Circular needle hat help...please

[Tonid1980]

Howdy. I just completed my first scarf, and all I want to do now is make a matching hat. In fact, I have a feeling, hats will be all I ever knit because I LOVE hats, and becauseI dont have enough patience for larger projects.

Heres my situation. I have 16 inch circular needles. I cast on 90 stitches (because the 80 suggested couldnt really be stretched to fit around the whole needle). I tried to do start stitching around in knit 1 purl 1 ribbing. It was VERY hard to get my needle through the stitches, and it was even harder to keep my stitches rotating. I figured this would all get better once I had a few rows. But then I looked down the line to the stitch that started that connected the ends of stitching, and it hat seperated about a whole inch! and the stitch I made was tight!

Am I casting on to tightly? Am I using the wrong size needles? Should I just cast on more stitches and try again?

This is frustrating... I really wanna make a hat!

[Ingrid]

There is a limit to how many stitches circulars can hold. 16 is usually normal to start a hat, so you could start with more stitches, but eventually you'll have to go down to double-pointed needles to finish the top of the hat.

[Tonid1980]

awww crud... I didnt think of having to move to double pointed needles... they scare the crap outta me.

[heather_dw]

I felt that way too about DPN's at first, but they aren't all that bad really. I think they just look alot scarier than they really are.

[Ingrid]

The best way to learn dpn's is on a hat. The stitches are already established. They look harder than they are. You're always knitting with two needles, as normal. You just take turns.

[Tonid1980]

thanks ladies. Ill have to give it a shot. I just visited crazy aunt purl (funniest knitting blog ever ) and she happen to be talkin bout her dpns today and linked to her explination of how to knit a simple hat... she also gave me some extra courage. I think maybe starting out with different yarn might help me a bit too... I think I was using some Caron Simply Soft . .. maye something chunkier..

[Yarnlady]

I can easily do a hat of 90 sts on a 16in circular. My hint, though, is to knit the first couple rows of ribbing flat and then join. COs are generally a bit tighter than ribbing or even plain knitting. Then everything should be hunky dory. If you get that split between the joins, you can run a quick stitch there when you sew up the little seam you'll have from knitting the first couple rows flat.

I didn't like using DPNs at first, but now after makins a pair of mittens and five socks, they really are nice. Almost make the knitting seem like it goes faster as you have definate steps on each needle rather than seemingly endless knitting in the round....

[Tonid1980]

Thanks yarnlady! I may try that next time...

I attempted knitting on the circular needles again last night, and it still was very tough for the first two rows, but after that it loosened up and my needles were flying...

Thank you all for your advice and encouragement. I think this first hat is gonna be too big and quite ugly, but thats just fine by me, Ill wear it with pride hehehe..... .. and im sure the next one (with the yarn to match my first scarf..... Im very happy I didnt make the matching one first.) will look much better.

[losnana]

You can do it by Magic Loop instead of DPNs.