I am a tight knitter and was skeptical that a 90 st (CO instructions for size medium), folded, stockinette brim made with US 4 needles and DK weight yarn would fit my medium-size head. So I made brim with US 5 needles and 96 sts (CO instructions for size large), hoping that using large size pattern instructions & larger needles with my tight gauge would result in a medium-size hat. This did not work out. I obtained an adult small size after aggressive blocking.

Used JMCO as a provisional CO with 2 circular needles.

Used US 10 needles for body. After I started the WF body stripe, I noticed large gaps between the brim and body. I tinked back, worked 2 purl rounds, then started WF stripe.

Measured gauge half way through body: 30 sts per 4” (pattern gauge is 24 sts per 4”). I decided to cut my losses and make a smaller hat.

Noticed the crown decreases involved working 2 back-to-back k2togs, which often creates gaps. I followed the pattern and gaps formed in these areas. I tinked back to the crown’s beginning, changed the 5 point decrease to a 10 point decrease, and alternated 1 round with k2togs followed by a next round with WF/k2togs.

Pattern pros: The hat’s aesthetic is pretty and the instructions are clear.
Pattern cons: I could not obtain pattern gauge and I had to deviate from instructions to obtain a brim/body join & crown without gaps.