3/25/14 - Since I have a queen-sized head, I cast on 70 stitches and knit the band using tens instead of nines. In the first increase round, I increased to 104 stitches, increasing one for every two stitches, except that in the last two stitches I made no increase.

3/29/14 - Done! I used all of the first skein and about 30 yards of a second, much more than the pattern called for. I don’t know if the yardage requirements were off or if my use of the larger needles for the band threw the amount of yarn off, my feeling is that the size-up on the needles may have increased the yarn use a little but not that much. Get an extra skein if you are going to make this hat!
Overall I’m pleased with the result. It’s comfy and it was an interesting project.