# Have you knitted a hat w/o using a circular needle?



## stef (Sep 14, 2002)

Hi Ladies.

I've found lots of patterns on line for knitted hats/caps, even for a beginner like me. But almost all of them call for circular needles and, also, double-pointed needles.

Have you knit a hat using regular straight needles?

Did you like how it looked, or did you thinks afterwards you should have just used the circular needles? 

I've got two pair of straight needles from Wal-Mart I'm going to return and am wondering what to get in exchange.


stef


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## Wisconsin Ann (Feb 27, 2007)

Easy to make a "ski" type hat. You can make it just fine using straight needles...you will have a seam in the back is all. Knit in your normal stitch (rib for the brim, then changing to knit/purl) for the rest (or use a pattern stitch). When you get to the place where you want it to get smaller to go over the top of the head, just start decreasing a few stiches on each side. OR, decrease X number across the whole width. 

When you're done, you sew/whipstitch/crochet up the seam. Think Trapezoid. You could even make the seam a feature by putting a long pompom type thing on it...or a fancy crocheted edge


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## Island of Blueb (Sep 20, 2005)

Sure! Just like Ann says. I have made many.


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## betty modin (May 15, 2002)

I have made hats with straight needles, and it works. Then I made a hat with circular needles. I have not used straight needles for much since then. With circular needles there's no K,P-just knit..and there's no seam. The project becomes easier to knit, easier to finish, easier to modify...just plain easier. Go and exchange those straight needles for ciculars, and you'll wonder why you didn't do it before. Get 16" ones for hats and smallish items like scarves-use longer ones for shawls and sweaters.
I have a basketful of circulars in all sizes and lengths, and another of DP needles-and just a few straight needles-because I do nearly all projects on circular needles. Even projects not knit in the round are great on circulars, because they don't tend to fall off the needles so much! (which seems to happen in my knitting bags anyway)
betty


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## stef (Sep 14, 2002)

Thanks, Ladies for your answers.

Betty...so you're saying I don't necessarily need to use double pointed needles, too? That a circular needle would be enough to do a whole hat?

I understand about decreasing. It's just a number of the patterns I read also talk about transferring to double pointers. I don't think I'm up for that, just yet. 


stef


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## katydidagain (Jun 11, 2004)

I have both circular and DP needles; I do hats and mittens (not socks yet) on the latter. It's easier for me but I'm very dyslexic so YMMV.


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## newfieannie (Dec 24, 2006)

I make mine the same as Ann also and i've made many of them. i dont have circular needles. never had them. i've got them on my list though for the next shopping day.i've seen people here using them and i've often though to get some. ~Georgia.


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## betty modin (May 15, 2002)

You will need DP needles to do the last few rows of most hats because the decreases will eventually leave the hat too small for the circular. It will take a bit of 'getting used to' to use the DP, but once you have that skill, it translates very nicely over to socks! 
To transfer to DPs you just knit from the circular to the DPs as you knit around. I usually try to put the same number of stitches on each DP so I can keep the rest of the decreases even. Knitting with DPs is awkward at first, but by starting with the top of a hat, you'll have the hat body to keep the needles straight for you. You just knit from one needle to the next as you did with the circular. You do need to be sure to keep the gauge even, but practice first on something that you'll wear casual so you won't worry about any mistakes.
I get sets of 5 wooden/bamboo DPs because they're less slippery and with 5 I can do socks better. I have my DPs and my circulars in all the same sizes-and usually have two or three sets of each to allow for all those UFOs (unfinished objects) that tend to end up in various places waiting for my need to knit on each one.
It would be best to start with two or three sizes that you think you'll use most-usually 5,6 or 7 s for hats-and go from there.
betty


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