Do I have the right gauge?

How-to Questions
1

I am trying to knit this hat. It requires size 8 or 5 mm knitting needles and medium worsted weight yarn. Its gauge is 16 sts = 4” [10 cm]; 29 rows = 4” [10 cm] in seed stitch.

I happened to have this yarn on hand. Its gauge is 4.5 - 5 sts = 1" on #6 - 9 needles.

I’ve got a few inches of ribbing already knitted - but I’m starting to worry it may not be wide enough to fit an adult head. I cast on 82 stitches to follow the instructions for a large/x-large hat. I’m starting to think the gauge of my yarn is not quite right - which would account for the cuff not being terribly wide?

How much wiggle room is there for gauges when following a pattern?

2

A normal adult is having a circumference of about 59cm around the head. The large size (which you are knitting) is 51cm according to the pattern, so the hat will have to stretch about 8cm. As you already got enough of rows knitted to test the hat, just test it on your head and see if it is too tight.

3

Do you have the right gauge? What is your gauge in seed stitch with this yarn and needle combo? Saying the pattern requires a certain needle size is not actually correct. The needle size required is the size that works for you with your yarn. If you knit tighter than the person who knit for the gauge does then you need a larger needle, if you knit looser you need a smaller needle. If you’re working in the round you need to swatch in the round too. I think Wool of the Andes yarn will work up nicely for you in this pattern.

I agree with the try it on idea. It’s the easiest, fastest way at this point to know if you should continue knitting or frog and do a gauge swatch. I just now swatched for a pattern and got very lucky since the first needle size I used was spot on.

ETA I have an avid dislike and mistrust of the All Free sites. Here’s the original pattern on Yarnspirations.
https://www.yarnspirations.com/red-heart-seed-stitch-slouchy-hat/RHK0116-017491M.html

1 Like
4

You have to find out what YOUR gauge is with the yarn and needles you want to try. Labels and patterns give a general idea of what is needed. You need to knit a sample so u can see if what u knit matches the gauge the pattern calls for.

Knitcindy