I wanted a climbing beanie and an excuse to use the silk/cashmere that's been burning a hole in my cache (cache is like stash, only much, much smaller...). This is the plan... we'll see how it works and it worked (eventually). I like the rolled edge of Jesse's halfdome, but the silk/cashmere is too floppy to sustain the roll, so the modifications are for finer gauge yarn, and to replace the roll with some ribbing.
materials
handmaiden 4 ply silk cashmere (55% silk 45% cashmere; 170m/50g)
5 x 2.5mm DPNs
3mm needle for casting on
gauge
7 sts/in on 2.5mm needles
rib
co 140 sts on 3 mm needle; join in round being careful not to twist
using 2.5mm needles, work k2p2 rib for five rounds, increasing 8 sts evenly across fifth round
body
arrange sts evenly on needles (37 sts per needle)
next and following rounds: K until work is long enough to begin decreases (for me this was 6.5cm 9cm / 3.5" from co edge)
decreases
round 1: *K1, K2tog, K to 3 st before needle end, SSK, K1; rep from * to end for each needle in round
round 2: K
rep these two rounds 16x (20 sts remain)
round 3: K1, S2KP, K2, S2KP, K2, S2KP, K2, S2KP, K2, K1 (12 sts remain)
round 4: K
round 5: K2tog, K2, SSK, K2tog, K2, SSK (8 sts remain)
reknit
Try on hat. Discover that the initial assumption about where the decreases would start was misguided and that you've knit a yarmulke. Consider conversion to Judaism rather than ripping. Decide that faith is too much of a burden, and rip back to before the decreases. Knit another inch and revise the pattern. Work decreases once again. Learn patience and tolerance.
finishing
Break yarn (after verifying the damn thing fits... let's not make that mistake again!) leaving some tail; draw through remaining sts and pull tight. Weave in ends.
references
Jesse's original pattern
Cie's circular adaptation