I need some hat help!

[nym]

I want to make my DS a hat. I would like to to have some kind of earflaps, and a tie for under the chin. I want to do a basic hat and then decrease slowely, so that I end up with a santa hat, that ties under the chin. I am planning on making a pompom for the end. But, I don't know how to do this. I am not good enough to just start knitting. I need some kinda pattern to follow. I was thinking of doing the http://knitting.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.kittyville.com/knit/devil%5Fhat.html devil hat pattern and changing it at the top, but I don't know how to do the decreases properly. Can anyone give me some advice?

[CraftyMommaOf2]

Cast on 72 instead of 70, skip the markers, knit to the length you want before it starts getting skinnier, knit 7 k2tog to the end, knit 2 rows, knit 6 k2tog to the end, knit 2 rows, knit 5 k2tog to the end...you get the point. I think that would get you close to what you're wanting and you can play with it as you go.

[nym]

So you mean, I knit 7, then I knit 2 tog, knit 7, knit2 tog, etc until the end, then go to 6?

[pmcgary]

I didn't post the suggestion...but you would do one round with the k7 knit 2 tog...then you knit two rounds even(two rows w/out any decreases) and then you do the k6 knit 2 tog.

You want the even rows (the 2 rows worked with out decreases) to give the hat more length.