Just the ticket for our January/February weather here. I made the bottom band with Tricolor Basket Plaid, pg 74 and 120 stitches, then went back and picked up 100 stitches from the back of the second row and knit an inner band of knit one purl one ribbing.  This gave me a double thick headband for the forehead and ears.

I joined both back together, reduced to 96 stitches and continued up the hat with Woven Diamond Pattern, pg 97.  I gotta say, I am in love with these patterns that use the floats as decorative elements on the front of the work.  This was one I had been savouring the thought of for a while.  I am glad I like this hat, because I really wanted to make a decent hat with this stitch.  I am also glad I was with my Canterbury Piecemakers (aka Wednesday coffee group) when I was about to do the top of the hat.  Albertina said I shouldn’t do a big topper, just a button or something to bring the maroon back into play.  I did 8 rows of garter stitch on the last 12 stitches, then k2tog around, did a row on 6 stitches and drew my end through.  I used the end to secure the button on top.

To decrease, I did slip 1, k2tog psso at six points every other row, on top of one just completed set of diamonds and in between another set of diamonds.