Modified the face ribbing a lot to keep it tight and cover the ears but not the eyes of my tiny 3yo kid. His eyes were really close to the top of the hole, and the opening totally exposed his ears pre-ribbing, so I used short rows on the gussets and across the bottom of the ribbing with extra decreases to tighten it all up:

Round 1: skipped this
Round 2: as written, but also placed markers and picked up and knit stitches for gussets.
Round 3: 2x2 rib across top, knit across gusset, turned and wrapped 1st stitch past gusset, purled back across gusset, turned and wrapped 1st stitch past gusset, knit back across gusset, 2x2 ribbing across bottom, knit across gusset, turned and wrapped 1st stitch past gusset, purled back across gusset, turned and wrapped 1st stitch past gusset, knit back across gusset.
Round 4: as written, but with an extra 4 decreases - on the 2 stitches just past each of the markers (not in the gussets, but next to them).
Row 5: Turned and wrapped stitch and knit round backwards, down gusset and across the lower ribbing and up the other gusset (did not knit across the top). Also added 2 short rows across each gusset as in Round 3.
Row 6: Turned and wrapped stitch and knit back down gusset, across bottom ribbing (2x2), and knit back up gusset. (Did not knit across top.) Before and after each gusset, decreased. (4 decreases)
Row 7: As round 5
Row 8: As round 6
Row 9: As round 5
Row 10: As round 6
Round 11: Knit around entire round (top, gussets and bottom) in pattern with 4 extra decreases adjacent to gussets.

Following advice I saw on another post, CO 43 provisional stitches instead of 42.

Traveling joggless stripes with instructions from here: http://techknitting.blogspot.com/2007/01/jogless-stripes....

Pea is extra excited to have something to “cover my ears” (his last hat is getting way too small!). This one should cover his ears and then some.

Used tubular CO.
Gauge 4.75 st/in