Jul 30, 20215 min read

New Heights Giraffe Beanie

Little giraffe beanies in preemie and newborn sizes - encouraging NICU babies to "reach New Heights" and keep growing bigger and stronger! :)

These giraffe beanies are a little bit of a process to make, but are well worth the time and effort! There are several little components to this beanie that will get you practicing a bunch of different (or maybe new!) crochet skills!

The body of the giraffe beanie is a simple beanie with double crochets, and finished with a single crochet border. The horns are made using the i-cord technique - if you're not familiar with this, be sure to check out the YouTube video I linked in the pattern! I-cord is a little "weird" at first, because it involves removing loops from your hook, but it's super fun when you get the hang of it!

When designing the spots for this giraffe pattern, I quite frankly just put random different length stitches into a magic circle. You can follow the pattern for my spots, or you could experiment with putting different combinations of stitches into the center for larger/smaller/different-shaped spots!

I hope this pattern inspires you to crochet for a NICU near you :) Many NICU's are not currently accepting handmade donations due to the pandemic, but you can make some and save them for when NICUs are accepting again, or you can donate to a local nonprofit or charity that collects baby items!

My hope and intention behind providing you with these free patterns is that you will be inspired and enabled to use your talent of crochet to philanthropically make a positive difference in the lives of others.

Happy crocheting!

Materials:

Worsted weight yarn in mustard and dark brown (I used JOANN BigTwist in Mustard and Taupe
Size G crochet hook
Tapestry Needle

Abbreviations:

Ch - chain
Sc - single crochet
Hdc - half double crochet
Dc - double crochet
Tc - treble crochet
Sl St - slip stitch
St - stitch

NEW HEIGHTS GIRAFFE BEANIE: SIZE PREEMIE

Body of the hat:

With Mustard yarn:

Round 1: Ch 3, 8 Dc in 3rd Ch from hook. Sl St to the first Dc in round.

Round 2: Ch 1, 2 Dc in each St around. Sl St to the first Dc in round.

Round 3: Ch 1, *2 Dc in first St, 1 Dc in next St* Repeat from * to * around.

Round 4: Ch 1, *2 Dc in first St, 1 Dc in next 2 St* Repeat from * to * around.

Rounds 5-8: Ch 1, 1 Dc in each St around. Tie off Mustard Yarn.

Attach Taupe Yarn.

Round 9: Ch 1, 1 Sc in each St around.

Tie off and weave in ends.

Small Spot:

Ch 3. In the 3rd Ch from hook: 2 Dc, 2 Hdc, 1 Sc, 1 Dc, 1 Hdc, 1 Sc, 1 Dc, 1 Tc, 1 Dc, 1 Tc, 1 Dc, 1 Hdc, 1 Sc. Sl St to the first Dc in round to join. Tie off, Leaving a 10'' tail for weaving in ends.

Large Spot:

Ch 2. In the 2nd Ch from hook, make 6 Sc. Sl St to the first Sc in round to join. Ch 1, 2 Dc in the first St. In the next St: 1 Hdc, 1 Sc. In the next St: 1 Hdc, 1 Sc. In the next St: 2 Sc. In the next St: 1 Sc, 1 Dc. In the last St: 1 Sc, 1 Tc. Sl St to the first Dc in round to join.

Ears: make 2

Ch 8. Sc in the 2nd Ch from hook. Sc in the next Ch. Hdc in the next Ch. 1 Dc in the next 3 Ch. 3 Dc in the last Ch.

On the opposite side of the Ch: 1 Dc in the next 3 Ch. 1 Hdc in next Ch. 1 Sc in next Ch. Sl St into last St.

Horns: make 2

With Mustard Yarn, make a 1'' long I-cord. Tie off, leaving a 8'' tail for assembly.

If you don't know how to make an I-cord, here is one of my favorite tutorials by Bella Coco Crochet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o97aBEJ4Mto

Attach brown yarn to one end of the I-cord. Ch 1. *Yarn over, insert hook into the top of the I-cord, yarn over, pull up a loop* Repeat from * to * five times more into the same space. Yarn over and pull through all 6 loops on hook. Ch 1. Tie off brown yarn and weave in ends.

Assembly:

Using a tapestry needle and the yarn tails, attach each horn between rows 1 and 2 with a few secure slip stitches. Attach each ear between rows 3 and 4. Use a simple whip stitch through the front loops in the last round of the spots to attach as desired to the body of the beanie.

NEW HEIGHTS GIRAFFE BEANIE: SIZE NEWBORN