Finished 2nd hat

Hi Susie,

Drew will look cute in his hat. Now, can't be the teacher mentioned doing a swatch for the gauge to see what size it would turn out. Different yarns do make up very different in size as you just learned. Congratulations on the second hat in a week.

Hugs,

Nora

Very nice, Susie. Thanks for sharing.

Katherine

Hats are fun.

Swatch, gauge, and block - three words that would have improved my early knitting so much, if only I had known them and done them. :-)

=Tamar

Hi Nora, This is difficult to explain as I'm new but the pattern is called "Multi-Gauge Beanie Hat for teens and adults. I tells you if your yarn is a certain stitch per itch, it will tell you which needles to get, how much yarn to get and which directions to follow. I chose my yarn and the teacher showed me on the yarn the stitch per inch and then she showed me on the pattern what the needle size should be and which directions to follow. Thanks for liking my hat. I should try a scarf to match. :) Susie

Katherine, Thanks. :) It is fun, Susie

Tamar, I will definitely have to learn these things. Susie

Blimey you starting a hat industry over there? LOL no it is beautiful, and you are well away now aren't you.

Sizes depend on the thickness of yarn and the thickness of the needles, however changing to bigger needles makes the stitch bigger, and ifthe yarn is thinner then it could end up quite floppy.

Cher, :) Yes, I knew that the size of the yarn made a difference. The teacher said to pick any yarn I wanted and that the pattern would tell me according to the stitch per inch how to make it. I'm going to ask her more about it at the next class. I think I may make a scarf to match. Thanks! Susie

Susie, two hats in one week - I am now more than impressed ** God Bless Gwen

Gwen, :) Thanks, I'm sure I'll slow down a bit. I did learn how to fix a few mistakes so that is good. Appreciated, Susie

Good idea Susie

Never slow down... you'll never get all your projects finished!

sue

Sue, LOL, I've got to do a bunch of quilting. :) Is it normally when you are new to have problems ALL the time when knitting? :o) It sure gets frustrating. I know that as I learn from my mistakes it gets easier but most of the time I have no clue what the mistakes are. I was just playing with some yarn to see if I remembered how to do a slip knot and to cast on so I thought I would knit a bit and it wasn't a few minutes and I had 30 stitches instead of 24. HUM. Hope your Sunday is nice, Susie

WOOHOO... congratulations on your two week anniversary. You're definitely hooked on knitting now! ;o) And very impressive that you have done so well to finish two hats already. They both look great!

I don't know what people in your area think of scarves for children, but they tend to frown on them here for safety sake (getting caught on playground equipment, etc). Although I do feel that a scarf worn by a child who is with his parent should be safe enough... and the scarf can always be tucked inside the coat. Heck, I sometimes wear my scarf tucked inside my coat... the warmth of the knitted scarf makes me feel much toastier. ;o)

Peace! Gemini

2 great hats Susie, well done, what a great start to a long and fruitful relationship with yarn and needles. It may be expensive, but just imagine how chilled and relaxed you'll be!! Love Christine

Gemini, It has been "ONE" week but whose counting. LOL. Yes, Drew would just wear the scarf when he is with his Mom. He is only 3. She is a tucker inside the coat scarf Mommy. :) You almost need one today. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Susie

Christine, I'm finding that when I'm NOT having problems that knitting is very peace giving. :} Thanks for liking my hats, Susie

LOL Ooookay, I glanced at the subject line and saw "2nd", which is where I got the "two week anniversary" bit from. Oh well, it will do for next week! hehehe So... WOOHOO congratulations on your ONE week anniversary as a knitter! LOL

I haven't actually stepped outside the door today, just opened it to let the dogs go into the backyard. I know it was REALLY cold yesterday, but then the sun wasn't shining at all, which didn't help it to feel any warmer. At least when the sun is shining as brightly as it is today it *looks* warm, and tends to make you not think of it being cold outside. I have to admit though that my hands are feeling a bit chilly inside the house, so it likely is cold outside here too. ;o)

Okay, I just stepped out onto the back deck into the sunshine and it's gorgeous out. Not shorts and t-shirt temperature, but not scarf wearing weather here either. Of course we *are* from Canada and are used to much colder than this. LOL I remember when my son won a trip to North Carolina one November and there was a touch of snow on the ground here in Ontario when we flew out. When we arrived at the hotel on the ocean, we asked about the swimming pool and were told that it was closed at this time of year because it's too cold. I laughed and said "We're from Canada, and THIS is not cold!" They were very nice and opened the pool for their Canadian guests. :o)

Peace! Gemini

Good, you've made a swatch. Now, without ripping it out, follow the lines of your stitches back to see where the extra stitches came from. Then you can learn what you did to create them. Making new stitches is a necessary technique, so you just need to know what you did and only do it when you need to increase.

You can also measure how many stitches you have in an inch. (Half and quarter stitches do count!) Then (assuming it's not acrylic) gently wash the swatch and see how much it changes.

=Tamar