CONSIDER YOURSELF A NERD

In purusit of gauge
So when I started the black and grey hat I did it on size 8 double-pointed needles, figuring gauge would be the same as on size 8 straight needles. (It wasn't.) When the hat started coming out obviously too small I cut it free from the skein and set it aside to finish later and then donate to charity or something.

I tried size 10 needles and the gauge came out too big. I tried size 9 needles... and the gauge was the same as size 10. I think. Black is apparently about the worst colour to use for a test swatch, because it's almost impossible to see the stitches, especially when you're holding a gauge measurer up to it.

I tried to find the original hat last night, to see what the actual gauge is (I never actually measured it), but I can't find it. I also can't find the needles it was on, though I did find the one stray one I thought I'd lost out of the set. It can't have gone too far--my current knitting stuff area is a cardboard box on a set of plastic drawers behind the couch. (I need to find something better one of these days.) I'm afraid Q*Bert may have dragged it off, but where to?

And I'm wondering... how big of a difference does one or two needle sizes make in the size of the finished piece? If I use the size 10 needles, will the hat come out humungo? How much smaller will it be on size 9?

Current Mood: confused
Current Music: Charles in the kitchen