Since I used worsted weight wool instead of aran I knit the hat in size 7 needles to compensate. It still fit my 11 month old with an 18” head perfectly. The i-cord and ear flaps were knit with size 5 needles. I wanted the knitting to be tighter to protect my baby’s delicate ears from the wind. I adjusted the increases due to the smaller needles. I followed the instructions but then kept increasing until I got to 22 stitches then I knit straight until the earflap measured just a bit over 2 1/2”.