Newbie hat size question

[MadreBug]

So, I taught myself to crochet I'm mid-December. I've done a couple of projects and tend to stitch tightly (I'm working on that). I made a hat for my 16 year old son with some yarn I had stated around the house. I'm pretty sure it's acrylic. In an attempt to have it not turn out too small, I went up a hook size and tried to loosen my stitches.

All that's left is to single crochet around the brim to finish it. Sadly, it looks as though it will be just a tad bit. Is there any way to shrink it or are we stuck with the size since it's acrylic?

TIA- April

[Granny Square]

What might work is getting some elastic (there is a type that is sort of like thread, not the wide stuff - maybe a milimeter in diameter) and sewing it thru the stitches near the brim as invisibly as possible to pull it in a little, allowing it to stretch to get the hat on but shrink back to fit.  It might take a couple of rounds to be effective and hold up.  If this weren't a guy's hat, I'd suggest making a chain with the hat yarn and making a 'ribbon' to weave thru the stitches close to the brim and tie a bow, but I imagine your 16 year old son wouldn't appreciate that look!

Personally, I would rip back no less than 3-4 inches and grab a smaller hook to finish it off; it only needs to be snug at the bottom edge.  Don't be afraid to rip to make something right, I'm sure I've ripped a few miles of yarn to fix mistakes or 'just doesn't look right' situations.  

Chart for head sizes for reference: http://www.bevscountrycottage.com/size-chart.html

The rule for hats: Go by the above chart, or measure the person's head circumference.  Divide that number by 3.14 (pi); example, my head is 21", divided by 3.14 is 6.7".  6.7" is the diameter of the top of the hat that I need to achieve to get a hat to fit me without being too loose or tight.  Don't round up, round down because of the stretch factor.  So for me, 6.7" is the point I need to start working even (not increasing) for the rest of the hat.

 

[MadreBug]

Granny Square, thank you SO much! That information will be invaluable in the future. Luckily, he got home and tried it on and it fits perfectly for him! I'm so relieved. It's not the prettiest hat but it was fun to make and he likes it. I'll get a pic up somewhere as soon as I can.

[Granny Square]

Yay, glad it fits! 

[Jayashiangel]

Welcome, and remember to practice patence....and enjoy creating new things

[MadreBug]

Here's the finished product. I offered to make it longer but apparently he likes the length.

[Granny Square]

Looks great, nice pattern as well!