Children's Hats in King Cole Cherish or Cherished DK - 4651 - Downloadable PDF

Children's Hats Knitted in King Cole Cherish or Cherished DK – Pattern 4651

This King Cole pattern 4651 is a downloadable PDF featuring a collection of six children's hat designs (labelled A through F) knitted in King Cole Cherish DK or Cherished DK yarn. The patterns cover a wide range of sizes, from 6 months up to 7 years, making this a versatile collection for knitters who want to create handmade hats for babies, toddlers, and young children. The pattern is rated advanced in difficulty, so it is best suited to knitters who are comfortable with a variety of shaping and construction techniques.

About the Yarn and Materials

All six designs in this leaflet are worked in King Cole Cherish DK or Cherished DK, both of which are double knit (DK) weight yarns. These yarns are well known for their soft, gentle feel, making them particularly well suited to children's accessories that sit close to the skin. Knitters will need knitting needles appropriate to the DK weight as specified at the beginning of each individual pattern within the leaflet.

As with all knitting patterns, achieving the correct tension is essential to ensure the finished hat comes out at the right size. The pattern notes clearly state that if you have fewer stitches than stated, you should switch to thinner needles, and if you have more stitches, you should switch to thicker needles. Each design carries its own tension specification at the start of its instructions.

Designs Included in Pattern 4651

Design F – Mock Cable Helmet

One of the named designs confirmed in the pattern content is the Mock Cable Helmet, which is worked to a tension of 25 stitches and 48 rows to 10 cm. This is a structured hat with earflaps, making it a practical and warm choice for colder weather. The construction involves picking up stitches along the sides of the earflaps and from the cast-on edge, with careful stitch counts across the five size ranges.

• Earflap construction: Stitches are picked up along the side of each earflap and from the cast-on edge, with decreases worked at regular intervals to shape the brim neatly.
• Stitch counts: The pattern works across five sizes with stitch totals such as 87, 93, 99, 99, and 105 stitches, reflecting the range from the smallest to the largest size.
• Mock cable texture: The design uses a mock cable stitch pattern, which creates the visual effect of traditional cable knitting without the need for a cable needle. This technique typically involves knitting into a stitch one row below (k1b – knit into stitch one row below knitways), producing a raised, rope-like texture that adds visual interest and warmth.

Designs A, B, C, D, and E

The leaflet contains five additional hat designs labelled A through E. While the specific names and full construction details of each of these designs are not individually detailed in the available content, the collection as a whole spans the same size range of 6 months to 7 years and is worked in the same King Cole Cherish DK or Cherished DK yarn. Each design carries its own tension note and size-specific instructions within the downloadable PDF.

Techniques and Stitches Used

Across the collection, knitters will encounter a range of techniques typical of advanced children's hat knitting. These include:

• Knit (k) and purl (p) – the foundational stitches used throughout all designs
• K1b (knit into stitch one row below knitways) – a technique central to the mock cable effect in Design F, creating a textured, cable-like appearance without a cable needle
• K2tog (knit two stitches together) – a standard right-leaning decrease used in shaping, particularly in the earflap and brim sections
• Slip 1 stitch (s1) – used in conjunction with decrease methods for neat, tidy shaping
• Yarn round needle (yrn) – an increase technique that can also create decorative eyelets