If you’re like me, TO UNDERSTAND THE PATTERN INTERPRETATION, it is important to appreciate that:

1. The CROWN part is worked in-the-round, first, with the larger needles. It is in fact surprisingly slouchy, hence the finished length measurement. The Inc 1 is a kfb, m1 is a lift bar increase. It is a little fiddly casting on such a small number of stitches to work-in-the-round. I’m glad I had my 13cm dpns for the task before moving onto larger dpns and then my 40cm circular needles. This in-the-round part is certainly satisfyingly quick to knit.

2. The BRIM is essentially worked flat (perpendicular to the rest of the hat) up and down the extra cast-on sts using the smaller needles.

3. AND In every row 1 of the brim cast-on sts, the last stitch, plus the next adjacent stitch of the crown, are the k2tog part of the instruction. Thus, you’ll be gradually knitting around the hat, as you work up and down the brim.

When I got to the brim part, I initially, couldn’t get my head around what the instructions were telling me to do, after the extra cast-on sts. I had assumed that I would be creating the brim, in-the-round, as I knitted around all the stitches on the hat. I had also mistaken the garter st rows for rib, so with these misconceptions, I didn’t have my lateral-thinking head on, quite literally, so there appeared to be an omission in the pattern instructions!

I checked the Grace Akhrem and other Ravelers project pages to work out what I was missing. I discovered that while Grace Akhrem’s instructions are correct, as written on the pattern, several other Ravelers have also shared my confusions. So I added my interpretation to these notes (above) for others in the same predicament.

It’s ingenious! A five star design for sure.

Having completed one and learned from it, I decided to make this even better one using the recommended Aran weight wool. ;O)