Final Thoughts: This hat is eminently useful, looks RTW, can be made in a variety of luxe fabrics without spending a fortune. When knitted at the right gauge with the right yarn, it’s quite warm. I do think that this yarn has less recovery than the sock yarn I used previously to make my first version of this hat. (The Tynd is a fairly loosely spun 2-ply yarn). But I can’t imagine using a smaller needle with this yarn. It would be stiff and unpleasant to work. I will do my future 2x2 tubular CO in the round using a smaller needle and then I’ll switch to the US3.

About Gauge: Didn’t swatch. Used same needle size (US3) as last time. I can say that, pre-blocking, my row gauge was 8st in 1”. This yarn is less dense (but not finer) than the sock yarn I used to make the first version. They both used about the same amount of yardage - this one used 330y and the first version used 335y. But I made this one slightly taller. The plump springy (but so soft) Woolfolk goes farther.

About the Yarn: This yarn turns into a gorgeous, spongy, soft and incredibly warm, dense fabric when knitted double on a small needle size. Much warmer than superwash wool.

About the Process:

I made the same mods as last time: shortening the depth of the hat and going down a needle size - only this time I knitted the tube to 7.75” before starting the decrease segment (slightly longer than first version in case the hat shrinks a smidge on blocking as this yarn isn’t super wash and I’ve never knitted it to these specs before).

Gotta say, still isn’t my fave decrease technique to work. Requires focus to PTBL with 2 strands on a small needle (in the round as the project becomes small circumference knitting).

I’m also not a huge fan of the hour it takes to cast on for this hat :-) I might make it in future using german twisted cast on if I feel like having a less intense experience than 2x2 tubular cast on in the round.

I don’t find it as pleasantly mindful as it would be if I were using just one strand of yarn on the plain 2x2 rib tube section that precedes the decrease segment (my call - no fault of the pattern).

Note to future self: When you work the 2x2 tubular CO next, cast on with needle one size smaller than that with which you will knit the rest of the hat.