Fire Fighter Baby Set

Fire Fighter Baby Set

Some people say a picture is worth a thousand words; I like to disagree.  You see, I had the privilege of making this outfit for Asher. A picture of a miracle baby whose short life is still impacting many people around the globe.  His amazing parents have this pic of their little hero and that, I believe,  is worth more than words. You can learn more of their story Here.

Materials: Red, Yellow, black for embellishments, and two black buttons approx 1", yarn needle

I used I Love This Yarn from Hobby Lobby because it’s super soft and relatively inexpensive; but you can use whatever you like. Gauge isn’t important since most of your stitch count will be based on actual measurements. if you don’t have an actual infant to measure, google baby clothing sizes. FYI the "rise" is the measurement from the belly button down and around to the small of the back where the pants/diaper sits

Each row will end with a slip stitch in the last chain or "top" chain of the beginning stitch for that row
Hat
R1: chain 2, 8dc in first ch, join with slip stitch to first dc (8)

R2: chain 2, dc in same st, [dc in next st, fpdc in same stitch as dc] around (8dc, 8 fpdc, 1 chain2)

R3and R4: chain 2, 2dc in each st until first fpdc is reached, dc in first fpdc and fpdc around same fpdc

[1dc in each of the next dc, dc in fpdc and fpdc in same st] 7 times.

*If you don’t see a signifigant gap for the front of the hat, go back and make sure you put 2dc in the dc below it and only in the beginning section. This creates the gap in the hat where the badge will go.

Increase: ch 2, dc in same st as ch, 1dc in each st, dc in fpdc, fpdc in same fpdc, join with sl st

Keep increasing until you reach the circumference desired.

Once you’ve gotten the diameter of the hat right (circumference divided by 3.14) you’re going to repeat the pattern all the way around, chain 2 in the chain 2, 1dc in each dc, 1fpdc in each fpdc 

Continue repeating the pattern around the hat until you get the hat height you’re looking for. By now you should be super impressed with yourself and the way the texture is coming along. Who knew a couple of elevated lines could look so cool!

Now that you’ve gotten the main hat part done, it’s time to get fancy! Ready? Of course you are!

Ch 1 and 1sc in each sc around (do this for 2 rows, more if you’re wanting more of a front brim)
Back Brim:

R1: Sl stitch to the second line of fpdc ch 1 *mark this st* and sc around to the 7th fpdc *mark*

*marking helps keep your brim even if you’re not into counting stitches*

R2:ch 1, sc across

R3-5 repeat R2
I made a total of 5 rows of sc, then again, I was making a preemie hat and not looking to make a giant brim *remove and save markers*
When you’ve gotten the brim the size you want, ch 2 *mark*, 2dc in same stitch as ch, dc across to last st, 3dc in last st *mark*
Fold back brim under making sure your *marks* line up, sew brim together, then sc around the entire edge of the hat
Diaper cover; Take the waist measurement you will use (measure just above the belly button) and add 6 inches. This will be the length of your first few rows.


R1: fsc length of waist measurement. If you're not comfortable with the fsc then chain to the length of your measurement, chain one, turn, and sc across, ch 2, turn R2: 1dc in each sc across, ch1, turn R3: sc across

Ready for more math??? Good! Divide your measurement into quarters (or grab your handy dandy calculator and multiply your total # of inches by .25) round to the nearest half inch.

R4: slip stitch through the first quarter, ch2, dc through next 2 quarters, ch2, turn, leaving the last quarter unworked

Decrease: dc2tog in next stitch, dc across until the last 2 st, dc2tog last stitch, ch 2, turn

More math??? Well of course! Count your stitches in R4 and divide by half, this will be the number of stitches you will decrease to. (for example, I had 22 stitches in row 4, and decreased each row until I had 11 stitches). If you have an odd number, just add one to make it even.

Once you arrive at your destination (in my case 11 stitches)

1dc in each dc, ch 2, and turn until you have made it long enough to meet your rise measurement. 

Suspenders:


Fdc for the length desired (again, measure baby or use your online sizes), then sc all the way around.

Sew onto back of diaper cover, and attach buttons to the front.

Embelish your badge before attaching with whip stitch to the hat. I simply used a chain stitch and sewed it on like the letters "FD".

Weave in ends, and voila!