Knitted hat with braids

Winter is almost over, but a nice looking (and original) and comfortable hat is always useful, and  it is never  too late to make an accessory that is different from what everybody else has. There are many hats with cables and braids, but this hat’s braids are different: the width of the braids varies, from 4 stitches at the beginning to 18 stitches.
The first stitch increase is done in round 2: cable 4 sts to the left [ slip next 2 sts to additional needle in front of the work, Kfb between stitches (2 stitches increase), transfer the 2 sts from the additional needle back to the left needle, K2 ] , K2
The next stitch increase is in Round 10, when you cable stitches to the left; stitches are added to the stitches that you slip to additional needle behind the work.

The final stitch increase is in Round 26, the braid is worked on 18 stitches.
The pattern is available in my Etsy shop :