I did not do the colored band around the base of these hats because the person they were for wanted to do it in whatever color yarn they end up making the outfits out of.

 The pattern was easy to follow, but you do want keep track of where you are. I have a small notepad I mark for every row done.  I did notice a typo.  It was missing an amount of stitches to do but it was easy to figure out you needed 5 HDC or whatever kind of stitch it was.

If I remember correctly the hats circumference was around 12 1/2 inches, each is a little different because of the yarn.

And, be sure to use 2 strands of yarn. The hat is just not the same when you use just one (I tried it).  It was fun to use both ends of the skein, I had never even thought to do that. It would be easier to have two but I wanted to make the hats now instead of waiting until I went to the store.