I was hesitant to use such a smaller needle for the brim than for the body & I think I was right to be concerned. I had done about half the round with the larger needles & as I suspected, it was making the hat poof out too big.

I started over with 88 stitches on the larger size needle. I knit to 7” before starting the decreases. I used my usual decrease technique instead of what the pattern directed.

I picked up & knit 16 stitches (10 stitches from center back) for the earflaps. I knit two rows to start & did not include the garter stitch border. Did pattern repeat just 3.5 times before the decreases (SSK, K2tog). I continued with the honeycomb stitch throughout the earflap.

For the honeycomb stitch knit flat:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=gYDfegcPS-w&si=b6rQL49-x5...

I cut 24” lengths of the RHSS & the Barclay yarn, looped the strands through the middle of the earflap to double them so that the finished braid = 8”. I also used the two yarns held together & the green Pom Pom maker for the Pom pom.

I love the way the Barclay yarn patterned out.