Knitting a baby hat

I’m new here and not sure if my post earlier was eaten or what;) Anyway,I haven’t had luck with hats in the past…the one I tried has been sitting 2-3 years:gah:

I’m trying to make a baby hat atm…the pattern says to use size 8 needles but the yarn I bought says to use 10 with it. Do I still cast on 54 stitches like the pattern says or just cast on until I get to 11"? I’m using the pattern from Bev’s Country Cottage.(The forum won’t let me link)

If my other post shows up too…sorry:blush:

Thanks for any help:hug:

Hi and welcome!
You really need to make a gauge swatch to find out how many stitches to cast on and with which size needle. Usually the pattern will tell you how many stitches you should have over 4inches of knitting. Cast on 4-6 more stitches and knit for about 4 inches worth and then measure the number of sts over the center 4 inches. If you have more sts than the pattern gauge calls for, use a larger needle; if too few sts, use a smaller size needle. That’s the best way to determine which needle to use and how to make a hat that’ll fit.
If this is the pattern, it doesn’t give a guage. Still, cast on about 24sts and knit in k2p2 rib to see how many sts you get over 4 inches when slightly stretched. Then you can figure out if you need to change the needle or the number of cast on sts.

It’s the pattern fromhere

I think my 10s are occupied and I wanted to use size the pattern calls for.I think I’m going to need to cast on a few more…I’ve never done a test swatch.

Recommended needle sizes are just that, recommended. I rarely make gauge in the needle size the pattern recommends. It’s a good idea to try the size the pattern calls for but chances are you’ll need to swatch with at least one other size, maybe two other sizes, sometimes it takes more. The Gauge Basics video is great and will help you to see what gauge swatching is all about.

But that pattern doesn’t tell me how many stitches I need per inch…maybe I should find a different pattern.

The yarn you bought that uses 10s is a bulky, and while you can use the size 8s, the stitches will be a lot tighter with it than a thinner yarn. You won’t need to CO more stitches, maybe a few less, so do try a sampler with about 16-20 sts to see how many per inch you get.

This is the yarn I have. The pattern says to use a 4 ply…what does that mean?This yarn,I just saw is a 4-medium. Sorry for all of the questions…I have a hard time sticking with projects and would hate to get it knit up and it be wrong!

Can you link to the pattern or give us its name? A 4 ply yarn may simply mean it’s got 4 strands in it and could be the same as the one you linked to. Or it may also mean a 4ply fingering weight which is half as thick.

Even if the pattern doesn’t say how many sts per inch the gauge is, you can divide your sts into the number of stitches to see how large around that would make it. If it’s larger than the head you need less stitches.

It’s the pattern from here

Bev’s Knitted Newborn Hat

It would be so simple to knit if I could just figure out gauge!

http://www.bevscountrycottage.com/abctree.html#KNITHAT Is the knitted cap on that page your pattern?

That one calls for LB Pound of Love, Knit: 19 stitches x 24 rows = 4" (10 cm) on size 8 (5mm) needles. The yarn you linked to says, Knit Gauge: 16 stitches x 24 rows = 4".

You might consider running to Walmart or some place similar and picking up some LB Pound of Love or at least look at it and feel it to get an idea of how the two compare. I’m knitting with LBPoL to make a sweater. It’s so soft, I love it.

If you want to look at other patterns, here’s a search result on ravelry for Easy Newborn Beanies. http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/search#craft=knitting&availability=free&difficulties=0|1&fit=newborn-size&view=captioned_thumbs&sort=best&pc=beanie-toque

I was shopping at Hobby Lobby and they didn’t have that yarn. I really like the yarn I have so I may just have to find a new pattern or give it a go and see what happens.

I was thinking that you might compare the two yarns to see the differences, the yarn you have is what you should use for a hat. Knitting a baby hat won’t be a long-term project and if it turns out to be too large for a newborn you can save it for later. I think going for it is a good idea. There are a lot of patterns at ravelry and other places. Whatever pattern you choose, have fun.

OK!I think I will just go for it!It will be a good learning experience for me.It isn’t a big project and should take too long so I’ll just try it and if it seems like it’s not working…maybe I’ll just start over.:thumbsup:

Good for you! A completed hat will be a good thing to have and good for you too! Have fun. Be sure to let us know if you run into any problems, and we’d love to see the FO!

You should be able to find a similar yarn at hobby lobby, some of their baby yarns are worsted weight which is the ‘4 - medium’. Look for one whose label gauge uses size 7 or 8 needles.

The hat seems to be knitting up ok so far but the 1" of ribbing seems to be looking odd…I don’t know if I messed it up(I know how to rib)or if it’s the yarn. If I can figure out how to post a pic,can you guys tell me what you think?I’d hate to start over.

There could be numerous reasons for a problem so it’s hard to say without a pic. Check the link in my signature to find out appropriate sizes and how to post

I’m not sure if you can tell anything by this pic but this definitely doesn’t look like ribbing to me.:shrug:

I think you’re knitting flat, not in the round? Your photo looks as if you’re doing seed stitch, to me at least. If you check the videos here you can scroll down to Stitch Patterns and find the videos for Ribbing and Seed Stitch. I’d link to them directly but the videos here are available in Continental or English style and I don’t know which you use. I think what has happened is you knitted where you should have purled and vice versa. The videos should help you get it figured out. Are you using the Bev’s Country Cottage pattern?

It is the pattern from Bev’s country cottage and it’s supposed to be 1" of k2,p2 and knit the rest of the rows.I think I may have to start over,but I have time. I’m not sure whether I use Continental or English either:aww: