I cast on as recommended in the intent of picking up the hem after the hat was knit. This didn’t work very well for me - old eyes, November fading light, and dark purple yarn. I just couldn’t see it well enough to pick up the purl bumps consistently. I ended up cutting off the cast on and picking up the stitches, doing a purl row, and knitting down. If I were to do it again, I’d use a provisional cast on. It makes total sense to do the hem at the end.

The knitting chart was a little confusing when I started the color work. The alternating colors were every 4th stitch, but with five stitches between the pattern repeats. I felt that looked a little odd, so I knit those every 4th stitch, ignoring the pattern for those few rows. Really, it’s only two rows at the bottom and the top of the first pattern design. Easy enough to remember without looking at the chart.