“When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everyone will respect you.” Lao Tzu

This quote, by Lao Tzu, came to mind when I was working on this design, and is one that I frequently return to when I make mistakes or doubt myself. Starting out on a journey, like becoming a designer, it is so easy to compare yourself with others, to think “I’ll never be that good” or my designs do not look that polished, and this can end a journey before it even begins.

I’ve made mistakes, encountered typos in my designs that I never picked up and realized that I’m not going to be perfect and that I’m going to make mistakes. But I also realized that the mistakes do not matter nearly as much as how you decide to use them. Mistakes help foster humility, they can help you grow and they can be a goldmine of wisdom, and encourage you to improve and grow. And what this process has taught me, is that what truly matters is not being the best or the pay check at the end of the day, but rather it’s the people you meet, those who encouraged you to publish your very first design, it’s your Mom who’s willing to test your patterns, it’s about that first person who believes in you enough to buy your first pattern, it’s the online friend who eagerly casts on your pattern, and lets you know they found an error… it’s the kind-hearted people and those who are there to support you. It is about the journey, seeing how much you’ve grown and how far you’ve come. If I hadn’t tried, I would have missed all those moments, the opportunities to learn patience, humility and perseverance and realizing the importance of not comparing or competing, but rather of learning how to be, unapologetically you.

So, lastly, thank you for taking an interest in my designs and taking the time to read this, thank you for your support, comments and kindness - I appreciate it all more than you will ever know.

In order to reduce the likelihood of potential errors, the PDF download has been edited by a professional technical editor.

Materials:
• One 4.5mm / US size 7 circular needle, 40cm / 16” in length, or size needed to meet the required gauge.
• One 3.5mm / US size 4 circular needle, 40cm / 16” in length, or three US sizes smaller than needle size used to obtain gauge.
• One 4.5mm / US size 7 circular needle, 80cm / 32” or 100cm / 40” in length, for magic loop or one set of 4.5mm / US size 7 DPNs, or size needed to meet the required gauge.
• Optional: Stitch markers, 4 (5), one of which is used to mark the beginning of round.
• One cable needle, tapestry needle for sewing in threads, and blocking materials.
• Worsted weight yarn, approximately 140m (190m) /153yrds (208yrds) for hat with folded brim. One skein of Malabrigo Rios is suitable for all size and brim options. Sample shown in larger size in colourway Teal Feather.
• Optional: Pom pom. Sample pom pom is a Mix and Match TOFT Alpaca pom pom, approximately 11cm / 4.5” in diameter, shown in colour Teal.

Sizes:
Two sizes 1(2) – 38cm (47cm) / 15” (18.5”) in circumference, measured flat. The hat is approximately 20cm (24cm) / 8” (10”) in height with a folded brim and 19cm (23cm) / 7.5” (9.5”) in height with a single brim, measured without pom pom. Intended to be worn with 7.5cm – 12.5cm / 3” – 5” negative ease.

Gauge:
26 stitches and 28 rows = 10cm / 4” in cable knitting using the main chart, from page 4, knitted in the round, and blocked. Knitting to gauge is important to ensure that your knitted item is the correct size, and to ensure that yardage requirements match those stated in the pattern.