Problems finishing hats (gaps, tight decreases)

#1

I have been making hats on circular needles, and am trying to get the knack of finishing them off with knit together. I have two problems:

  1. My knit together stitches for the decrease are incredibly tight. Even though my gauge for simply knitting without decreasing seems even and in the gauge called for, when I put my needle through the two stitches, I can barely get the stitch through.

  2. Somehow I am ending up with holes/gaps in the top of the hat when I am decreaing. I am not dropping stitches.

Any tips would be very welcome. Thanks in advance!

#2

trying to get the knack of finishing them off with knit together.

Do you mean just the decreases to form the top of the hat?

K2tog can be tight, but it shouldn’t be so terrible that you can’t get your needle in…I’d say just wiggle it around in there…don’t know about the holes tho—:???: