Happy birthday!

Sera is having her birthday today, I want to wish her lots of bones for tonight.
Tiger is spending the night at the vet's. Tomorrow we will pick him and he has to wear a "sonda" (sorry girls, I don't know the traslation) for 5 or 6 days.
When it's Tippy's birthday?

Good wishes for the "other" significant others

UPS! HAT

Remember I had several "recipes" to knit a hat? Some looked easier but were done in circular needles and I was afraid of the "switching to 3 double pointed needles at the same time" point. And some looked complicated, even when they were knitted in the normal "straight" needles. Well, I know you remember too that hat that I started for my dad. I fnished it this week. I had to put it in a box and send it, so it finally got here and I managed some time while my husband was visiting one of his friends. I was knitting, and I knew that the feared moment was approaching, so I was prepared to see "switch to double-point needles" at any time. But it didn't. I finished the hat and I realized that, UPS!, somehow, I was knitting in the round one pattern that was meant to be "straight". So it's possible. So I lost all fear to double-point needles. So, and more important, you can do it! I write the recipe here, so you can chose how to do it:
a) circular needle, use a 16", mine are 6, but you can chose your size. I highly recomend bamboo needles if you have to buy them. The only thing is that the last two rows (especially the very last one) will take you more effort, because you don't change to 3 needles knitting, but it's totally possible, you can do it. At the end, just grab the thread and pull tight, that's all.
b) straight needles, the recipe will work perfect too. The only thing is that at the end you will have to sew it to make it round. Don't worry, it's easy too, if any of you decide this metod, I will explain how to sew them in another comment.
Finally, you can chose just one color or make stripes, and Lindsey, if you are moving to Hawaii, that's no excuse, you can chose a cotton instead of a wool yarn. No snow doesn't mean no hat :) -Now that I know you are going in March, you may need it for the Boulder snow-
I think this is a project we can do at the same time (I will do another one) and we can feel we are still in the SOK meeting. Wish you lots of luck!!
(p.s. I tried the medium size, but it's too small -my dad can't use it, I fit but it's quite tight- I will write here the large. And it can be cute for us or fun for our significant others. Just think about it as a way to have fun, stay in touch and learn some more "knitting techniques". Don't forget to post your achievements)

In my experience, a small skein will do it. I did it with the leftovers of a scarf, made a ball with then and it worked great.

You will be working in rib (stretchy) pattern: time to remember those purls. You knit 2 stitches and purl 2 stitches and repeat this through the end. Easy. The abreviation for it is K2 P2 (knit 2, purl 2)

For the shape of the hat, you will be asked at the end to knit two together. So you will insert your right needle in two, not one, of your left hand needle stitches and knit as if you oly had one. If you knit tight this may be a little work at the beginning, but a couple of them later you will be an expert. The abreviation for this is K2 tog (knit two together)

Let's begin!
-Cast on 64 stitches (for medium size it will be 60)
-Work 35 rows (32 in medium) in K2 P2 rib (If you chose strips instead of just one color, rememer to change every two or four rows)
-When you've done the 35 rows, we are going to shape the crown. The first row after the 35 will be:
Row 1: *K2 tog, p2. Repeat from * to the end. You will have 48 stitches at the end now.
-The following, final rows, are like these:
Row 2 *K2 tog, p1, rep from * to the end (32 sts remaining now!)
Row 3 *K1 P1, rep from * to the end.
Row 4 *K1, P1, rep from * to the end.
Row 5 *K2 tog, rep from * to the end (if you use circular needles this will be not as easy as the previous row, but still fine)
Row 6 *K2 tog. Rep from * to end. (this will be tight, because there are a few stitches left in the needle. Be patient and at the end, pull tight and that's all it needs to recover shape). We are done, my dear sokettes, that was the final row.

Finishing: Break off the yarn, leaving a tail (if you used straight needles, leave it 20" long, to sew with it). Thread a yarn sewing needle (the ones with big eyes) and thread needle stitches, drowing them tight and sliding them from the knitting needle.
a) for circular needles: now that you have them passed to the big sewing needle, pull tight, secure with two points and weave the ends back to the hat with a crochet needle (it's invisible if you do it close to the rib)
b) straight needles: with the reverse side of the hat (they look the same in this pattern, just chose your favorite) facing you, sew back seam and weave in ends. If you need help on how to sew them, I can walk you through it or give you interesting pages with videos and information, or send you copies by mail)

This pattern appeared in Stitch n" B%$#^ (blogger doesn't allow the real name, sorry, I didn't know it) made by Alex Zorn. I just, accidentally experienced it in the round. I think it's a great project, both easy and fun for us to start the new level! (Next time, maybe a sweater?) If you don't have inernet access all the time, I find it helpful to print the pattern, it helped me a lot at the beginning of my knitting. Girls, are you interested in dog sweaters? They can be knitted too.

The last tip to work with the circular needles:
It's ultra easy, ultra fast, the only tip is how to start (in case, like me, this was your first time)
Start by casting on the requisite number of stitches, Then bring the ends of your circular needles if front of you, with the first cast on stitch at the end of the left-hand needle, and the last on the right-hand needle. Make sure all the stitches are not twisted. Start knitting. Place a marker before the first stitch to know where everything began, so you can count the rows. Move the marker any new row. Enjoy!