the hat:

Round 1-         CH1, work 40 (50, 54, 60) HDC sts evenly around the top of the brim. SS to the top of the first HDC to join. (40/50/54/60 sts)

Round 2-         CH1, Camel Stitch in same st as join and each st across. SS to top of first camel stitch to join. (40/50/54/60 sts)

Round 3 –        CH1, turn, TC in first st, SS in next st, *TC in next st, SS in next st. Rep from * around. SS to first TC to join. (40/50/54/60 sts)

Round 4 –        CH1, turn, HDC in each st around. SS to top of first HDC to join. (40/50/54/60 sts)

Round 5- 14(16/18/20) –         Rep rounds 3 and 4 until work measures 3.25” (3.75”/4.25”/4.75”) tall.

For 2lb Size: 

Round 15 –      CH1, HDC2tog around. SS to top of first st to join. (20 sts)

Round 16 –      CH1, HDC2tog around. SS to top of first st to join. (10 sts)

Leave a long tail, FO and sew top of hat shut. 

Weave in ends

For 4lb Size:

Round 17 –      CH1, HDC2tog around. SS to top of first st to join. (25 sts)

Round 18 –      CH1, HDC2tog around. HDC in top of last remaining st. SS to top of first st to join. (13sts)

Leave a long tail, FO and sew top of hat shut. 

Weave in ends

For 5lb Size:

Round 19 –      CH1, HDC2tog around. SS to top of first st to join. (26 sts)

Round 20 –      CH1, HDC2tog around. SS to top of first st to join. (13sts)

Round 21-       CH1, HDC2tog around. HDC in top of last remaining st. SS to top of first st to join. (7sts)

Leave a long tail, FO and sew top of hat shut. 

Weave in ends

For 6lb Size:

Round 21 –      CH1, HDC2tog around. SS to top of first st to join. (30 sts)

Round 22 –      CH1, HDC2tog around.  SS to top of first st to join. (15 sts)

Round 23-       CH1, HDC2tog around. HDC in top of last remaining st. SS to top of first st to join. (8 sts)

Leave a long tail, FO and sew top of hat shut. 

Weave in ends

Testers Appreciation:

Thank you to my wonderful testers for working with me on this particular preemie baby hat pattern! Check out their versions: