Tale of the Bulky Winter Hat

This is moi, in my newest too too warm winter hat. One time when I'd love to have hair extensions so I don't look like a bald eagle wearing a woolen cap.

For sheer results gratification, bulky wool is the best. I started this hat while doing the glasses case, since it seems everyone but me has more than one iron in the fire, and when I got bored with one, I switched to the other. Frogged it back twice, but once I got it going right, I could easily have knit it in an hour and a half, finish work included.

I used Blue Sky Bulky (alpaca/wool), and it is thick and incredibly soft. Can't emphasize enough how cushy and wonderful it feels. I ultimately needed a bit more than one hank. Used size 13 circular needles, and I sort of followed a pattern from the BHG booklet Learn to Knit. The pattern helped me figure out how many stitches to cast on (40), but since I knitted it in the round, I just did the stitches I wanted to (garter, some stockinette, and then back to garter for a bit, which made a nice multilayered brim, and then the rest of the hat in stockinette).

AND I DID THE DECREASES WITHOUT A PATTERN. I started with K3,K2tog and then a row of knit, then K2 ,K2tog and another row of just knit. Then K1,K2tog and it was getting pretty tight. I hate DPNs, so I did it by flipping a loop into the circular (sort of magic looping it I guess) and finally did K2tog to the last stitches, then threaded the end yarn through and pulled it tight to do the finish.

Anyone who knows me knows I'm not into tassels and doodly things, but I think this one is begging for something, a thick short tassel perhaps.