Doing it the second time was much easier since I figured out what I was doing. And I have no idea why the brim was so hard to figure out the first time around because it made perfect sense the second time!
I double stranded the brim and like it so much better. Just adds extra thickness and form, plus covers the plastic material better so I can't feel it poking through when I pick it up.
"There is something solid and reassuring in knitting, backed by centuries of real application: When we knit, we make something with our hands, and then use it to make life more comfortable, more beautiful, better". - Eunny Jang