My hat is too tight at the bottom, but it wont frog from the cast on edge like it does from the top.
Is that just because its fair isle, or does knitting not frog from the bottom?
Does knitting frog from the bottom
That’s normal. It always frogs easier from the bind off end. If you need to take out the cast on and put it on needles you need to pick it out stitch by stitch.
Is the hat for you? What weight yarn and how many did you cast on? Is it ribbed?
yup, cut the yarn at the beginning of the round, then hold a needle ready to take the stitches (a smaller one that what you made it with) and pick out stitch by stitch. (what you end up with then are the yarn stretches between the stitches)
you can then knit down from there.
but you will have 1 stitch less than before (even though… I have not done it in the round, yet. DOES it end up with a stitch less? Probably not…) and you will be knitting a half step offset. Only needs to be respected, if you work in a pattern that will show this.
If you have ribbing, it won’t unravel as readily as stockinette or garter stitch. But you can snip a stitch in the last round of the ribbing, put the sts on the needles and reknit the rib and bind off. If you’re a stitch short, just inc 1.
Its for Dad, who Mum reckons is a 57cm head circ.
DK 100% wool, 108 stitches, 4.5mm needles.
Cast on with 5mm, way loose. No ribbing. Its not just the cast on, its the whole circumf.
Fits husband only at a MAJOR stretch, fits 5 year old son fine.
pattern said finished size 54cm unstretched 20 sts on 4mm = 4", i.e. 10sts = 5.1cm. My swatch on 4mm was more like 10 sts = 4.5cm, thats why I went to 4.5mm needles. Guess I shulda knitted another swatch, but Zzzzzzz boring !
Finished thing is 53.5cm I reckon, but it just doesn’t stretch like it would if it wasn’t fair isle.
For a fair isle you might not need as much negative ease as you do for a stretchy stitch like rib or stockinette. I think you’ll either have to find someone with a smaller head or redo it on larger needles.
that is one of the problems with multi-color patterns… if you trail the yarn on the inside the stretch may go away (depends on the repeat-rate, too.)
for things that are not generally stretched, my old knitting book advises to do one purl with both colors every about 10 stitches in st st. it then falls to the background, but it is a loop that makes stretchyness possible.
For a hat, though, that seems like an issue, because it will show in the end when it is stretched.
Well, I think, your 5-year-old might have earned himself a hat and your dad gets a new one? or you frog it and start over (depends on the style and price of yarn, I guess…)
Well, here they are.
Mark I is the red/pink one. Too small, fits a 4/5 year old. Feels gorgeous (100% wool), looks to girly for Dad. Might try and sell it on Folksy (British Etsy type site).
Mark II is the reindeer one. Too big on husband. Told Mum to try washing it in hot water, or use it as a bicycle helmet. Like how it turned out though.
Its his birthday tomorrow. Will let you know what he thinks.
Well, sizing aside, it’s great knitting! Well-done! Colorwork is going to be my next knitting challenge.