I made this hat for a friend who loves the outdoors. She hikes, and cycles all the time , does a lot of travelling, and does not wear anything fluffy or frilly– or, as far as I can tell, patterned .I wanted a hat that fit her practical needs, including being light and small to pack, but did not look like something only a bloke would wear .I made this hat from remnants of grey Patonyle sock yarn for the plain ribbed band, and self patterning Heirloom Jigsaw sock yarn 81 (black, grey, white) for the body of the slightly slouchy beanie, about 2/3 of a ball. Having more stitches than the average sock, the self patterning yarn subsides into a generally variegated fabric that I rather like. It would probably work with other sock yarns as well, and I didn’t put in a gauge, as I think a bit of gauge variation is not crucial either. The band is stretchy. I used double pointed needles, the hat is knit in the round from the bottom up.