I’m not getting the math part.:???: I want a hat with a circumference of 21 inches. My guage is 5 sts/in. 21 x 5 = 105 cast ons (this is way, way too big). But, what if my gauge was 4 sts/in. 21 x 4 = 84 (still too big). It seems like the smaller my gauge, the more cast ons I would need… and the opposite for the larger gauge (less cast ons).:hmm:
Continuation of Needle/Yarn
The more stitches you have per inch, the smaller those stitches are, therefore you would need more of them to make something.
Yup… you’re right. Duh… I had to think about that for a minute. I do knit tightly, so I would need more stiches to an inch vs. if I knitted loosely. But, it’s still not working out for me. Casting on 105 stitches is way, way too big for a 21" circumference. After about three tries, I cast on 72 stitches. There’s a huge discrepancy there. This is driving me nuts.:grrr:
Hereis a basic Hat formula pattern that might help a little bit…I made my son a hat from it…My hats never fit but this one did I was shocked :teehee:
I make and sell a lot of hats, mostly out of yarn that knits at about 17 st/4", according to the label. I think my gauge is around that, or maybe a stitch or 2 tighter. For an adult medium hat I cast on 100 st, for a baby size hat I cast on 70. It doesn’t hurt to have a hat a touch on the small size, so it doesn’t blow off or whatever, but yours sounds a little small.
I just finished the ribbing of 72 stitches and tried it on. It feels just right… not too snug or too loose. This is still a mystery to me. I thought doing the math would always work.
When making a hat I always make it 1 or 2 inches smaller then the actual head size. This keeps it snug and from slipping on the head or blowing off. So maybe that is why your 70 stitches feels right.
Yes, you should do the caston for a hat about 10% smaller than your actual head size. The ribbing is stretchy so it works out right. I’ve found around 70 sts to be a good number unless I’m using really small or really large needles.