Charlene,
Ooh, I never thought of repurposing the hats that didn't work out!  I imagine a failed hat could even be used to construct a bag of some kind?
Your work doesn't look "freshman" to me!  Just the opposite...your work looks entirely professional! 
How cool that this was a one-cycle fulling!  Wonder why it worked out that way?
Melanie  (known to the cat as "Rowr" or "Rowr Rowr") =^.^=

He he, trial and error.  I've had a few failures.  Fortunately the lady who helped me along also told me that if there's a failure, you can always cut up the fulled hats into shapes to be used in other projects and for other crafts.
I'm still learning.  In the grand scheme of things, I'm still a "Freshman" at all this. 
 
The floppy hat didn't take any pulling out.  Strangely, most times I full the hats in the washing machine, I begin with the longest wash cycle and take the hats out as they reach the desired size.  This last time, they were all as they appeared after the one cycle.  It surprised me.
Charlene

Charlene,
You're amazing!  How did you learn all of this...was it by trial and error?  I wouldn't know to do any of that...I'd probably full the floppy brimmed one too long and not get that lovely effect.
Melanie  (known to the cat as "Rowr" or "Rowr Rowr") =^.^=

Thank you ladies.  The floppy brim one is simply not fulled as long as the others.  Wool will full and shrnk until it's "solid" if you want or you can take the garment out before it reaches the maximum.  That's what I did with the light blue one. 
The hats all begin with 34 rows of tuck stitch.  They are, therefore, a denser knit than the rest of the hat.  The blue hat is bigger than the rest of them because it wasn't fulled as much.
Normally, when I make the larger hats I just don't change tension while knitting them.
The first 34 rows are done on tension 9 which makes a larger stitch on the machine, then dial down to 8 and finally to seven.  The larger hats I just leave the dial at 9.
Charlene

My eye went almost straight to the hat with the floppy brim. I like my hats to have a brim that's wide enough to do what a brim's supposed to do...block the sun.  Gotta be careful about freckles and wrinkles.  
Like Melanie said, the color combinations on the purple hat and the black hat are incredible.
Marilyn

Charlene,
Well, I am DROOLING once again...if this keyboard shorts out, it's all your fault!  ;D  All are incredible, and I have three favorites...the purple/black (what a great color combo!), black/red (striking!) and the one with the beautiful floppy brim.  Wow, is that a ribbing stitch or something?  Love the ridges created by whatever stitch you used. 
Melanie  (known to the cat as "Rowr" or "Rowr Rowr") =^.^=