Good Housekeeping's Head Hugger 1974

The first hat for March is this adorable hat they call a "Crocheted Head-Hugger".  Spoiler alert - it really does hug your head.

The suggested yarn is Columbia-Minerva Nantuk Fingering Yarn and a Boye steel crochet hook No. 2.
I used a 2.25mm hook and this Berroco yarn I picked up at a Textile Center garage sale. The suggested yarn appears to be 100% acrylic and the Berocco is nylon and acrylic so I think I got pretty close on the yarn.  

This pattern gives a gauge of 6 stitches = 1 inch and 3 rows = 1 inch. I got the gauge exactly with the B hook. The pattern is pretty easy to follow and it's very specific for each row instead of saying something like "follow" pattern or even "repeat row."

​Here's how it turned out:

I double checked the gauge in the finished hat to make sure it wasn't off. That was still exact. I tried to count the rows in the picture to see if they did more rows and I don't think that was the problem either. The band around the head is the same stitch count as the rest of it so I'm not sure why it looks like it's a different size in the original photo. It's a cute hat...for a kid.  Again.  

To get something like the photo here are the things I'd try if I was going to do it again. Once the band is done going up a hook size or two might make the top more poofy and a big enough for an adult.  You could also figure out how many stitches to increase to get the diamond pattern and do an increase row before you start the top part.  

I had high hopes for this one but I was a little disappointed so I'm giving it three stars out of 5 for the misleading photo.