This hat is a variation on the written pattern. List of changes:

• Knit in the round vice flat and seamed up.
• Unable to get gauge with substitute yarn, so recalculated number of cast on stitches (50), calculating for a size larger than given in the pattern.
• Slightly increased width and greatly increased length of ear flaps.
• Added i-cord to end of ear flaps to tie under chin.

This hat pattern does not come in a size large enough for Jeffrey, so I’ll be adding some stitches for a “child” size variation. Knit to match Jeffrey’s Ready for some Christmas snow mittens.

12/12 - How incredibly frustrating to not be able to get gauge! I was able to get gauge when knitting single stranded with my substitute yarn, but not double stranded. The pattern calls for 8 sts in 4” using US11 needles; the best I could manage was 10 sts in 4” using US15 needles. That, combined with the fact that pattern wasn’t written for a large enough size, meant a lot of variations. I started with the Tolkein colorway, intending to knit Lexie’s hat first…only I ended up with a hat big enough to fit Jeffrey! I considered swapping hats…but I really wanted his hat knit in the green to match his gloves, with only the earflaps in the Tolkein colorway. So I left that mess to figure out with her hat…

12/14 - The plus to Lexie’s too-large hat is that at least I know how many stitches to cast on for Jeffrey’s--50!

5/3/09 - Hat frogged to reuse yarn in new pattern, since this one didn’t work out exactly as I wanted it to and it’ll be too small next year anyway!