Justin struggles to find hats that fit because he has a 24” head circumference, and one-size hats are typically designed for an average head of 21”-22”. Even the Craft Yarn Council of America suggests that an average man’s head is only 23”, which leaves a lot of hats perched on top of Justin’s noggin.

This hat would have been no exception, since it’s designed for a 21” head. But Justin really liked the Celtic-inspired cable pattern, so I adapted it for a larger size.

Initially I planned to just add one repeat of the cable pattern to increase the circumference, and I cast on accordingly with a US 5 for the ribbing and then a US 7 for the body.

I had, however, done the math incorrectly: I thought adding one cable repeat would increase the circumference to exactly 24”, but in actuality it increased the circumference to 25.2”. (21” / 5 repeats = 4.2” per repeat; 6 repeats x 4.2” per repeat = 25.2”). Fortunately I’d only made it a few rounds into the body pattern before I realized the issue, so it was no trouble to frog and start over.

I had a hunch that adding that repeat but going down one needle size from the recommendation would put me exactly where I wanted in terms of gauge and desired circumference. I could have tested this in a swatch, but I tend to think of hats themselves as swatches, so I blithely persevered. And for once, I was right! Adding one repeat and knitting with a US 6 instead of a US 7 created a 24” hat.

Things I Did Differently

• Used a US 6 instead of a US 7.
• Cast on 132 stitches instead of 110.
• Increased from 132 stitches to 168 stitches at the same rate as described for Round 8.
• Knit 6 repeats per round instead of 5 repeats per round.
• Decreased according to the chart; cut the yarn with 12 stitches remaining (instead of 10) and threaded tail through remaining stitches, and cinched closed.

Things I Would Do Differently

• I didn’t go down two needle sizes for the ribbing, because 1) I was concerned that it would make the band too constricting and 2) I figured that using a smaller needle was primarily to keep the stitch size consistent when transitioning from ribbing to stockinette, which this is not. In hindsight I wish I’d done it after all, because the band tends to flare out a bit when worn. Justin says it fits comfortably and is not too loose, but I think it would be more secure with an ever-so-slightly snugger band.

Finished Measurements
Circumference: 24 inches
Height: 8.25 inches

Progress

02/14/2017 - Cast on using US 5 for the ribbing and US 7 for the body.

02/18/2017 - Realized size miscalculation. Frogged and cast on again using US 6 for ribbing and body.

03/01/2017 - Cast off.