Shoal Bay Slouch - Part 2, Developing the Pattern

Having figured out my yarn and pattern and finished my gauge swatch (Part 1, Preparation), now it was time to plan my pattern. Since this is all math (and no photo opportunities), I thought I'd throw in a couple shots of my knitting environment.

My head is 22-inches around and a couple pattern standards documents I've found recommend anywhere from 1 to 2 inches of negative ease for a close-fitting hat. My idea is a bit of a slouchy hat, but I want the ribbed brim to fit. So, my brim measurement should be 20-21 inches. Using my 1x1 rib gauge of 16 st = 3-inches
     21 ÷ 3 = 7 and 7 x 16 = 112 stitches
     20 ÷ 3 = 6.67 and 6.67 x 16 = 106.7 stitches

I've noticed that many hat patterns use an 8 "gore" decrease in the crown section and 112 divides evenly by 8 to 14 stitches, so I decided to go with 112 stitches.

(I was sitting in the gray chair when I did these calculations. Bill usually sits in the brown one. We're still a few items shy in our home decorating and are using storage boxes as side tables.)

At my stockinette stitch gauge of 16 st = 4 in, 112 stitches would be 28-inches and that seems sufficiently "slouchy" to me.

Another measurement I've picked up on various hat patterns is 8-9 inches for the total height of a woman's hat. My head measures 16 inches from the bottom of one ear lobe over the top of my head to the bottom of the other ear lobe, so 8-9 inches sounds about right.

My pattern stitch (12 rounds total) is:
     Using darker color, 2 rounds garter stitch (knit one round, purl next round)
     Using lighter color, 2 rounds stockinette stitch (knit all rounds0
     Using darker color, 2 rounds garter stitch
     Using lighter color, 6 rounds stockinette stitch

On my gauge swatch, I worked 4 rounds stockinette stitch after the ribbing and I thought that was too much. I'll work 2 rounds and then start on my pattern stitch.

(Here's what I look at from my chair. Against the wall are the plastic storage bins we're using for wood storage ... temporarily. There's a real wood rack in the works.)

So, my basic design is:
1. Cast on 112.
2. Work in 2-color, 1x1 rib for ~1-inch (knit stitches in lighter color and purl stitches in darker color).
3. Using lighter color, work 2 rounds of stockinette stitch.
4. Work pattern stitch.
5. When hat measures ~ 5-inches, begin crown decreases. (I knew I could work out the details of the crown decreases later.)

Finally, for my cast-on, I decided to try knitting a braided edge. (This fantastic YouTube video, "Knitwhits Tutorial - Siena Braided Trim," shows how it's done.) My yarns aren't particularly "contrasty", so I wasn't sure the braid would be super-effective. Either way, I thought it would be a nice edge.

OK! I'm finally ready to start knitting!