first time making hat/it was too small when finished

[Pugmama]

I have never made a hat before... I attempted this hat but it was way to small. My mom asked me to make it and I am failing miserably.

Size M/N/13/9mm hook

The pattern notes have a note that reads "Beginning chain -8 counts as first double crochet, chain-2, skip next 2 stitches

Then it goes to HAT: 

Rnd 1: chain 3, join to form a ring, ch2, 11hdc in ring join in first hdc. 

THe pattern never asks for double crochet. It is hdc and horizontal stitches. 

The pattern states the hat should measuren19 inches in circumference and shows it on an adult but it wouldn't fit my head.

 

[bgs]

Did your pattern give you stitch counts and did yours match?  Did you use the EXACT same yarn that the pattern was written for or at least the same weight?  Subbing yarn can greatly affect your results. Did you use the suggested hook size?  You need to match the designer's gauge so if you crochet tighter you can go up a hook size or two.  Sounds like pattern was written for a bulky weight yarn so you are already using about the biggest hook out there already. 

Hats can be made out of a single stitch (all sc, all dc, all hdc, etc) or combination of stitches and do not have to have dc.  Not sure what you are calling horizontal stitch so hopefully your pattern defines this.  If its a beanie you can compensate by making more increase rounds.  Hopefully Granny Square checks in because she can explain the basic recipe and math for making hats in general.

[bgs]

This explains making a top down beanie.

https://blog.lionbrand.com/how-to-crochet-a-basic-beanie/

This one explains making a hat from a flat crocheted piece.

https://sarahmaker.com/easy-crochet-beanie/

[Pugmama]

I used the yarn it calls for and I counted every round I did because I have never made one before.

I'm attempting to attached the pattern. My mom received it free in a magazine. I'm working on the scarf and it seems to be

coming out right. 

[Granny Square]

Pugmama - did the pattern give a gauge swatch, and did you check that first?  Your hat situation illustrates (a bit painfully) why a swatch on a wearable is always your fist step.  It's less annoying to maybe have to swatch a little rectangle a couple of times and ripping out, than ripping out a whole hat over and over to get it right.  

That Lion Brand link was interesting, I'm trying to wrap my head around why that 2/3rds ratio works for figuring the # of stitches (not saying it doesn't work, it's just a "huh!" thing). 

But here is a formula that doesn't have anything to do with the # of stitches or the weight of the yarn or size of the hook.  It's all based on basic plane geometry.  Measure your head like the LB instruction says (circumference), where the brim of the hat would be, and divide that by pi (3.14)--this is the diameter of your head.  My head is  22" around, divided by pi is 7" within a hundredth of an inch. So for my head, with no ease, I'd want to start with a 7" circle, then at that point stop increasing and 'work even' until I reached the head height I wanted.  The Saramaker blog that Bgs linked give head measurement averages.

With any yarn and any hook and any plain stitch (SC[6], HDC[9], DC[12]), make a flat circle.  The numbers in brackets are the number of stitches you start with, and increase by - I'll describe SC, but just plug 9 or 12 in if you want to use HDC or DC.  At the end of each round, slst to the first st of the  round and chain up 1 for SC, 2 for HDC, and 3 for DC - the chain counts as as a st for HDC and DC.)

Beginning of hat using SC:

rnd 1 - 6 sts in a magic ring.  (6 sts total)

rnd 2 - 2 sts in each st. (12 sts total)

rnd 3 - *1 st in the next 1 st, 2 st in the following, repeat around (18 sts total)

rnd 4 - *1 st in each of the next 2 sts, 2 st in the following, repeat around (24 sts total)

rnd 5 - *1 st in each of the next 3 sts, 2 st in the following, repeat around (30 sts  total)

keep going like the above, adding 1 stitch between increases, until you get the diameter you need (7" for a 22" head)

A note on this - my preference is avoiding negative ease on crocheted hats - I find they don't stretch as much as knitted ones.  If you want to build in some negative ease, if you think your stitch pattern is stretchy enough, you can shave an inch or 2 off your initial head measurement to calculate the diameter for your initial circle.

[Granny Square]

I didn't notice you posted as I was typing the above - so your hat is supposed to be 19" in circumference, 19 divided by 3.14 is 6.05", and doesn't quite use the increase formula I cited above (the 6, 9 12, multiples for SC, HDC and DC, came from a blog, Crochet Cabana, and it works for me - but all of us have different stitch tensions, including the designer of your hat. And you.  And me....)

So does the center 9 rows of the crown of your hat measure 3"?  That's where you should have stopped and started over with a different hook if it didn't.  BUT, you should be able to not have to rip the whole thing out, just to the point where you started to work past the increases.  But before doing that, measure your head.  How stretchy is the fabric?  Do you think you need to make the initial circle bigger to allow for no stretch?  Now you know how to fix it, but a lot depends on the stitch pattern. Personally I don't find crochet hats very stretchy which is why I make them to fit, not with negative ease.

[Pugmama]

Thank you. I didn't get time to work on it today but I'm hoping to try again over the weekend. I appreciate your help. I will let you know what happens. 

[bgs]

 

Not that it helps now but pattern did give gauge.

8 sc = 3 inches, 9 rows = 3 inches