The deep band on this slightly-oversized hat is worked in a technique similar to sewn smocking. Smocking on a handknit fabric is easier than on a woven one, though: by establishing columns of knit stitches on a purl background, you provide guidelines that keep the sewn tucks straight and even. Like traditional smocking, this knitted version draws the fabric in a great deal — and the shift to plain stockinette releases it again into a puffy, roomy crown.