Wednesday 23 May 2012

Wee Wednesday: The Kitten Hat

One of my favourite things about a newborn is how expressive they are! I love all the funny faces that Lila makes:

Lila- 2 weeks old

I'm about to post some unflattering photos of Lila, so I felt compelled to show you the cute photo montage first! She's 2-3 weeks in the above photos.


So... the kitten hat. The kitten hat that I knit for Lila didn't fit her straight out of the womb- Lila's head is a bit of a funny shape (she has a head like E.T.), which meant that a lot of newborn hats just didn't fit her, including the kitten hat. But I re-blocked the hat (meaning, I aggressively wet blocked it to within an millimeter of the yarn's breaking point) and.....

Lila's ill-fitting kitten hat


 Fail. Her head is huge. So I re-knit is using the same rolled brim as the bunny hat, which fit much better:

My creation


By the way, that E.T. comparison? My mom and I had a huge laugh when I mentioned the scene where ET is wrapped in the blanket. Because you know, my baby girl does look an awful lot like that!


But I'm pleased to report that at 5 weeks, her head is rounding out. In the meantime, we're having a bit of a chuckle at her expense. Once day, when she has grown and has a nicely rounded head, she'll be mortified that I blabbed about her looking like  ET on the internet when she was just a tiny baby. 

42 comments:

~Lori said...

Squeeeeee! E.T. head or not, she's so cute it makes my teeth hurt. The kitten hat just puts it right over the edge!

Unknown said...

she's so darling, comparisons to ET notwithstanding! ;)

Fleur Cotton said...

Babies hats are always difficult .. unfortunately babies heads aren't all the same so it's always a bit hit and miss on fit! So glad your 2nd hat fit as it's just so cute ..lovely pictures ...definitely not ET!

Fleur xx

Anonymous said...

She is so precious! I agree, baby hats are difficult to size. Good job on the redo, how in the world do you have time to knit and blog?

Katie said...

Julie- my parents called me ET as well when I was first born for the same head-shaped reason. I was also unfortunately born with light light blond hair, making me look bald, so family kept the nickname until I was about six months old. My Mom thinks it's a hoot whenever baby pics come out. Make sure to tell lovely lady Lila later. ;)

by Annie Claire said...

HAHA! I love i! She is one adorable baby, with or without the hat!

SarahG said...

She is absolutely beautiful! Congratulations again!

eliza said...

d'awwww! i was called gorilla-head when i was little. i actually have no idea if it had anything to do with the shape of my head. anyways: baby + kitten = WIN!

Evelyn said...

She looks like she's growing so fast, Julie! I hope you get to keep her in hats as she looks precious in them. I managed to keep my now 16-year old son in hats all through toddlerhood and I love looking back at those photos.

Nicky said...

I don't think babies get any cuter than Lila!

Jacey said...

Too much!!! Oh, that kills me. Lila is adorable in her new kitty hat! And you're right! She is so expressive.

Rachel said...

Oh, that hat is too cute...I'm glad you reworked it to make it fit! I'm thinking most babies go through a bit of an ET phase...though ET-like or not, she's a cutie!

Anonymous said...

The hat is almost as adorable as she is! Congrats on figuring out some way to make it work.

Melanie Routhier said...

Julie Lila is adorable! I had a similar problem with Connor, he has a lumpy head. His pediatrician told me not to worry "slap some hair on him and you won't even notice!" I don't see Lila's ET similarities BTW she is way too cute.

Jolene said...

She's so cute -- in all the photos! As for the ET callout, consider it an adolescent outrage moment you've helpfully queued up for her. ;-)

No doubt you've thought of this, but the first kitten hat will look terrific perched atop a teddy bear. My daughter went through a fun stage of dressing her stuffies in her baby hats.

dclulu said...

She is SO cute! And the photos you take of her are wonderful. I don't think I have any pics of either of my two kids that came out as well as *any* of the ones in your montage.

behind the ivy said...

E.T. head or no, she is so beautiful and cute!

Kat said...

Aww she is so cute! I think all babies have funny shaped heads. We just found out last week we are having a girl. I crocheted a little hat for her already. I hope it fits!

Monica said...

