Winter hat knit along please join

[Renegade Sewist]

I'm sitting here wearing a commercially produced Peruvian styled earflap hat with a glorious three and one half inch pompom on top. It's my go to for gardening this time of year as well as sleeping in my ice cavern of a bedroom. I just couldn't warm up today so on my noggin it sits.

I need help! As you may recall, I barely knit. So, in my wisdom just before my Craftsy subscription lapsed I finally "bought" classes that I got "free" with the upgraded membership. I hadn't picked them earlier as it was a short list of mostly cake decorating, knitting and crocheting classes. See where I'm going? I'm now the  "confused" "proud" owner of "Hat Knitting 101". What I have learned so far is that my circular needles are too big and too long and I need DPN? I've seen pictures of double pointed needles and  so I at least know what they are.   

Do you all use circular needles for the main body then switch to DPN to taper (decrease) to the top? Do the circular needles have to be 16 inch or can you use 24 inch? Bigger than that? Since I'm not embarking on a knitting career is it OK to buy an inexpensive set of bamboo DPN off Amazon? I'll pick one with good reviews. 

I'm pulling out the circular knitting loom as a backup. I will knit a hat. I will knit a hat. I will knit a hat. I will knit a hat. I will knit a hat. I will knit a hat.

[toileandtrouble]

@Renegade Sewist  I have some bamboo DPNs and use them a lot.  They feel a bit rough at first but soon they pick up a bit of the oil from your skin and the yarn runs smoothly after that.

[Acorn]

I've just finished my hat (all but finishing the ends - picture when I've done that).  I did indeed use a circular needle for the body and then switched to dpns.  I really enjoyed the circular needle part, and stoically endured using the dpns.  I'm not sure what size the circular needle was, but would guess at 60cm/24".  I have a 40cm circular needle (20cm cable), but it isn't usable because the rigid parts are too long in comparison to the rope - if i could get shorter needle bits there wouldn't be so much of a problem.

As @BrendaP said on another thread, it is a lot easier to use 4 dpns (three in the knitting, one to knit with) that 5.  Shorter is also easier, as long as they are long enough not to be losing stitches from the ends.

I'd say try with whatever you would prefer to use.  You'll know soon enough if it isn't going to work!

[b15erk]

@Renegade Sewist , on the current hat I'm doing, I've used dpns for the rib, simply because the knitpro circulars of the right size were faulty.  I've now got that sorted, and changed to circulars last night.  It was far easier for me, to knit with the circulars.  However, I'm not a fan of 'magic loop', and just can't do it, so when the circular needle begins to get too long when I'm decreasing, that I'll change back to dpns.

Jessie

[Ouryve]

I use 40cm circulars for hats and switch down to long circulars and magic loop for the crown.

The few dpns I have only ever get used for poking things and emergency stitch picking up.

[BrendaP]

Do you all use circular needles for the main body then switch to DPN to taper (decrease) to the top? Do the circular needles have to be 16 inch or can you use 24 inch? Bigger than that? Since I'm not embarking on a knitting career is it OK to buy an inexpensive set of bamboo DPN off Amazon?

@Renegade Sewist
If you use circular needles for knitting in the round (tubes) they need to be long enough to take all the stitches but not so long that the knitting is over stretched to go around them.  On the whole 16 inch/40cm needles are used for hats and 24 inch/60cm needles for sweaters.  You can also get very short 8-9inch/20-25cm needles for knitting socks  BUT these have to have very short tips to make it possible to knit with.  Some people love them, others including me, hate them.  Depends on your hands.

With any circular knitting if you have a lot of decreases, such as at the top of a hat, you end up with not enough stitches to go around the needle.  At that point you have to either start pulling a loop of cable between stitches (magic loop if it's always in the same place or travelling loop if the place you pull the loop varies) or change to DPNs, or use two circular needles, one for the front half and one for the back half, but that means that the ends of the needle not in use dangle and can get in the way!

