Sweet Cecilia Bonnet
The Inspiration
I am always on the look out for beautiful crochet edgings. I found a few on Pinterest and was practicing one of them. All of a sudden I was in the middle of making a dress. I had chosen this beautiful pale pink cotton yarn and it was almost the exact same colour as some David Austen Roses that I have in my garden called “St. Cecilia”. I decided I would name the dress “Sweet Cecilia”. Of course I couldn’t stop with just a Sweet Cecilia Dress. The stitch pattern was just begging to be made into a cardigan and a bonnet. I thought the bonnet would be the perfect pixie bonnet pattern to share with all of you lovely people for free!
The Details
The bonnet is constructed by making the scalloped edging first. I chose to do this in a contrasting colour to the body of the bonnet. After the edging is finished, we break the yarn and re-join it to the bottom of the edging. Next you stitch the body of the bonnet by alternating rows of half double crochet and chain one skip one stitch with rows of half double crochet. The trick to the half double crochet stitches is that they are stitched beneath the loops of the stitches in the previous row. This makes for a gorgeous, clean texture.
The Yarn
I have made this bonnet with two different types of yarn and they both turned out beautifully. In the photos, M is wearing a bonnet made with Rico Essential Cotton Dk. I adore Rico because the colours are absolutely gorgeous. The downside to this yarn is that it does tend to split slightly, especially when using a small hook. The other bonnets I made were using Paintbox Yarns Cotton DK. This yarn also comes in very beautiful colours and does not tend to split in my experience.
The Pattern
Scroll down to the bottom to watch the video tutorial.
Materials
- 3.5mm (U.S E-4) crochet hook or size needed to obtain gauge.
- DK or Lightweight number 3 yarn. I used Paintbox Yarns Cotton DK in the colours Vanilla Cream (408) & Dusty Rose (442) and Rico Essential Cotton Dk in the colours Nude (52) and Pale Pink (30).
Gauge
20sts/16rows 10cmX10cm (4X4 inch) square in alternating rows of half double crochet and half double crochet and chain one skip one stitch. (Sweet Cecilia Stitch) All hdc sts should be stitched beneath the three loops of the previous row. There is a video tutorial on how to do this stitch pattern on the next page.
Sizing and Yarn Requirments
| Size | Approximate Head Circumference | Yarn (approx length in meters/yards and weight in grams) |
| 0-6 mo | 41cm/16in | 165m/180yds/60g |
| 6-12 mo | 46cm/18in | 220m/240ds/80g |
| 1-2 years | 48cm/19in | 250m/270yds/90g |
| 3-5 years | 51cm/20in | 276m/300yds/100g |
The sizes in this pattern are written as follows 0-6months[6-12months, 1-2 years, 3-4 years]
Stitches and Abbreviations
st or sts- stitch or stitches
ch- chain stitch
sl st- slip stitch
sc- single crochet
sp- space
sk-skip
ch1/sk1- chain 1 and skip 1 stitch
hdc- half double crochet
dc-double crochet
RS- right side
WS- wrong side
hdc2tog- half double crochet two stitches together
Special Instructions
Work all hdc stitches underneath the three loops of the previous row. See pics below or see the video tutorial at the end of this post.
Scalloped Bonnet Trim (Colour A)
Ch 60 [68, 76, 84]
Row 1 (RS)
sc in the 2nd ch from the hook and in each ch across the row, turn
Row 2 (WS)
ch1, sc in each st across the row, turn
Row 3 (RS)
ch1, sc in the first st, alternate sc & ch1/sk1 to the last st, one sc in the last st, turn
Row 4 (WS)
ch1, sc in the first st, *sc in the next ch sp, ch1 & sk 3 sts, in the next ch sp [dc & ch1 four times], sk the next 3 sts, repeat from *5[6,7,8] more times. Sk the next 3 sts, sc in the ch sp, ch1 & sk 3 sts, in the ch sp [dc & ch1 four times], sk 3 sts, one sc in the last two sts
You will have a total of 7[8,9,10] shells. Each shell should measure about 4cm/1.5in.
Break yarn.
Bonnet Body (Colour B)
Join yarn to the last st of your starting ch, below where you have broken your yarn (see pic above).
Row 1 (RS)
ch2, hdc in the first st, alternate ch1/sk1 & hdc to the end of the row, turn
Row 2 (WS)
ch2, hdc under the loops of each st to the end of the row (there will be two hdc sts placed in the ch space), turn
Repeat Rows 1 & 2 until you bonnet measures approximately 15cm/6in [16.5cm/6.5in,18cm/7in,19cm/7.5in] including the scalloped trim. End on a row 2. Leave a long tail to sew up the back. Turn the bonnet to the wrong side and fold in half. Use a mattress stitch or your preferred method to seam up the back of the bonnet. Weave in all the ends and then proceed to the bottom edging.
Bottom Edging & Straps (Colour B)
Turn the bonnet to the right side and join yarn to the bottom left of the bonnet (as though you were wearing it)
Row 1 (RS)
ch2, place one hdc at the end of each row, turn
Row 2 (WS)
ch2, hdc in the first st, *hdc2tog, hdc in the next st, repeat from * to the end of the row, hdc in any leftover sts, turn
Row 3
ch2, hdc in each st across the row, when you reach the end ch 45[ 50, 55, 60] sts for the strap, sl st in the 2nd ch from hook and in each ch st up the strp, break yarn
Join yarn to the other side of the bonnet to make the other strap. Ch 45[ 50, 55, 60] sts for the strap, sl st in the 2nd ch from hook and in each ch st up the strp, break yarn.
Weave in all of your ends.
