After a bit of experimentation, I found the stitch for the Gatsby style cloche that should satisfy both requirements...a pretty hat with a bit of unusual but subtle texture added...with the "holes" minimized and still flexible enough not to make crocheting it a struggle! The other caps I've made so far (apart from a couple of berets for me and my husband- hey, I needed the practice :P ) have been very plain, relying on bright, variegated yarn to add interest. I'm not much into tassels, scalloped edges or pompoms (although the crochet flowers have me intrigued), so with this new hat pattern I'm a happy capper (eww, bad pun)!

I'll post a pic when it's finished, still a lot of rows to go...

Cheers,
Dawn

P.S. The stitch I used is an "extended" single crochet - insert hook, pull a loop through as usual, YO and draw only 1 loop through (2 loops on hook), YO again and pull the two loops through. Happy happy joy joy!