Help with Snail Spiral Hat - Knitting w/o Tears

How-to Questions
1

(I’m reposting this here from the pattern section by request)

Okay, why does this seem to be tiny, no matter what I do? I got my gauge to be right on to her instructions (7 stitches to 3" on US 10 1/2). I’m using 4 strands of yarn to do so.

I found a pict on line and the poster seems to show the hat coming out like mine - way too tight to work. http://zimmermaniacs.blogspot.com/2006_10_01_zimmermaniacs_archive.html ( you have to scroll way down to see it)

And I found this correction (by her daughter) later down on the same page. It changes the hat to a 3 spiral (from a 5).

Spiral/Snail Hat

Several of you have mentioned knitting EZ’s Snail Hat and I must alert you that there is a mistake in my instructions in The Opinionated Knitter (not ma’s fault!).

Elizabeth’s original directions (on page 94) were for a 5-Spiral hat which rather copped out during the decreases; lost its edge. She later re-designed it to a 3-Spiral that retains the sharp M1 edge, through the decreases, to the top. The instructions for the 3-Spiral are on page 96.
In the R-hand column, 7th row down, please correct your copy to read:

(P1, P2tog twice, K15, M1) 3 times

NOT K13 as written.
With apologies,
Meg

OKAY then! So I guess I need to rip mine out, since I’m several inches from the top of the original 5 spiral and it looks poopy, not loose enough to avoid the spirals flattening and I’m running out of yarn. Ugh.

So, can I use a thinner yarn, smaller needles and just increase the pattern over all? If it’s repeats of 15, can I just cast on more? Like the original is cast on 50 increase to 75 (pattern is worked in repeats of 15) So could I cast on 60 and increase to 90? Would that work?

And how come this hat comes out so small even when worked in gauge? I just don’t get that!?

And why is the first 5 rows worked straight and then joined later? Is that her professed hatred of purling? I don’t want to screw it up more than I already have, LOL!

Thanks for reading this long and somewhat repetitive question!

(ETA I ripped it and made a perfectly acceptable pillbox hat, buuuuttt, I really want to make one of the snail hats! Whaaaaay whine!!!)

Becky, Mama to Alex (2003) and Rhian (2005)

2

I am unfamiliar with this pattern, but it seems that with a cast on of 50 stitches like the patterns states, and a gauge of 7.5sts/3" should work out to a hat that is 20" around which would be just about right for a ladies head. :shrug: Of course you could increase the number of stitches cast on but I wouldn’t use a thinner yarn. If the yarn you are using and the gauge you are getting makes a smaller hat than you want, if you use a thinner yarn and increase your stitch count you could end up with the same size in the end…one would kind of cancel out the other, know what I mean??

3

Yep, I totally agree. If I used a thinner yarn I would increase by quite a bit. Of course, knitting a gauge, etc.

I think 20" for a regualar hat is fine, but this one is supp. to have these loose folding spiral ribs all around up to the top. And it seems that at 20", they get too stretched out and you lose the effect. My head is average at just over 22" circumference.

sooo, maybe I would have to make it for just over 22" circumference, so it wouldn’t stretch…?

4

If it’s easy to figure out how to increase the multiples, which it sounds like it is, then I’d just start experimenting!! Start by adding just one multiple and see how it goes - it’s sometimes amazing how much difference a few stitches can make.

Good luck, I’d love to see it finished!

5

Thanks. I’m going to try to find a yarn that will make the gauge, without having to hold together 4 strands, lol! If I can get it made I’ll post a pic.