# knitted tam question



## InHisName (Jan 26, 2006)

Anyone knit tams? this may be a question that can be answered by any experienced knitter.... Knitting one (after checking gauge- 5st = 1 in) according to Knitting Without tears, CO 90 sts, did rib, jumped to 135 st (this is for large "monster" tam- problem is- the brim got bigger. It was fine small, now the thing swallows my whole head. I think this will felt- its Romney and Shetland homespun- but I did not intend on felting. Why do things get larger? is it the weight? If I had stayed with a smaller tam, would it not have increased in size? Is there something I'm missing? I do like to stay to the ribbed stitch to start, but If that has to change, will do. Oh, using the stitch markers works wonderfully, the decreases are perfect!


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## strawhouse (Aug 7, 2010)

I'm not experienced enough to answer your question..... I'm just interested in a pattern for a monster tam! I have monster dreads, so I could use one of those. Where did you get the pattern from?
Do you mean the knitting got larger after you stopped ribbing and just knit in stokinette?


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## wyld thang (Nov 16, 2005)

as long as you are right on the gauge, keep on going! they do look huge, but you will start the decreases soon and it will look much better.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

I have a question for you IHN, did you switch from the ribbing to stockette stitch? I think you are supposed to, if not that may be the problem. I think I have the book up stairs I'll see if I can hunt it down and have a look.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Okay I have the book right here. This pattern does not have ribbing, this pattern is for a classic tam. Perhaps if you want the ribbing you would need to cast on fewer stitches. 

Now if you are meaning that the brim, the flat part of the hat is too big then you will need to find a pattern with fewer stitches at the widest part. Do you have access to Ravelry? You could try a pattern search there and specify the yarn and needle size you want to use. Or you could try and just increase fewer stitches for this pattern. If you like I have a book that I believe has a few tam patterns in it. I could look and see if there is one similar to what you like and give you the numbers they use. Let me know.


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## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

If the band fits around your head still, just keep going.  When you wear the hat, it'll flop over to one side (and you can stuff your hair in it if you have a big messful of it like I do!) and it won't be as immense as it seems.

If the band around your head is too big, then yep, frog and start over with smaller needles and/or fewer stitches for the band. Basically with a tam, once the band fits your head, just increase until it's nicely huge (and it does need to be quite a bit huger than you think it does to drape properly) and then I knit until the length of the hat from bottom of ribbing is as long as my hand-and-fingers (like, if I set my hand on the knitting it is as long as my hand - either up to the top of the middle finger if I want really big, or to the top of my pinkie if I'm not aiming for totally monstrous). Then do the decreases. Wash block and wear with panache!


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## Annie in MN (Oct 15, 2002)

frazzlehead said:


> Wash block and wear with panache!


I need to go to bed. I read that last word as pancakes. I suppose you could wear a tam with pancakes. :hrm:


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## InHisName (Jan 26, 2006)

Thats it- It's a pancake tam. One of those Giant ones... March, you are right, it did not say ribbing- it did not say anything at all, so I took the ribbing idea from another tam pattern- actually the three tams free one from Raverly. I did do the ribbing, then switch to st stitch. Please, if you have a tam pattern with ribbing, I would love to hear the needle size and CO number. Frazzle, the band around the head is too big, that is why I may resort to felting- but when I first got the ribbing done, it was fine- seemed to grow with the hat. I like the big ones- will go measure with my hand like frazzle said. I do think this would fit Frankenstein, though. Maybe I can make it into a purse.... down to k3, k2 tog at the end- so we'll see tomorrow.
The book by Elizabeth Zimmerman Knitting Without Tears addresses making tams. Not in depth, but enough to get you going. Raverly has lots of tams, but have not found one I really liked-


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

I like making tams because I like doing the color work. A tam is meant to have the brim fit snug on your head above the ears. When the wind blows, you pull it down over your ears, the billow gives you plenty of hat to do this. I have found that how well the rib works depends on they yarn you use and the size of the needles in relation to the stretchiness of the yarn. Sometimes it's better to rib with smaller needles than you'd think, and use a few more stitches.


