Animal Ear Bonnets to Knit for Little Ones

Last year I shared a couple of different options for sweet pixie bonnets for little kids with animal ears. The patterns are from Fox and Pine Stitches, and they actually have quite a few different options for kids in your life who like different kinds of animals.

I had already shared a mouse and bunny hat, but there are also a cat, which you can see above, fox and bear options. The bear or cat could also be a dog, depending on the type of ears that you would like your dog to have.

Each of the patterns is worked in worsted weight yarn and they come in seven sizes: newborn, 0-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-12 months, 1-2 years, 3-4 years and 5+.

They each use the same basic pattern for the hat but are worked in different colors and with different ears to evoke different animals. And because of the bonnet shape you don’t need to worry about adding eyes, whiskers or other features because there’s not really a place to do so.

The I-cord ties on these are super cute as well. (Check out my post on how to knit cord if you aren’t sure how to do this part.)

These hats would be great to encourage kids to keep warm in the winter months (and they’re quick to knit so you can still make one for this season in the Northern Hemisphere, or to prepare for colder weather in the South), or you can make them as an easy addition to a Halloween costume, or even just for everyday dress up.

All of the patterns are free and available from Fox and Pine Designs at the links above. And don’t miss their little bear ears beanie, which you could adapt to have any of the ears that are shown in these patterns to make whatever animal your little one desires.

[Photo: Fox and Pine Stitches]

Over the years I have shared a lot of pumpkin knitting patterns, and I’ve knit and crocheted a lot of pumpkins myself. But it feels like there are always more fun things to try with knit pumpkins, so this year I wanted to look a little more beyond basic stockinette or ribbed pumpkins and share some pumpkin patterns with cables, bobbles and colorwork.

In the cable collection we’ve got these cute little basic cable and ribbed pumpkins from Elly Bear Knits. There are two sizes that make a wide, flat pumpkin and a taller round pumpkin. Both are worked in the round as a tube that’s cinched top and bottom when you’re done, and they use bulky weight yarn.

Another cute cable pumpkin knitting pattern comes from Gray Bear Akswokrat. This one is knit flat and it looks like a chunky yarn but you could use other weights to make pumpkins of different sizes. This one also has an I-cord stem and uses yarn to cinch up the sections of the pumpkin, giving it a more natural look.

Add some bobbles to your pumpkins with this design from Autumn Shelter Makes. Also worked in the round in a tube, it features a repeating pattern of bobbles and uses yarn wrapped around the outside to make segments. This one looks like worsted weight yarn to me.

Of course there’s nothing that says your pumpkin has to be a single color, so let’s throw in some colorwork. I love the look of the Cozy Fall Pumpkin knitting pattern from South Stitch Girls. The little leather loop adds a rustic touch but you could also just add a stick. These pumpkins have five colorwork options and are worked in worsted weight yarn in the round.

There’s also the Autumn Fair Isle Trio pumpkins pattern from Equestriann Style, which has three different sizes of pumpkins with four colorwork designs. They are worked in super bulky yarn in the round and look good with high contrast or more muted color combinations.

Have you read?