frustrated!!! :shrug:
I want to make a hat for my kids. I measured my son’s head right above the eyebrows and it’s 19"
I personally like smaller needles (sz 2 for example), but I am so new to all this, I barely understand guage.
It’s like now that I have his head circumfrance, now what do I do, how will I know how many stitches I need. I am just so overwhelmed by all of it, that I’m ready to quit even before I begin :crying:
Why don’t you check out the pattern page? there might be some ideas for you there. Or look at Knitting Pattern Central and see if there’s a hat you like there.
Keep in mind, too, that you don’t want the hat to be EXACTLY 19 inches, you want it to stretch to that point, so it stays on his head.
http://www.mielkesfarm.com/bsic_hat.htm
http://www.thedietdiary.com/knittingfiend/Hats/
Here are a couples sites with a hat patterns where you plug in your measurements for a customized fit.
Here is a pattern generator:
http://www.thedietdiary.com/knittingfiend/Hats/Hat.html
You can use whatever yarn, whatever size needles you want. 
You jus tinput your numbers in the form, and it will generate a pattern just for you. You do have to knit a swatch first, though, so you can tell the generator how many stitches per inch and how many rows per inch you are getting. So, you just need to knit a 5" x 5" square in the yarn you want to use, measure, and go from there!
I’d check out the links at KPC and as long as you get the gauge they give you then any size needle can be used… I messed up my first hat not checking the gauge and now its to big to fit anyone :teehee:
I barely understand guage~ I had trouble with this too when I first started and I think I was trying to make it into something more difficult… basically if it says 4sts per 1" then you CO for your swatch and knit till you can get a good measurment… I never BO off my swatch this way I can still use the yarn for my project… then you take a ruler and see if you get that… sometimes it will say 16sts per 4" then you would get 4sts per inch…