K1B Hat

I continue to be enchanted by the book Knit One Below: One Stitch, Many Fabrics by Elise Duvekot. I decided to craft on of the "Family Affair" hats for a Christmas present.

The yarn weight used in the patter is similar in weight and yardage to KnitPicks WotA Yarn. The hat requires 5 colors, I choose white, cobblestone heather, coal, dove heather and onyx heather. The pattern for the male hat required 72 sts for a 22" circumference. The Deathly Hallows Ear-Flap Hat I made had 108 sts around, and it was knit with a double strand of the same brand yarn! I therefore decided to make the hat with 96 sts, and adjust accordingly.

See how tiny the hat with 72 sts would have been?

The adjusted hat size did not require any modifications until the decrease (using the prescribed color changes):

• In the first P row of the crown decrease, decrease 5 sts as evenly as possible - 91 sts remaining
• Divide evenly into 7 groups of 13.
  
• *K11, K2tog before the marker* repeat across
• P across one row
• Repeat the decrease and P rows until 7 sts remaining. Finish as described.
  

I am thrilled with the way the hat came out. There is one subtle thing with the fabric that I would like to point out. Although I used the same K1B sequence, I think it matters which color you use first for the K1B. If you notice in the photo below, the lightest two colors in the stripes are closer together above the brim than below.

I love the way both sides of K1B fabric look. I would have selected a different gradient, but I am not sure what colors, besides black-grey, can be used without looking feminine. (There is a beautiful blue gradient in the book, but it does not look manly.) Orange or Yellow?