There seems to be a fashion now for buying interchangeable sets of circular needles - two or three different length cables and half a dozen or more different size tips.  If you are a serious knitter that might be a good thing, but for the occasional knitter just buy fixed circular needles, one at a time, in the sizes you require.

There's nothing wrong with buying inexpensive bamboo needles.  Some people love them, others not.  Bamboo needles are not as smooth and slippery as metal and other materials.  If you are a loose knitter you will probably get on fine with them, if you are a tight knitter you will probably find them more difficult.

[Acorn]

Here's my hat, finally, after redoing the main part in rib, having initially done it in stocking stitch, and found that it really needed the stretch of the rib to hold it to my head!

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The matching scarf is nearly done, but is going to need blocking, which should be interesting.  For the moment, though, I haven't quite decided how long I want it to be.

[Diane]

@Acorn I love the colour of the wool, you have very good taste, i'd wear it.

[WendyW]

I love circular needles, and use them even when not necessary. I'm also one that hates DPNs so I use a long circular needle and do a traveling loop, or sometimes two circular needles, when the circle gets too small.

I got a set of the interchangeable needles with multiple cords for Christmas one year. I asked for them because I love the idea, and a friend had a very nice bamboo set that I was envying. I ended up hating them. They are aluminum/stainless needles, which over time did NOT become my needle of choice, and they attach with a small screw-on connection that will NOT stay tight. The movement of use gradually loosens the join, creating a small slot that catches the yarn constantly.

I then discovered some cheap sets of circular bamboo needles on Amazon. Each set has every size needle, all in one length. I have sets in 3 lengths, and need to order another shorter, hat size, set. I love these and they are my go-to for everything.

[Celia]

I somehow managed to miss the new posts on here, I love the hats they are all great, @Acorn that’s a very interesting colour and stitch combination. Love seeing all this knitting

[SunnyWave]

Mine was like that - it was half price in Hobbycraft, the only one of its colour, but I wanted two so I searched it down on the internet and got a second ball!

This is what it looks like knitted up:

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Color gradient is beautiful, nice wool!

[Renegade Sewist]

Everyone,  especially  @BrendaP  thank you so much for telling me more about circular needles and DPNs. Brenda your explanation was particularly invaluable.

A few years ago at one of the big box sewing stores they had a rack of needles and crochet hooks, some marked down. I picked up a couple of sets of jumbo needles- ¾ inch diameter anyone? I thought they might be easier to hold and fun to play with. At the register the gal in front of me had a few also. Turns out they had missed markdowns and were ALL 80% to 90% off! She and I went back to the rack and got many others but all larger scale. The smallest is size 9 US Clover bamboo needles, straight but I got all sorts of circular.  Just big, big and more big. I just found a website with a large section of projects listed by needle size. Looks like I'll be needing some bulky yarn too.

[BrendaP]

They are aluminum/stainless needles, which over time did NOT become my needle of choice, and they attach with a small screw-on connection that will NOT stay tight. The movement of use gradually loosens the join, creating a small slot that catches the yarn constantly.

I then discovered some cheap sets of circular bamboo needles on Amazon. Each set has every size needle, all in one length. I have sets in 3 lengths, and need to order another shorter, hat size, set. I love these and they are my go-to for everything.

I have heard horrror stories of the screws coming loose and the tip falling off - along with many stitches - in the middle of projects.  All the circulars I own are fixed cables and most have aluminium tips.

[Celia]

I have only had mine come undone once and I think that was me not tighten them enough, there are some available that lock in position.

I use mainly Chiaogoo and I also use tulip but not that often

[Ouryve]

Here's my hat, finally, after redoing the main part in rib, having initially done it in stocking stitch, and found that it really needed the stretch of the rib to hold it to my head!

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The matching scarf is nearly done, but is going to need blocking, which should be interesting.  For the moment, though, I haven't quite decided how long I want it to be.

Pretty, and it goes with your odd socks.