At the start of last winter I made my boys hats with a Plymouth Encore washable wool blend. I’m a bit neurotic about washing things so they have been through the washer and dryer several times. My older son has asked for a new one b/c he feels his current one no longer covers his ears…is it possible the hat shrunk? I’m knitting him a new hat and am getting fewer rows to the inch that his old one measures out at. So where the first color stripe on his old one is about 3.5" and 24 rows and on the new one I am at 3.5" with about 20 rows. I want the new hat to be a bit bigger but not too big for him to even wear…
Hmm… I don’t think it shrinks since it’s washable wool and acrylic. The fabric stretches out a bit when worn and tightens up after washing. Could that be it? Or maybe he outgrew it? Maybe make it longer since this seems to be a problem. It’s great yarn for hats!
Jan I didn’t figure Encore would shrink but I am unsure why my gauge is so different this time. My plan was to slightly increase the circumference and then add about 10% to the rows to make it longer and be sure his ears are covered. I worry that if I go by rows given the new gauge it will be down to his shoulder. I know he can roll over the excess but he doesn’t seem to like that for some reason.
Maybe it’s just a difference in how you’re knitting as compared to a year ago. Is your stitch count the same? It baffles me how my row gauge can change and the stitch gauge seems to stay the same or the other way around. :shrug: