About a hat

I had just completed the design for a spring/summer hat and looked forward to knitting it up. It would be my first time using a certain specialty yarn. This specialty yarn had "memory". The test swatch proved it would be perfect for the brim. I would use some of my best stash, a perle cotton, for the crown. The mesh-like stitch pattern I had been working on was now was just right. There were even going to be knitted flowers as trim to drive home that spring/summery feeling.

But then I knitted it.  The design (I'll call it Version 1) did NOT work. The brim just was too short, pointless and boring; and it did not "nicely" contrast with the rest of the hat, as I had imagined.

Fortunately, even though I had knitted it brim first, it was knitted it in such a way (with a circular row of knitting between brim and crown) that I could easily cut one stitch, pull an end, and remove the brim in one neat piece, without compromising the rest of the hat.  The remaining crown would make a cute cap (Version 2). Or so I thought. Hmmmm...

I decided to add a band to the crown in order to turn it into a slouch-type hat (Version 3).  Oops, not great.  Try again?

I tweeted:

Frog or finish the hat? Can't decide. Not quite what I planned, though may have potential...

Honestly, I hadn't expected any answers, especially since I hadn't posted any pictures. But I received two replies, both in favor of finishing the hat! Each had a different way of dealing with the hat should I dislike the finished product. 

Well, the hat sat--untouched for four days.  And I could not persuade myself to continue.

"Before" (a/k/a Version 3)

"After" (or should I call this Version 4?)

Yeah, I frogged it. I unknitted the thing.

To be continued...