should have asked before - how big to make this hat?

[Peace+Hope]

so, i'm knitting a baby hat for a nephew who is one year today. i measured his head and was shocked that it is 20" in diameter!

anyway, he has a big head, and i've never knitted a hat with a pattern, but i'm not sure how long i should go before i start decreasing!

usually i measure the height of the head of the person i'm knitting for, but this is a surprise, and i need to finish it for tonight....

any suggestions?

[honeybunmom]

I'd say 4-5". 3" is too shallow for my 8 mos old. And 4" before decreasing worked for a hat I finished for my 4 year old this morning. It did have about an inch or so of ribbing in addition to that around the edge. If it's a roll brim, definitely go longer - 5".

[Peace+Hope]

thanks! i ended up doing 5" and then decreasing 2 TOG, K8, then a knitted row, then a row of 2 TOG, K7, knit a row, etc.

it fit PERFECTLY! i started the hat with a double rib band only a few rows long. usually i do a big brim and often do slow decreasing for a pointy top - this was my first "fitted" hat without the model present.

sorry for the lame thread

[honeybunmom]

No apology necessary. Glad it worked out!