Pattern Release: Itty Bitty Kitty

Unless you've been living under a rock this year (which, given how the year has been going, might not be such a bad idea), you're likely aware of a bit of a knitting phenomenon that took the world by storm. Yes, I'm talking about the Pussyhat, that ubiquitous pink cat hat that so many people were knitting and wearing at marches and protests earlier this year. Regardless on your political leanings, I think we can all agree that they made a very strong visual statement. And from a knitting perspective, I thought they were very clever because they were so easy to execute, even for a beginner.

Flash forward to this past summer, when I was knitting up preemie hats to take to SSK and donate. I knit several from a random skein of sock yarn I'd picked up somewhere using a beanie pattern I found on Ravelry, but then I happened across some bright pink leftovers from some socks I'd knit and I immediately thought that they would be great to use for a teeny tiny kitty hat. It turned out so well that I decided to write it up as a proper pattern, so I'm pleased to present to you today the Itty Bitty Kitty hat.

Modeled by a lemon for scale

I only decided to publish this as a pattern when I couldn't find any preemie-sized version already available on Ravelry. I'm not trying to make any sort of political statement with this hat -- I only used the pink yarn because I thought it was such a great bright color, but my testers used all different colors, including some self-striping. Rather, this is meant to be a very quick-to-knit hat that is very easy to execute. There is no shaping involved, just some ribbing and stockinette that is finished with a three-needle bind off. I wanted to make this pattern as straightforward as possible so that it would be easy to churn a bunch out and donate them to the tiny babies most in need of warmth.

To that end, I am charging a very nominal fee of $1 for this pattern (which, I should add, has been graded to five preemie sizes), and I will be donating the entirety of the proceeds to the March of Dimes. I'll even be making up the difference once PayPal takes a cut to ensure that the organization gets the full dollar from every pattern sold.