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A little brag: this set turned up on the Today show, crocheted by the lovely Bitter Whimsy from this exact pattern and gifted to Anne Hathaway. She did a beautiful job with it, and watching a design of mine go out into the world in someone else’s hands never gets old.

The Gladiator Newborn Outfit is a five piece photo prop set: a spiked helmet, a flowing cape, a ribbed neck cuff, a diaper cover, and a pair of tiny gladiator sandals. It’s built for newborn photo sessions and for Halloween, and it works up fast enough to finish between naps.

The helmet starts with a magic circle and is worked in the round, then the face opening is shaped over three flat rows. The red spike is the fun part: you knot fringe onto a grey base with lark’s head knots, alternating 3 strands and 2 so it doesn’t go bulky, fold it over, sew it shut with gold yarn, and stitch it down the center line of the helmet. The cape and diaper cover are both worked flat in stacked single crochet1 and double crochet, and the neck cuff buttons straight onto the cape corners with no buttonholes worked.

Worsted weight acrylic throughout, so it washes and it doesn’t cost a fortune to make. Newborn size.

Photos only, please. This set should never be worn unattended and baby should stay within arm’s reach and under direct adult supervision.

A video tutorial is included.

CROCHET HOOK:
5.0 mm (H) used throughout, 3.75 mm (F) for the sandals only

NOTIONS:
Scissors
Yarn Needle to weave in ends
Cat Removable Stitch Marker
4 buttons, 23 mm, approx. 7/8”

YARN:
Red Heart With Love (grey and red), 100% acrylic, 370 yd
Red Heart Super Saver (brown), 364 yd
Caron Simply Soft (gold), 315 yd
Colors shown:
Pewter Grey
Holly Berry (red)
Chocolate (brown)
Autumn Maize (gold)

Yarn Quantities:
Grey: approx. 105 to 125 yd
Red: approx. 95 to 115 yd
Gold: approx. 30 to 40 yd
Brown: approx. 20 to 30 yd

Yarn Substitutions:
Any worsted weight (4) yarn will work here. For a girl, substitute pink for the red, use longer strands, and leave them uncut.

ABBREVIATIONS:
blo, ch, dc, dc2tog, flo, hdc, MC, Rnd, sc, sc2tog, sl st, st(s)
Stsc, stacked single crochet
US crochet terms are used throughout.

GAUGE:
13 dc and 6.5 rows = 4” x 4” using the 5.0 mm (H) hook
Not sure what gauge is? Check out this blog post: What Is Crochet Gauge and How To Fix It

SIZES:
Newborn
Helmet circumference: approx. 13¼“
Helmet height: approx. 6”
Cape length: approx. 16¾”
Cape width at hem: approx. 12½“
Neck cuff length: approx. 8½”
Diaper cover waist: approx. 14”
Sandal sole length: approx. 3½“

SKILL LEVEL:
Advanced Beginner

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It is much appreciated and loved!

© 2026, Designed by Briana Kepner (Briana K Designs). All Rights Reserved.
This design, the pattern, and the images are the property of Briana K Designs. The buyer may use this pattern for personal use and sales of finished items are also permitted, credit given to Briana K Designs is not only greatly appreciated but smiled upon. No part of this document may be reproduced, altered, or distributed in any form, or by any means, without express written permission from Briana Kepner.

We understand that you may want to put your spin on things. If you’re feeling adventurous and want to make tweaks like using different yarn or adjusting sizing, go for it! However, we kindly ask that you take full responsibility for any changes you make. Unfortunately, we cannot support modifications outside of the patterns and video tutorial.

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GPSR Representative: Ciara Doyle, C15 Y5F9, Ireland, Ciara@thefairythorn.ie