How important is gauge when knitting a hat?

I am about to start this pattern http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/70177.html and checked my gauge and I am at 9 cm when I should be at 10. I am wondering how important that 1 cm is with a hat such as this.

Gauge is only important if you want it to fit. :teehee: That said… hats are stretchy so that does help. I don’t know how to figure centimeters, but I’m sure someone here does if you can’t translate to inches and stitches…

Hmmm well 10cm is 4 inches so I guess I am just barely shy with my yarn and needles. Theoretically, will going up a size in needles increase the size of my swatch?

More than theoretically-- it WILL increase the size of the stitches, and therefore you swatch, and therefore the finished object.

Smaller needle if you want it a smaller size. Be careful to swatch it though so you can see if you like the fabric. It can be stiffer using a smaller needle.

When you get down to the lace part of the hat you will be working over 86 stitches. You are supposed to get 17 sts=10cm if you get 17=9 cm here is what will happen. 17 goes into 86 five times with one more stitch left over, so call it 5. If you got 10cm every time you worked 17 sts you would end up with 50cm, 5X10. If you were only getting 9 cm every time you work 17 sts you would end up with 45 cm, 9X5=45. So that is not a lot and the pattern says the hat will stretch to fit a range of sizes so it would probably work.

I didn’t notice how they worked the hat row gauge wise. I mean I didn’t notice if it told you to only work a certain number of rows or if you went by inches or centimeters for the length. If it gave it in rows you may need to add a few more somewhere so it wouldn’t be too short. Made from the top down it would be easy to try it on and see how much more you needed.

Merigold, I am in awe of your math skills !!!

LOL It doesn’t come naturally to me. I have to think, “How does this work”, every time I do it.