Whoops! I made it to big ...

[DHagen]

Hi All!

I am just finishing up my very first project - a beanie winter hat (yah!).  Anyway, it looks like I've added a stich here or there - or my tension is just to loose - and the result is that it is a little bigger than my head.  So, is there a way to shrink the final product, OR, should I consider reducing my stiches for a few more rows just to tighten up the base?

Or, do any of you have a better suggestion altogether?

Thanks in advance.

Darryl

p.s. This has really taught me to pay attention to the details ... I will not make this mistake again.

[bgs]

I know this is not the answer you want to hear.  Its a small project so I would pull it apart and redo it.  Chalk it up to a learning experience.  The best advice I can give to a new crocheter is count, count, count those stitches.  Advice I sometimes do not heed myself and always regret as I am pulling out rows of stitches.  If its your tension you can try a smaller hook.  Wool and cotton might shrink when laundered.  My experience has been that acrylic hats and earwarmers stretched out so if you used acrylic it might stretch out more.  You can try adding rows reducing stitches and see if you like it.  There are patterns out there for slouchy hats so it boils down to what you are happy with.

 

[Granny Square]

Hi Darryl, welcome to the 'ville!

I assume the hat was made top down?  Most crochet hats are.  Are you game for ripping about half of it out and re-doing it?  I find that if I rip and re-do, the re-do seems to go faster--I'm sure that's all in my head.  But a 'half re-do' will go quickly for a little hat.

Do you have a tailor's tape, the flexible sort?  Or a ruler and a piece of yarn will do.  Measure your head where the brim should be.  This site tells the average size of 'heads' for adults and kids if you don't.  

I like to use my head as an example because the math is easy.  My head is 22".  pi is 3.14.  For a top down hat, you typically make a center-out flat circle of a certain diameter, and then stop increasing, until you get the length you want to the face.  Circumference is diameter divided by pi; my 22" divided by 3.14 is exactly 7" for all practical purposes (7.006").  In general you don't want to make a hat bigger than your head, but having it an inch or 2 smaller is OK.

So, measure your head and do the math, and rip back to your starting circle until you are at the point that works for your measurement. 

Your idea should also work, but you are going to have to rip back a few inches, and you are going to end up with a slouchy looking hat at best, or at worst like a chef's hat (not sure, I've never tried this before).  Put the hat on, pinch the excess, and, while continuing to hold onto the pinched amount, take it out and count how many excess stitches you have.  Now count how many are in the hat, and do some math to figure out how to evenly decrease that amount.  I'd probably try to spread out the decreases - example, if it was 15 stitches too many, decrease by 5 in 1 round, make a round or 2 worked even, decrease by 5 in the next round, a few worked even.  

Oops I see Bgs has replied as I'm typing.  I see we are on the same page about 'making it right' being the best option.

 

Edited October 20, 2021 by Granny Square

[DHagen]

On 10/20/2021 at 5:11 PM, bgs said:

I know this is not the answer you want to hear.  Its a small project so I would pull it apart and redo it.  Chalk it up to a learning experience.  The best advice I can give to a new crocheter is count, count, count those stitches.  Advice I sometimes do not heed myself and always regret as I am pulling out rows of stitches.  If its your tension you can try a smaller hook.  Wool and cotton might shrink when laundered.  My experience has been that acrylic hats and earwarmers stretched out so if you used acrylic it might stretch out more.  You can try adding rows reducing stitches and see if you like it.  There are patterns out there for slouchy hats so it boils down to what you are happy with.

 

You are correct, it is not the answer that I wanted to hear, but deep down I was expecting it.  I thought I could do a little cheat to save some time.

Thanks for the help!

[DHagen]

Thank you bgs and Granny Square for the advice ... I shall heed it.

[bgs]

4 minutes ago, DHagen said:

Thank you bgs and Granny Square for the advice ... I shall heed it.

Dont feel bad.  Granny Square and I have pulled out so many stitches in our lifetimes we could have made afghans to cover a house or two.  I mess up and still have to pull projects apart.  

[Granny Square]

 .  It's a really, REALLY good idea to stop and admire your work every every couple of rows to catch errors before they magnify to catastrophes.  

 

Edited October 24, 2021 by Granny Square

[Ellie 13]

Is it worked in DCs? Put the hat on and see how it feels. If it's really too lose, crochet a ch long enough to go around your head and tie in a bow. Weave it between the DCs 2 (3) rows up put the hat on and pull the ch and tie a bow. You can even use a different color or a nice ribbon. If the hat shrinks/stretches over time, adjust the tie.

Ellie 13

[DHagen]

So .... with much concentration (old eyes), I was able to see where I messed up.  There was a LOT.  Rather than undo the whole thing, I undid about 6 rounds to get rid of most of the problems.  I left a couple of accidental increases in the first couple of rows, because, I couldn't bring myself to unravel the entire thing.  So it went from being a beanie hat to a slouch hat.  I finished it by adding a band to snug it up - and I used a smaller hook to keep it tight.

As a first project I am pleased with the final result.  I can really see all the stuff that I have to work on.  My wife is modelling it below.

Again, thanks for all the advice.

[bgs]

Glad you were able to salvage it and convert it into something that you are happy with.  Looks good and no one can tell that this was not your goal all along.  Now can you duplicate it when someone asks you to make them one just like it?  

[Granny Square]

Terrific  recovery, no one would ever know it wasn't originally meant to be a slouch hat