Men's Hat

#1

HELP! I am trying to make a men’s hat with circular needles. I have 16’’ ones and have been making baby hats on them, but find them to be a little small when I cast on more for a bigger person’s head. I want this hat to be a surprise so I do not want to measure his head. So, here are my questions:

a. Is there a general number of cast-ons? He is 22 yrs old so not too big of a head. Lol. (I am using size 10 circular needles and a slightly bulky yarn)
b. How many inches/rows should I knit before I decrease?
c. Double Pointed Needles method?? <—I see this mentioned a lot when knitting bigger hats, but I am unlcear as to what they are referring to. (I can look that up so I am not too worried about that)

Thank you so much for your help!

#2

If he’s got another knit hat, measure that. Head sizes vary a lot - my head is larger than my 6’1 son. Here’s a ‘recipe’ that works with any size head, yarn or needles. You’ll have to knit up a sample of about 20 sts to see how many sts per inch you get, then use that times the head size to see how many to cast on. The 16" needles will be fine, you probably won’t need more than 20" or so, and dpns are usually used after some decs because the sts won’t fit on the needles any more. But you can use a longer needle and the magic loop or single loop method to finish it.

#3

Thank you!

#4

I just finished knitting this hat for my boyfriend today:
http://www.box.com/shared/2v84dp5pdk
I added a little pom pom at the top because he asked for it

Hes 23 so he should be around the same head size as your son. I also used size 10 needles and yarn thats slight bulky. I followed the instructions for the first pattern listed (the one for WW yarn) and it turned out great. I havent given it to him yet but it fits a little loose on me which I think will turn out fine because he has a bigger head than me. If you’re used to using circular needles then you can just stick to that and the 16" will be fine. I started with 29" needles but it was too long and I had a hard time so I started over with double pointed needles. I prefer double pointed needles over circular needles but it doesnt matter what you use, its just personal preference.

#5

I would say if you are unsure of headsize then knit a ribbed hat! That way it’s stretchy and will mostly likely fit his head big or small.