Squirrels like to nit!!

I'm in Salt Lake City for a few days, doing a small training/consulting thing for JBoss. It's been great to get the chance to see friends and family while I'm here, and tonight I went to Uncle John and Aunt Andrea's house to catch up and visit. Their grandson Keven was there for the evening. I'm always suprised every time I see him and his sister Abby, they grow so much. Its funny... I'm sure people said the same about me and Di when we were growing up... it always cracks me up how life is so cyclical.

We all got to talking and the conversation drifted to knitting (me? talk about knitting? shocker, I know). So I ran out to the car and grabbed my latest projects (my chunky green hat and my little blue rosehip hat) to show Aunt Andrea and Keven. He looked great in the hat. They talked about Keven's mom Erin was learning to knit, and Keven was very interested to learn how to do it. He's 10. And BY FAR the fastest student I've ever had. I slowly showed him the knit stitch about 3 or 4 times -- and boom he was knitting. He picked up casting on just as fast. I am so impressed.

Keven was also having fun playing with my new phone. So he wrote me a few notes and a couple sketches. Unfortunately the sketches didn't transfer very well, but he did provide a great title for my blog: "Squirrels like to nit!!" and "Mr. Squirrel likes penuts!!$1 per nut." and "I like to nit.I like to nit. I like to nit." He's very cool.

I started the hat on my flight from Philadelphia to Salt Lake City. I frogged it a few times after casting on too few stitches the first time and too many stitches the next. Third time's the charm. The inspiration for this hat was to create a cute simple hat out of this chunky yarn so Diana could follow the pattern and knit a hat for Jamie. Hopefully this hat fits the bill.

• the materials:
• 1 ball Lion Brand Wool-Ease Chunky yarn in "grass"
• 11" circular needle, size 10 1/2 (I'm not *sure* on the length of the needle, but basically the needle should fit around your head -- from needle tip to needle tip)
• one set size 10 1/2 double pointed needles
• the pattern
• Loosely cast on 72 stitches
• Place stitch marker, join work in the round, be careful not to twist the work (or else you'll create a mobius strip... which looks cool, but doesn't make a very good hat)
• begin rib stitch: k2, p2 across. Repeat this row until piece measures 5 inches
• begin decrease (transfer to double pointed needles when needed):
  round N: * k2tog, p2, k2, p2, k2, p2tog, k2, p2, k2, p2, repeat from * til last 10 stitches, k2tog, p2, k2, p2, k2, p2tog
• round N+1: * k, p2, k2, p2, k2, p, k2, p2, k2, p2, repeat from * til last 9 stitches, k, p2, k2, p2, k2, p
• round N+2: * k2tog, p, k2, p2, k2, p2tog, k, p2, k2, p2, repeat from * til last 9 stitches, k, p2, k2, p2, k2
• round N+3: * k, p, k2, p2, k2, p, k, p2, k2, p2, repeat from * til last 8 stitches, k, p, k2, p2, k2
• round N+4: * k2tog, k2, p2, k2, p2tog, p2, k2, p2, repeat from * til last 8 stitches, k2tog, k2, p2, k2
• round N+5: * k3, p2, k2, p3, k2, p2, repeat from * til last 7 stitches, k3, p2, k2
• round N+6: * k2tog, k, p2, k2, p2tog, p, k2, p2, repeat from * til last 7 stitches, k2tog, k, p2, k2
• round N+7: * k2, p2, k2, p2, k2, p2, repeat from * til last 6 stitches, k2, p2, k2
• round N+8: * k2tog, p2, k2, p2tog, k2, p2, repeat from * til last 6 stitches, k2tog, p2, k2
• round N+9: * k, p2, k2, p, k2, p2, repeat from * til last 5 stitches, k, p2, k2
• round N+10: * k2tog, p, k2, p2tog, k, p2, repeat from * til last 5 stitches, k2tog, p, k2
• round N+11: * k2tog, k2, p2tog, p2, repeat from * til last 4 stitches, k2tog, k2,
• round N+12: * k2tog, k, p2tog, p, repeat from * til last 3 stitches, k2tog, k
• round N+13: * k2tog, p2tog, * repeat from * til last 2 sttiches, k2tog
• cut yarn, leaving a 10 inch tail. Thread tail through the remaining stitches with a crochet hook and tie off. Weave in ends.

So.... Di, think you can make that? I can convert the pattern to be done flat (not knit in the round) if you need. Let me know.