Knitting Question!?

Question

So, I want to knit a hat with fun fur type yarn. I bough round needles, size 7- my head is 21-22 inches around(for the hat fit). Does anyone know how to figure out how many stitches are an inch?? Please help! Thanks

Answer 1

Do a gauge swatch. Knit a small sample piece about 5" across and 5" long in the stitch pattern that you will be using for the hat. Then measure a one inch area across (in the middle - about 2 inches from the edge) to see how many stitches per inch you need. It is also good to measure vertically as well.

Say for example you have 6 stitches per inch and your head size is 21 inches. Then you will cast on 81 stitches.

If your head is from 21 to 22 inches wide, always make the hat for a 21 inch measurement, otherwise it will be too big because the yarn will stretch.

If you neeed more knitting advice, go to knitting.about.com or lionbrand.com. They also explain the gauge swatch pretty well.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

First, cast on about 20-25 stitches, then knit a swatch about 25 rows long of stockinette stitch. When you've done that, *without cutting the yarn*, hold a ruler up to it and count how many stitches make up an inch. Multiply the distance around your head by that number, and you'll get the number of stitches you need. Now you can unravel the swatch, and re-use the yarn in your hat.

I hope you're planning to knit the first couple inches of the hat, the part that goes around your forehead, in a ribbing stitch - say K2P2. It will look very narrow, but will stretch nicely and help keep the hat on your head.

Good luck, and have fun!!

Answer 3

Hi:

Do a test swatch on the recommended needles that is at least 4 inches square. Check the number of stitches in an inch of this to compare against what is mentioned on the paper wrapped around the yarn skein.

If you find that the number from your swatch measurement doesn't match the size on the paper, either use larger or smaller needles until you find that your swatch will match. This is one of the most important things to do before knitting a garment. On a hat, it might not make too much of a difference if you're off a stitch or so.

Also, watch the HGTV and DIYNET knitting shows that might help you - 'Knitty Gritty' and 'Knit One, Pearl Two'.

Hope this helps, and I hope you have a lot of fun making your hat!

Answer 4

On the label of the yarn, there is a gauge that says how many stitchces would fit in a 4"x4" square using a certain size of needles.
Fun Fur's gauge happens to be 16 stitches per 4-inch square w/ a needle size 10.5, which means that you have 10 2/3 stitches per 4-inch square w/a needle size of 7.
This means that you should cast on approx. 59 stitches for your hat.
Have fun knitting your hat! =)

Answer 5

you can check the gauge on the yarn, it will give an average # of stitches per ince. Also, knit a swatch (small square), with a certain number of stitches, and see how many per inch you get on that size needles. Then you can use that to judge how many to use for your project. Have fun!

Answer 6

just start knitting til you get to 22 inches dont forget to count