Now, using the stitches per inch from your gauge swatch, calculate how many stitches, in stockinette, it would take to go around your head comfortably. For the sake of the example, we will say that was 80 stitches. Just for fun we will do a slightly unusual thing and use a garter stitch band for the hat instead of the more usual k1p1 or k2p2 rib. See basic classic watchcap, if you want the rib. Garter stitch is very stretchy, so we will start, on the same size needles we used for the swatch we liked best, casting on about three fourths the number of stitches we calculated for the stockinette. So we cast on 60 stitches and join, being careful not to twist the stitches and set a marker to show where the end of the round is (when knitting in the round.
Work in garter stitch for about an inch to an inch and a half - we'll do it for 4 ridges (8 rows). On the next row, knit two stitches, and knit and increase in the third stitch. This makes 3 stitches become 4 stitches, which increases 60 stitches by 20 and brings the whole number of stitches up to 80. Huh? Okay, you want to increase to 80 stitches (which was how many you decided would be a comfy fit for your head, judging from your gauge swatch) and you have 60 stitches. Subtract. You need 20 stitches. How many times does 20 go into 60? Three times. Increase in the third stitch, or right after the third stitch, depending on what particular kind of increase you use. I picked a nice example that works out even. If it doesn't work out even, you can alternate, say, increasing in the third stitch, then in the fourth stitch after that, then in the third again......
We don't need to go further into that now. It helps a lot if when you finish up your increases, you end up with a multiple of 8 or 7, though 6 is also possible. You can fudge a stitch or two to make things come out even.
When you have completed your increases, count your stitches and make sure there are 80. If there aren't, check your count again. Miscounting is the most common error. If you are sure you don't have 80, don't rip. Just make the necessary change on the next row, by increasing or decreasing. Scatter the increases or decreases at random around the piece. If you bunch them in one place it will gather in or pouf out.
Now you're set for a while. Knit round and round for the next 8 inches or so.
Decreasing for the top.
What was your multiple? 7? 8? Assuming it was 8, we go around our 80 stitches
once, setting a marker every 10 stitches, giving you 8 sections of ten. Don't
remove the round end marker, but use it as both a round end and a section
marker. Now, (Rnd 1) knit two together at the beginning of each section. (Rnd 2)
Knit all stitches. Repeat these two rounds alternately until it gets too tight a
circle for the circular needle. When that happens you have to switch to double
point needles, same size as the circular you were using. Divide the stitches
onto 3 or 4 needles, depending on whether you have a four needle set or a five
needle set, always leaving one empty to knit onto. Continue the same repeated
two rounds, a decrease round and a plain round, until you get to 16 stitches (or
14 if 7 was your multiple). Knit 2 together all the way around, but don't knit
another plain round. Leaving a tail about 6 or 8 inches long, cut your yarn. No,
you don't need to bind off. Thre ad the yarn tail onto a yarn sewing needle,
and, continuing the circle as if you were knitting, take each stitch off the
needle, one at a time by running the yarn tail through it and pull the circle
closed. Run the yarn tail through the closed circle a couple more times for
strength, work the remaining end of the tail through the knitting on the inside
of the hat. You're done.
| copyright cjwyche, 2000-2006 These patterns and documents are essentially learning tools and I favor free access to knowledge on the internet, I have placed them on this web page under Copyleft|GNU Free Documentation License (version 1.2 or any later version). This means you have permission to freely download, ocpy and use content from this web site under the same License. Any creative changes you make to this source material cannot be copyrighted, but must also be freely distributed under the License. |
Modified: 2006-02-03
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