I'm not all that familiar with babies' heads, but I had a feeling the first hat I made would be too small for a 6-month-old. So I googled around and found a CDC chart on infants' head size and percentiles. Sure enough, even a puny baby would've outgrown it already. So back to the needles I went, this time size 9 instead of 7. Now it may be too large! (That's an adult hat for a small head -- mine -- in the background.) I suspect one made on size 8s would be juuuust right, but I don't see myself making yet another hat. This week, anyway.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
One tomato, two tomato
I'm not all that familiar with babies' heads, but I had a feeling the first hat I made would be too small for a 6-month-old. So I googled around and found a CDC chart on infants' head size and percentiles. Sure enough, even a puny baby would've outgrown it already. So back to the needles I went, this time size 9 instead of 7. Now it may be too large! (That's an adult hat for a small head -- mine -- in the background.) I suspect one made on size 8s would be juuuust right, but I don't see myself making yet another hat. This week, anyway.
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hi. I found the pattern for the tomato beanie. I was wondering how big the second beanie was ratio to an adult's head. Was it just the needle size differnce that you used to make it bigger? Ive never knitted and thought it would be cool to make for a friend of mine.
ReplyDeleteThe second beanie, knit on size 8's, was just the right size for a 6-month-old baby with average head size (lucky for me, Baby Claire has a small head, so she will grow into her hat by winter, when she needs it).
ReplyDeleteI would adjust the pattern for an adult by casting on 96 stitches rather than 72. The trick is, you need to increase by 8s because the leaf pattern is based on multiples of 8. And because I knit on three double-pointed needles, I need a total also divisible by three. If you're knitting on circulars, that's not an issue.
If you're knitting at a gauge of between 4.5 and 5 stitches per inch, a cast-on of 96 stitches will give you a 20-inch hat, which is my size. (You want the hat to be smaller than your head so it will stay on.) If you're knitting for a guy with a big head, you may need to go up another 24 stitches and possibly down in needle size.
It's a little complicated, I know! Your best bet would be to take the pattern with you to the yarn store and get someone there to double-check the conversion.
Good luck!
Those are darling! (Denver General, or whatever they call it now, takes donations of baby things for lower income moms. They're always looking for preemie stuff. That cherry tomato looks like a candidate!)
ReplyDeleteThanks! I have given away two, but I do have the smallest one left. Maybe I will donate it.
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