The site you give, above, is unavailable. However, if you used the correct size needle and the right yarn....AND you correctly followed the instructions, it seems as if your stitches are way smaller, for some reason, than those of the pattern, and thus your finished product is much smaller than it should be. As this has happened twice to you, it sounds as if the error is yours, and not the 2 different patterns. Perhaps you could use a needle several sizes larger than the one recommended and try that...it will make the hat bigger. You might want to measure an inch of the small hat, counting the # of stitches in that inch....then, make a swatch using a hook 2 sizes bigger...or 3....measure the swatch, and you should be able to figure out if that size needle is used, will it give you the circumference you want? If not, try the next biggest needle..
I don't crochet much, but when knitting a gauge is given in the beginning, so many inches to an inch...and you figure out the size you need by making swatches with different sized needles....do they do that with crochet? If not, you'll just have to do it yourself, I'd think.

well here are the directions. it pretty much ends at row 11. now if you are using thinner yarn like the sport yarn, how can 11 rows be big enough for anything? when i say "ends", its because the other two rows are only single crochet which are very small. LOL. yes it does usually give gauges on patterns but this one did not. well thanks for responding anyway! i tried the link and it seemed to work for me...sorry if it did not come up.

Materials:
Red Heart Baby Sport
Size "H" hook

Ch 6, join with sl st

Round 1: Ch 2, hdc in same st as joining, 2 hdc in each ch around. (12 hdc)

Round 2: Ch 2, hdc in same st as joing, 2 hdc in each hdc around, join (24 hdc)

Round 3: Ch 2, hdc in same st as joining, *hdc in next 2 hdc, 2 hdc in next hdc* around, join.

Round 4: Ch 2, hdc in same st as joing, *hdc in next 3 hadc, 2 hdc in next hdc* around. join.

Rounds 5-11: Ch 2, hdc in each hdc around. Join.

Round 12: In front loops only, ch 1, sc in same st as joining, and in each hdc around, join.

Rounds 13-15: In both loops, sc in each sc around.

For a boys cap: Fasten off and weave in all ends

For a Girls Cap: **ch 3, sc in next sc** around. Turn up brim when finished.

Here are a couple of alternatives for a girls brim that Cindi came up with:

1. After doing 2 rounds of the sc's join as usual. ch 2, hdc in same st.* skip next st, hdc, dc in next st* repeat around.
2. OR do 3 rounds of sc's, join. next round, ch 1, sc, hdc, sc in joining stitch. *sk next st, sc, hdc, sc in next st* repeat around.

Geocities just closed so unless you pay for hosting now there is no more free hosting so that's why the link is dead. May not be dead for you because your computer archived the page but those of use that have never been on the page get a closed notice. Got a notice about this in my yahoo mail over the summer in case I needed to move stuff.

I usually use the head measurements from the yarn standards site and fold in half and measure as I go for size. Mary

Here is a link that might be useful: yarn standards

I just looked at that pattern and they don't have you crochet into the ring to start which is weird to me because every pattern I have done you crochet into the ring on start then go into the stitches. Here are some patterns I like maybe you can try. Mary

http://www.piece-by-piece.net/Patterns/fp26.htm

http://www.touchinglittlelives.org/barbhat.html

http://www.bevscountrycottage.com/preemieround.html

http://crochetpatternsonly.blogspot.com/2007/02/crochet-baby-cherry-hat.html

http://www.hookedonneedles.com/2008/06/crocheted-baby-hat-nice-hat-for-new.html

well the very first Ch6, join with sl st, is actually joining it in a circle but there are still not enough rows. thanks for the other patterns, i am definitely going to try these. that is what i needed, a tried and true pattern. also, the yarn standards is going to be very helpful. thank you very much all!
deb

If you used a finer yarn, the finished project will be smaller.

Like others suggested, use a bigger crochet hook, and try again.

There is also the possibility that you crochet kinda tight, which would make the stitches smaller and the finished item smaller.

Moni