Curly Snowflake Hat Topper

I like adding a bit of a crazy topper to a standard child's hat. It adds some whimzy and fun to what is otherwise a necessity of winter wear.

In this case I was inspired by my running out of blue yarn and being forced to switch to the cream. The topper has six curly "arms" - which look like a snowflake gone wild on top of the child's head.

This topper can be added to any bottom-up hat, regardless of the number of stitches used. Pattern instructions are for a 6-stitch repeat hat; simply increase or decrease the number of curls to accomodate your stitch count.

Gauge: Not important. Whatever your gauge was in the hat is fine.
Finished dimensions: Again, depends on your gauge and hat.

Materials:
This is going to sound redundant. Use the yarn and needles you used in making your hat.

Instructions:
Work hat as normal, including decreasing to the top. This pattern starts when you normally would "break yarn and thread through remaining live stitches; pull tight to cinch hole closed."

Start with first stitch of the round.
1: Cast on 25 stitches using the knit-on cast on. (Scroll down this page for instructions)
2: Bind off 26 stitches.
3: Slip completed stitch (the one the 26th bound-off stitch is bound-off on) back to the left needle.
Repeat these three steps for as many stitches as you have remaining (in my case, six times total).

Break yarn, leaving a long tail.
Gently weave yarn through base stitches of each curl to close any hole that may remain.
Weave ends in.