Size

tinkerbell · 07-25-2006, 11:33 AM

I am knitting a chemo hat for a friend of my aunt's but I don't know what size to knit. There are 3 sizes on the pattern, small (21 inches), medium (22 inches) and large (23 inches). I started knitting a medium but it won't fit all the way around my circular needle and I can't find one with a shorter cable(I'm currently using 21" size 13). Are there any other solutions I can use? Should I try knitting a large? Cut the cable on my circular needle and make it shorter? Please help.

brendajos · 07-25-2006, 04:37 PM

omg don't cut the cable. you will find other uses for it! do you happen to have another size 13 with a cable that is too long? you could knit it on two circ following the instruction in the advanced videos section. Otherwise i would look for another needle (there are LOTS of online resources even if you have to wait for shipping) Or find a pattern that you can knit flat. The only thing i would say about knitting flat is that you want to make sure the seam isn't going to rub the head and irritate the person wearing it since their bodies are so sensitive to irritation while going through chemo.

brendajos · 07-25-2006, 04:38 PM

btw...if you would like to find a source for a 16 inch needle let us know....we all can come up with good resources for you. Cutting it will ruin the needle! donnnnnnnnnnnnn't do it!

tinkerbell · 07-25-2006, 06:06 PM

How about a place that I can buy an interchangeable cable that's 16" long? I just bought the 21" cable and the size 13 needles seperately so I just need to find a place that sells the cable in a 16".

brendajos · 07-25-2006, 06:19 PM

is it the Boye set? boyes don't come in a size that makes a 16" needle. Remember, too, that when you are talking about size of needles you are talking about point to point. So if you have a 21" cable and the points you are talking about a 29" circ (the points are about 4 inches each on the Boye sets.)

because their cable is so stiff they just can't do 16"....you would hate knitting with it i think.

Here are some Clover bamboos in 16 inch from Joanns.com. They are on sale and great to work with i think.

That looks like the best that Joann has online right now for 16" in a size 13.

You can look at www.CurrentCodes.com to see if there is a coupon code that will work for you too. I believe their site will still let you use the percent off codes but only on the regular price (so instead of taking 50% off the sale price of $7-ish it would take it off the regular price of $10-ish)

Ebay as usual is a good source for needles too!

KellyK · 07-25-2006, 06:27 PM

Most hats will require a 16" needle, unless you use the 2-circ method. Its a good investment!

aylaanne · 07-25-2006, 08:00 PM

I just have to stick a vote in here for DPNs. They're awkward at first but after you knit a few inches they really get easier.

tinkerbell · 07-25-2006, 08:09 PM

Thanks for all your help. I think the best way for me to do this would be to use 2 circular needles.

betweenshades · 07-26-2006, 02:28 PM

Originally Posted by aylaanne

I just have to stick a vote in here for DPNs. They're awkward at first but after you knit a few inches they really get easier.

word.

*nods*

The trick is to only pay attention to the 2 needles your working with. For me, it's the only way to do smaller knitting in the round.

I never actually got the hang of the circular needles- they always get in my way. :|