Yarn is a blend of merino, angora rabbit and a much-loved alpaca named Maggie. The folded hem came out kind of bulky, but otherwise it’s a flawless pattern and spifftastic hat, by far the best I’ve tried for a ponytail.

It was, however, a foolish yarn choice- the fuzzy, furry, halo made the folded hem almost impossible to execute, provisional cast-on and lifeline notwithstanding.

To tighten up the back neck opening which at this gauge ended up floppy and large, I somehow managed to pick up stitches—blindly stabbing into wodges of fluff—to knit a casing about 1 inch deep, which I then turned under and stitched in place to contain the icord, which I threaded through the casing with a nifty bodkin.