Yarn yardage requirement is an estimate. Baby hats take only a small portion of a whole skein.

I have come to prefer starting with solid for the lower edge, but your decision may depend on whether your print yarn creates a mottled look (think HL “Argentine”, one of my absolute favorites), or stripes (with the color changes farther apart).

One illustration in the pattern shows a couple of hats that do not employ Modified Brick Stitch. These hats simply have stripes, in one case offset by purl rows.