I always feel a little uncertain about how to measure the circumference of a crocheted hat....so I enlisted the help of a few of my designer friends. A few of them chimed in with their methods...
In the past, I have lain my hats flat, measured across the inside at the crown and multiplied by 2, but this didn't feel accurate enough. Also in the past, I have blown up a balloon to the desired measurement and made the hat fit! But this requires some trial and frogging to get the hat to fit the balloon just right.
Amy O'Neill Houck, author of Crochet for Bears, author of the Hook and I Blog, replied to my question saying:
Hi Ellen--I measure the diameter of the crown, then work the formula for circumference which is c=πd (where π is 3.1416). It's much easier than trying to measure around the circumference of something!
I tried Amy's method and it works! I had to remember that the hat opening is a CIRCLE, the diameter is the distance across the hat when it is in a CIRCLE, not when it is lying FLAT, which makes a difference!
Amy offered a longer and more delicious to view blog post about the subject on her blog.
Linda Permann, author of Crochet Adorned, contributor to CraftStylish, and author of Lindamade.com agrees with Amy and you know Linda makes great hats! Make sure you read Linda's comments below this post for some more great tips!
Hmm, is this any hint about what's been on my mind lately? LOL.
4 comments:
And just to clarify-when working top down, I go by the row height of my stitches to determine the diameter. Since diameter= 2 x radius and you essentially crochet the equivalent of 2 rows with each round (since they grow out on either side of the center point),the radius is equal to # of rows x height of each row. Whew, I guess that was a long way of saying I use circ= 2πr instead of πd. This way I can easily determine how to size the hat by adding extra rounds.
If I work from the bottom up--then I use the gauge to figure out how many stitches would create the length that I want for the circumference of the hat and work from there, in a little more intuitive way.
Thanks for sharing and linking Ellen. I really enjoy your blog (& I voted for you in the flamies!)
Hmmm... are we going to be introduced to "Son of Driftwood" soon? I can't wait to see this book!
Thanks so much Linda, I'm going to have to go and re-read your tips 3 times carefully. LOL! I think I got it though. I can't wait to apply it to my latest design.
Say what, now? For the first time since high school, I wish I would've paid more attention in my math courses. I'm horrible at math-I guess I can give up that dream of being a designer LOL!
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