Thicket is a good introduction to top-down hats - the simple knitted fabric keeps things uncomplicated while you work on managing small amounts of stitches on DPNs! (using two circs or one long circ are also options!)

I love top-down construction for a few reasons:

1 - the increases don’t add any bulk to the fabric (unlike K2tog decreases)

2 - there is no yarn waste or unexpected shortages as the shaping is completed at the beginning and the hat is then knit to the desired length

3 - you can put the stitches onto waste yarn and check the length as you go, even blocking out the top of the hat for extra slouchiness without having to worry about distorting live stitches

This hat is written with a small amount of slouch, but you can add extra length if you like more! The seed stitch band can be worn flat or folded up to provide more warmth for ears - if you plan to wear it folded up all the time, I’d recommend adding an extra inch of length before working the band, unless you want to keep it short like a watch cap to be worn above the ears and just fold the band down when you need the protection!

Huge thanks to all of my testers - their assistance is always invaluable, and I really appreciate their patience during the unusually extended gap between testing and publication (when they are able to post their projects)! Hooray for home renovations and Olympics being over!

RubyRed
Specialk4b
faeriesandpixies
CrochetSarah
Stephcat
Elpique
MamaHoov
JeriBrock
Lalaree
Lumberjill
PeggysKnits
creativelady1