Stacked Eyelet Cowl

[flutterbychild.livejournal.com]

Below the cut is my variation on the Stacked Eyelet Cowl that I am knitting for my mom for her birthday. 



I like it in the worsted weight I used, rather than the sport weight pictured in the pattern. It's big (and hopefully cozy and warmer), but it's too big to fit around her head like a hood, which is something she requested. Should I decrease it by 10, 20, or more stitches? How much longer should it be (from top to bottom) to be long enough for her to pull up over her head if she wanted?

Also, how can I fix this?



My apologies if it is hard to see, but the loop happened when I joined the two ends of this piece to knit it in the round. How can I fix it?

Thanks so much for your help!