Crochet to Go

I had a great craft breakthrough about two weeks ago. When I work on a circular object (like a hat) I tend to change direction at the end of each row. While I like the look, one of the main reasons for doing this is to create a straight, unobtrusive seam. When I continue working in rounds, my seams tend to wander.

So: what's the problem? I was pondering the issue while working on the arm warmers below, and decided not to fight it. In fact, I'd intentionally have the seam circle the hat. Five samples later, I think I've got it down. I love the subtlety of the ridge, and how it elevates the basic hat above the expected. In the grid of details, the upper left image is the "wrong" side, the right the "outside".