Top Down Hats - Knit

[karenarp]

Top down hats - why are patterns for them so darned hard to find? I read on one page that knitters fear them, but why? they make so much sense to me, start at the top and you can measure and make stripes and stuff better, once you figure all the stuff out that is! What is you opinion on a top down hat? I am just starting my dpn / magic loop period and have been hunting for patterns. I have also noticed most hats use sock yarn. Why not use worsted?

[mittenmaker]

Hi Karenarp! I have never seen a pattern for a top down hat . . .I like to make hats and am always super thrilled with the one that fits Just Right!
All the toque patterns I have seen/used, call for worsted or heaver yarn. (Other than baby caps, of course. . .) I personally don't care for toques knitted from super bulky yarn, as they tend to look big/bulky on one's melon, too Dr. Zhivago. . .

[Shandeh]

Top down hats - why are patterns for them so darned hard to find? I read on one page that knitters fear them, but why? they make so much sense to me, start at the top and you can measure and make stripes and stuff better, once you figure all the stuff out that is! What is you opinion on a top down hat? I am just starting my dpn / magic loop period and have been hunting for patterns. I have also noticed most hats use sock yarn. Why not use worsted?

I prefer starting with the brim on a knitted hat, because my bind off is sometimes too tight to stretch out to put the hat on. Also, it's very easy to end a hat at the top. You just decrease down to a small number of stitches, then run your yarn through all the rest of the stitches, and pull it tight.

It's more difficult to start with a tiny circle of knitting at the top, and increase down. KFB or M1 are more work than simple K2togs. So, that's probably why most knitted hats are made from the brim up to the top.

Most of the hats on the Bernat website are made with worsted weight yarn. There is only one sock weight pattern.