A quick hat to match a favorite pair of gloves, and to provide a bit of a self-esteem boost since I hadn’t finished a project since October 2012.

Things I Would Do Differently

• I should have paid better attention to my gauge. I thought I was getting 5 stitches/inch, but instead I was getting closer to 6 stitches/inch. I kept the number of stitches the same and it worked out in terms of circumference--I guess I have a smallish head--but it also threw my row gauge off a bit, leading to the problem below.
• I only did about three-quarters of an inch of ribbing because I misread the instructions (and apparently mis-measured my knitting). I was determined not to tink back for any reason, but I now wish I had knit the full 1.5 inches to cover the bottoms of my ears.

EDIT: I decided I really didn’t like the too-short ribbing, so I snipped a stitch and unraveled it to the beginning of the stockinette portion of the hat, then knit a new 2-inch section of ribbing from the hat down. I used the elastic bind off described in Leslie Ann Bestor’s Cast On, Bind Off. The ribbing is a bit loose, the bind off ruffles a bit when unstretched, and I don’t like the look of the elastic bind off as much as I liked the original long-tail cast on it replaced, but the hat looks fine on my head and now my ears won’t be cold.

Finished Measurements
Height: 8.75 inches
Width: 7.75 inches (unstretched, directly above ribbing)

Technical Details
I used a ChiaoGoo RED 12” circular needle for the bulk of the knitting. I switched to a ChiaoGoo RED Lace 40” circular and used the Magic Loop method for the decrease rounds. I didn’t block the finished piece.