I’m aiming for a hat circumference of 18-1/2 inches.

I cast on 48 stitches with the Chinese Waitress cast-on, and knit until the piece measured 6 inches.

First Attempt. I follwed the decrease instructions through round 5, then knit a row before round 6. I knit another round after round 6, then k2tog for the final round.

Revision. I decided that the extra rows made the hat way too tall for this 8-year-old, and ripped back to the point where the hat was 5-1/2 inches tall. I worked the 6 rows of decreases as indicated, then drew the yarn through the 16 remaining stitches. I had to close the remaining hole with stitches from the inside. We’ll find out how the hat fits…