I started a hat in October. Finished it in March. This is not a brag — it should have taken maybe twelve hours total. It took five months because I kept setting it down and not picking it back up.
A basic ribbed beanie. Knit on circular needles in the round. 96 stitches cast on, k2 p2 rib for the brim, then stockinette stitch for the body, then decreases for the crown. Beginner-friendly by knitter standards.
I dropped a stitch in month one and didn't know how to pick it back up. The hat sat in a bag for six weeks while I avoided dealing with it.
I finally watched a YouTube video on dropped stitches. It took two minutes to fix.
The thing about knitting is most mistakes look catastrophic to a beginner and are trivial to anyone who's been doing it for a year.
Knitting is about showing up, not skill. Anyone who can knit two stitches can knit a hat — they just have to keep doing it. The only people who fail are the ones who stop.
Hat fits. Slightly lopsided. I wear it every day.