I was very disappointed with this pattern and the recommended yarn.
The pattern was poorly written.
And the design features were sloppy and amateurish. Why put in strictly decorative ties? The wearer would likely want to tie the hat down while skiing down the slopes as the pattern alluded to.The front band should have been done holding the yarn doubled so it would actually work to keep ears warm.

The yarn was equally disappointing. It was splitty, had several knots throughout the ball. Russian join would not hold when I had to cut the yarn to get rid of the knots, it was too slippery. It also became very fuzzy as I kept working with it. I wouldn’t wash the hat once done. Would have just made it fuzzier. The yarn being rather limp didn’t help. The stitch definition was horrible.
I was expecting better from lionbrand.