Knit an R2D2 Baby Hat for Your Jedi Infant

After knitting New England Knit’s Whale Watch Hat, I decided to give it a go again. I love stranded colorwork, robots, and Jedi craft tricks, so the R2D2 Beanie by Lorraine Prior  is a perfect chart to get my Star Wars knitting fix.

Now, on to my project notes…

Choosing the Pattern:
My choice of R2D2 Beanie by Lorraine Prior was by chance. Mostly, I used the chart and did the rest of the hat on my own. Another contender was a beanie hat that resembles the top of R2D2’s head. If you are seriously into Star Wars knitting options, check out the chart resources here. Another option with words is here.

Choosing the Yarn:
Since this is for a baby, I opted for navy and white acrylic and pewter gray bamboo yarns so they are completely machine washable and will dry quickly. The yarns I used were ones I already had in my stash since 2011 is the year I aim to draw upon what I already have instead of buying yet more yarn.

Knitting Notes:

• Long tail cast on 102 stitches after knitting a swatch (19 stitches per four-inch width) on March 5th. I then promptly went to the cinema to see Simon Pegg’s new film, ‘Paul’. It seemed a fitting place to knit the ribbed edge. Eight to ten rows of ribbing then switched to knitting in stockinette.
• Increased by Kf & Kb every fifth stitch. Then after three rows of stockinette knitting, started the R2D2 pattern. Four R2D2s around the hat with about six stitches between them.
• I have made mistakes and had to go back a row. I made two mistakes and didn’t notice until two rows later so they are staying put.
• The hat is done on March 12th. Blocking it mostly because I felt as a baby hat it should be washed before I give it as a gift. Turned out wonderfully and I was surprised how little time it took me.