Instructions for Knitting Women's Caps
Basic knitted caps are a popular project for beginner knitters. They teach basic skills including casting on, knitting in the round and finishing the project, but allow the knitter to concentrate on one simple stitch. Women's and men's caps are knitted the same way, but generally your yarn choice, particularly the color, is what will really identify the cap as being for a woman. Women's caps may also be knitted with more delicate yarn, like a mohair blend.
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Instructions
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Knit a gauge swatch. Cast on about 20 stitches and knit several rows until the swatch measures between three and four inches long. Then remove the swatch from your needles and measure how many stitches it takes to knit across one inch. This is your gauge.
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Measure the circumference of your head, or the head of the person who will wear the finished hat. If you are unable to measure, the average adult female is around 20 inches.
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Using your gauge to calculate the number of stitches needed and cast on enough stitches to make a hat two inches in circumference shorter than the circumference of your head. The difference is to allow the hat to stretch and sit snug on your head.
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Spread the stitches out evenly among three double point needles.
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Bend the double point needles so they form a triangle.
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Join the yarn into a round by continuing to knit into the first stitch you casted on. This will make your yarn form a circle, as opposed to working back and forth and forming rows, often referred to as "flat knitting." Be certain to check your yarn for stitches that have twisted around the needles before joining in the round.
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Continue knitting in the round until the cap measures six inches long. Remember that the end of the cap is rolled up; do not unroll the edge of the cap to measure your knitting.
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Begin to decrease the stitches to form the dome portion of the cap. To do this, in the next round of knitting, knit six stitches and then on the seventh stitch knit together. Knit the following round as normal.
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Knit the next decrease round by knitting five stitches and then knitting the next two stitches together. Knit the following row as usual, with all knit stitches.
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Continue decreasing in this manner, with one fewer stitch before knitting together in each decrease round and a regular knit round in between each decrease round. Stop when you knit the decrease round where each stitch is knitted together.
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11
Cut the yarn from the skein or ball, leaving a tail about 10 inches long.
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Thread the tail of yarn through the embroidery needle and use the needle to pass the yarn through each remaining stitch.
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Remove the stitches from the knitting needles and pull tight on the tail of yarn.
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Use the embroidery needle to weave the tail into the knitting and remove the embroidery needle.
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Tips & Warnings
If you are new to knitting and do not understand basic knitting skills, see the link below.
