Help from a knitter please!

[Mammie81]

Im making my cousins (6 and 8yrs) panda hats with no pattern in a chunky wool which needs 10mm needles.

Im using 5mm as 10mm might be too big on a child - how many stitches would you estimate Id need? Ive got another pattern that calls for 93 but that seems huge!

Please help! (if theres a knitters forum on here too, that Ive not been able to find, that would really make my day!)

Join this group and ask on their forum

5mm will make the stitches A LOT tighter. I think you need to do a dreaded swatch. I think if it is tighter stitches you want, then try 8mm first.

what is the tension on the wool for 10mm needles? (the number of stitches for 10 cm?)

Also, you should join www.ravelry.com/ - loads of great adive on the forums and we also have a MN group, called mumsknitters

also, hats always need more stitches than I think - heads have big circumferences!

Can you measure an 8yo's head circumference?

I think Im going to do more than 60 - I actually got that estimate from Ravelry but it seems small once Ive knitted some up.

The 10mm tension is 9.5 stitches, but I wanted a bit more to get the panda pattern in. They both have very small heads! (we know this from fancy dress party hat time last xmas)

Thanks for the advice, I might try and wing it, so I will probably be back!

I have a hat pattern for Big Softie which is a 10mm needle yarn and that requires about 43 stitches for the 7-9 yr old size, 47 stitches for the 10-12 size.

60 stitches should be OK on a smaller needle if it gives enough stitches for the panda design but I would be using a 7 or 8mm needle I think - 5mm sounds too small to me but I am a wimp and always follow a pattern!!

Oooh I love Big Softie - this wool is v. similar! The size has come out ok actually, because I went so small with the needles I think, but my home made panda pattern looks a bit like a ghost!

Back to the drawing board I think!