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## sewsilly (May 16, 2004)

Did you do the band on a smaller size needle? As a rule, I always knit any band on a size needle two sizes smaller than the needle used in the bulk of the project...

I'm not a tam wearer or knitter... but I have a couple of new girlies who are dating my boys who would both SO wear a tam... so I might need to give this a shot.

dawn


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## sewsilly (May 16, 2004)

So, I went to Ravelry to look. The three tams pattern has a corrugated rib, which should be fairly stretchy... though it says that the band measures 18 inches, when knit to gauge.

It calls for size 4 needles on the rib, size 6 on the body of the tam. What size did you use?

This is the pattern that's I'd use if I wanted a no band:

http://veganknitter.blogspot.com/2009/09/hemlock-ring-tam.html

And I'd use this one for a ribbed edge:

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/tam-irish-style Much larger yarn... two threads of fisherman wool and 66 stitches to start with. 

geez... now I wanta knit a tam.

dawn


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Here is something that may help you. It is from the first edition of Homespun, Handknit, if you can get hold of a copy it might help you to see the diagram. My printer/scanner isn't working right now so I can't scan it in for you to see but I will try to describe it for you.

*General Dimensions for a Tam*

*Band diameter:* Actual head measurement less 10-15%
*Ribbing: *1-1 1/2"
*Above ribbing: *50% increase with K2,M1, rep
*From ribbing to "fold line":* 3-4"; 4-5" to first decrease round
*Wheel diameter:* 7-8" (I think the wheel is the pattern at the top of the hat)
*Total diameter,* when blocked:10-11"

Hope this may help you.


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## wyld thang (Nov 16, 2005)

135sts = 27" inches, seriously, you are right on for a tam/beret after the increases after the band, just keep on going. When I design a beret/tam I increase that number to 30". When you do the decreases it will be fine. If you don't like how the band fits around the forehead, you can pick up the sts around the row before you increased, then snip the row below, take out those sts and rip back the band, then you can knit the band down as you like. No one will ever know.


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## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

The other thing you could maybe do is make a cabled band that *does* fit your head, and then sew it on over the ribbing. The cables won't stretch very much, and then you know for sure it'll be tight enough.

I've pretty much switched to making hats that way as I can be sure they fit: make a band about 12 - 15 sts wide with a cable of some sort in the centre and seed stitch at the edges, then when it fits around your head, sew together, and pick up stitches along the top edge then start knitting the hat (so you change directions: the band goes side to side, the hat then goes 'up' from one edge). There are lots of patterns like that - look for 'cable brim hat'.

Adding an 'afterthought cable brim' over the ribbing might be a way to rescue this one, if after all is said and done the ribbing's just too big.

I did have a thought as to what might've happened - the increase stitches may be 'pulling' the ribs apart. Perhaps if you'd done two or three rounds in fairly tightly knit stockinette at the top of the ribbing BEFORE starting the increases that would have given the ribs reason to stay closer together, rather than spread out to accommodate the increased stitches in the next row up. No idea if that's true, but it's a theory.  (I have the EZ book too, so I know she says 'immediately explode...' which is probably what you did). 

Annie, we need someone to figure out how to make a pancake tam: knit in beige, with maple syrup and butter done in intarsia.


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## InHisName (Jan 26, 2006)

The tam is beautiful- grey, black and purple- and 14 inches across! I think Frazzle, you are right about the stiches pulling on the band- is was right when I started. Will look at these ideas to make a smaller band- This hat could even stand a few pleats, if that would be ok. Sewsilly, I used the same size needles- 8- to start (the yarn was spun to a DKish weight) I think next time will go with 5's for the band. Think we'll go with a 50% increase next time, too! Thanks for all the input and help-
edited to add: found a tam in the new knitty- she does something to keep the band from stretching- basted a running stitch along the round between the ribbed band and the hat body- good idea! See http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEdf10/PATTbrambles.php - cute berets- 3 sizes.


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