Little Pumpkin Hat

I was in the mood to knit a small, whimsical project so I made a little pumpkin hat for my Bird Girl. 

Here's the pattern I devised:

Size:  About 9 inches in circumference and 3 inches in length.

Yarn:  Any DK weight.  You won't need very much.  I'm guessing that the hat used about 20 yards of the orange.  For the stem color, maybe a yard?

I used yarn from my stash.  Orange - Sirdar Snuggly DK - color #337.  It's a very bright, in-your-face color.  I can't remember why I bought this one!  Green - Rowan Calmer - color #6468.

Needles:  4.0 mm/US #6 double-pointed

Gauge:  5.5 sts - 1 inch, but gauge isn't important for such a small project.

Method:  With the orange yarn loosely cast on 48 sts.  Work in the round for 2 inches, or desired length:

Every round - *K4, p2.  Repeat from * to the end.

Decreases for the crown of the hat:

Round 1:  (K4, P2tog) to the end of the round - 40 sts. remain
Round 2:  (K1, K2tog, K1, P1) to the end of the round - 32 sts remain
Round 3:  (K1, K2tog, P1) to the end of the round - 24 sts remain
Round 4:  (K2tog, P1) to the end of the round - 16 sts remain

Change to the stem color:

Round 5:  K2tog all around to the end - 8 sts remain
Round 6:  K2tog all around to the end - 4 sts remain
Round 7:  K2 tog twice - 2 sts remain.

Put the 2 sts onto one needle and work 2 rows of I-cord, or more if you like a longer stem.

K2tog.  Cut yarn and feed it through the remaining st.  Weave in all ends.

Here is the link to the project on Ravelry.  If you decide to make one, I would love to see the hat and how you decided to use it!