I love those funny faces, don't you just stare at her and wonder what she's thinking? What I learned from attempting tons oh hats for babies and toddlers, is that chinstraps are most of the time a must. Then again most of the patterns are without....

Unknown said...

My daughter Gwen had a conehead shaped head. It took 2 months for it to fully round out. I have no shame in saying it, nor do I care that one day it will embarrass the hell out of her... because I am a "heartless" mother. ;)

I will say however Lila looks nothing like ET. But I do thinks all babies look a bit alien-ish until they hit 3 months old. lol Cute, but other-worldly. =D

Diane Mallow said...

I love sleeping baby pictures so am especially fond of the first in the montage. And the ones in the newly expanded hat are wonderful. Enjoy every minute.... it passes much to fast!

Hind DP said...

So cute! Brought a big smile to my face!

Preeti said...

She's just gorgeous and so adorable in her Kitty hat:)

Silvia M. said...

She is so sweet and so lovely! Cuteness overload! :)

Lindsay said...

oh my goodness, she is so cute! only one of my son's baby hats fit him for more than a week - his head was just too big. baby hat patterns ought to be written a lot bigger for all these large-headed babies!

i hope you are getting lots of time to enjoy your precious little one. they grow up so fast. i sound so old saying that, and i never thought i would, but it just doesn't seem like more than 7 months ago that my baby was your baby's size. wasn't it just yesterday?

Lurkie Lou said...

I've been skulking in the background for awhile, but have to say: Lila is your best original design ever.

UmmRania said...

I saw no unflattering photos, they were all precious!


E.T. head or not

Sonia Petitpoint said...

She's really cute ! She certainly doesn't seem to be E.T.'s little sister...

Esther said...

wow, she is really pretty! Congratulations! ^_^

Sue said...

Oh she is such a real cutie. I dont think a lot of newborns have the head size we think they have, and most of the time they have to sort of regain some shape after all the pressure they go through.

Megan said...

What a doll! I especially love the shot of her on your shoulder. It will be months and months before you have a DRY shoulder! Wear lots of white or black-helps to camoflauge a little-just a little. Enjoy her, they grow up way too fast. Thanks as always for sharing!

Hilary said...

Oh my goodness, she is TOO PRECIOUS. Such a pretty little thing!!! I just love those newborn expressions -- thank you for sharing! The yawns have to be my favorite. And, geez, the little smile makes me want to jump through the computer and give her a cuddle!

And the hat is so cute! Nice job on the re-do. As the mother of a giant-headed (and still bald, aside from the mullet-style hair on the back of his head) baby-now-toddler, I totally understand. :) (And, btw, I don't think her head looks huge or weird-shaped...or maybe I'm just distracted by the extreme cuteness.)

Lisle said...

Oh, she is darling! And those forehead wrinkles are my favorite. Oh, what I wouldn't give to snuggle and sniff a baby again! They're so yummy and cute!

Phyllis said...

Lila is gorgeous. What is it about a baby that just makes you want to hold and love them. Job well done - on the hat and Lila.

Maryse said...

Lila is so cute! How dare you make such comparisons? ;-)

Jazmine said...

So I've been laughing about this idea since wednesday when i saw these pictures so i've just got to tell you xD The picture on the right of that middle set of Lila wearing the kitten hat that didn't fit her,that should totally be a meme! with her little hand all shaped into a claw and her little face i thought of the perfect caption... "I'm gonna make you an offer you can't refuse" HAHAH! You know from The Godfather?! ahaha i crack myself up.

Lila is beautiful by the way! She's got the most gorgeous eyes :)

Anonymous said...

Yup. My hubs' parents called him "ET" when he was born because (their words) "he was so ugly." I assume they meant "in a cute way." Besides, ET is a very endearing creature. It should be compliment!

cheers,
Daisy

The Slop Queen said...

Lila is so beautiful that I don't think it's possible for you to post unflattering pictures of her. There's just no way one could exist.

Suffering from total baby envy over here!!! Congratulations.

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Kara said...

Roll brim for the win! She is so so darling. But that ET bit is pretty classic!

Anonymous said...

Such a cute girl! Well done! :)

Yarny Days said...

So cute! Great pictures. And so nice to see her awake (though it is also nice to have a sleeping baby!). She is adorable--especially in person :)