My Lea Hat Pattern

So I've been spending my time knitting, watching tv, and attempting to avoid class and any homework associated with it and so I made up my own pattern. This is a take on a pattern I've seen a couple times that I like but was never able to convince myself to purchase (what with it looking so relatively simple).
My bestest best friend is up at school way up north and I'm worried about her poor little head freezing so I made her this hat for her birthday. I thought about making something with lace but that wouldn't have kept as much heat in! I haven't had anyone else test the pattern so let me know if there are any errors... And it's reversible-ish!
My Lea Hat
© Designed by A. Jessup, Feb. 2007

My Lea Hat

Materials: US size 6 16" circular needles and size 6 dpns
Stitch marker
Worsted weight yarn, your choice (I used Paton's Soy Wool Stripes (sws))...
Cast on 80 sts using the long-tail method (although if you want a looser brim you can also use the backwards loop cast on).
Place marker and join to knit in the round, following pattern.
Pattern :
*Knit 1, Purl 4* repeat from * to *.
Repeat pattern 16 times in each round. Knit until desired length before decreasing.

Mine was approx. 6 inches long but to make a longer or shorter (smaller) hat you can knit anywhere from 5 to 7 or more inches before decreasing.

Begin decreasing, switching to dpns when neccessary.
1st dec. rnd: *K1, p1, p2tog, p1*. Repeat from * to * until the end of the round, 64 sts.
2nd dec. rnd: *K1, p2tog, P1*. Repeat from *to* until the end of the round, 48 sts.
Next rnd: *K1, P2*. Repeat to the end of the round.
3rd dec. rnd: *K1, p2tog*. Repeat from *to *, 32 sts.
4th dec. rnd: K1, *K2tog*. Repeat from *to*, 16 sts. When you reach the end of this round you will have one st left over; remove the marker and knit it together with the first st from the next round.
Final dec. rnd: *K2tog*. Repeat from * to *, 8 sts.

Finish off hat by pulling yarn through remaining sts, pulling yarn through to other side, knotting and weaving the end in. Block if absolutely necessary (and only if you used cotton or animal fibers... otherwise you won't have much luck with that).

Because of the striping in the yarn I used the pattern doesn't stand out that strongly, so you might want to take that into consideration if you knit this.

I also decreased quite quickly... if you want to decrease more slowly, feel free to add rounds following the pattern in between decrease rounds, although I'm not sure how that would affect the final product. This is my first posted pattern (although I've created several), so please take that into consideration as well. Thanks, and I'd love any feedback!

Feel free to use for personal private use, but do not distribute, copy, or sell this pattern without my permission.

Knitting Addiction

So I haven't posted much of anything since... well, I'd prefer not to think about it. I'm avoiding homework by writing this as it is.
Since visiting my soon to be sister-in-law in MI, I've become a knitting addict. An aficianada, if you will. I use knitting to relax, make myself soft and warm happy everything, and it has also become my go-to for presents. Christmas, here I come!
At the moment I have only three WIP's, because I've been forcing myself to balance knitting with the huge amount of schoolwork I have and all. I'd love to post pics but that would involve clearing out other pics off of my camera... sometime in the future...
I have, however, developed a stash that is out of this world crazy for a girl who's only been knitting for what, three months now? I think pictures of that would be even more entertaining.
The best part about knitting is that my roomie is a long-time crocheter and so we get to bond (even though she's practically my sister already) over our projects. The best times are sitting together curled up on the couch, each with a ball of yarn and our projects. Ah, yarn. Bringing people together since... well, quite some time, I would think.
Anywho, I've decided that when I finish school I want to sit at home all day and keep house and knit. Screw a career. Knitting is much more satisfying. But that may be the lazy way out. :-) Who knows... that may be exactly what I end up doing!
Speaking of the next few years... I need to get hopping on the rest of the wedding plans. Do you have any idea how stressful it is to balance 18 credits, a fiancee, a dog, a job, and knitting? Hmmm... neither did I.
That's right, I never did write about that either.... Nate and I got a puppy! He's from the humane society and we both love him to death. I suppose I will have to post pics of him too. His name is Cadence and he is such a rambunctious sweetheart. The pound said he was three months and a hound mix but it turns out he was two months and more of a boxer/pit mix. We love him anywho... he's this pretty brindle and he has the most expressive ears! Sorry, he's my baby. I could talk about him for hours. I have to figure out what to knit him that will still fit him when he's full grown. He's only about four months now and 25 lbs and according to the vet he's going to get much much bigger.
That will be interesting indeed... cuz I'm a little person. I'm going to go do homework now.

Retrospection

It's weird how if anyone actually decided to read this they'd only get little snippets of my life. I write so randonmly...
Right now I'm working on getting together plans for the wedding. I can't believe how many things there are involved. Reception site, flowers, transportations, rentals, photographers, videographers, wedding cake. It's quite overwhelming.
I also have to decide on the colors I want. I think I'm either going to do a blue and mocha or a green and mocha, with other colors thrown in like white and pink. I really like hydrangeas, so I'm going to have to figure out where I want to use them. I like the green hydrangea wedding cake that I found, and I like white hydrangeas... maybe with green hydrangeas and white roses for the bridesmaid's bouquets. Isn't that the most beautiful cake? I think one of the best parts of this is going to be trying all the different kinds of cake. Mmmmm, lemon poppyseed...

Another Complication

So I made it, somehow, through finals week. And I think I might have even done a passable job on most of them. And now.... time to breathe, right?
If only. Work is such a... I don't know, a hassle. Work really isn't that bad. The people are nice and the job isn't very complicated. But it's frustrating, now, with Nate's surgery. I have to drive myself to work, and finding a parking space isn't the easiest thing to do the week before Christmas. Why can't people be sensible and get their shopping done a little earlier? I suppose that would take all the fun out of shopping.
I'm really worried. He's going to be out for a few hours for the surgery, and there are so many things that can happen. And all this just for his acl and meniscus. I wish I could be there, but the girl who thought she might be able to take my shift never got back to me... So I'm still here, instead of with him. I'm glad I didn't have to drive all the way there, but I really wanted to be there for him after his surgery. I know he'll probably be disoriented, but I thought it might help anywho. I'm just making myself really upset and anxious, so I should get to bed... I worry too much. I hope I'm worrying too much.

Yay Raccoon!

So I opened my little box of raisins and it had a happy phrase on it. "You can't imagine all the good things coming to you." And there was a little sun on it, no less. Yay.... that just perked me right up.
Well, no... but it was interesting that I've never noticed those before. I have to write two papers, one a fifteen page one. I have to read a novel by Suetonius (I suppose it's better than HOD, but not by much), study for a Psych quiz, finish all the Practica musica assignments that I've procrastinated on, study for my com midterm, work on two group assignments, work... oh, and sleep should be in there somewhere.
Ahhhh... I'm so lost. And so how do I solve this conundrum? I write! On my blog, no less. No, I don't write a paper. Or read my homework. I write completely useless and absolutely pointless drivel on my blog. YAY! Oh, and I eat raisins too.
Maybe I should quit. Quiting isn't for losers. It's for those who are actually able to comprehend the vastness and impossibility of accomplishing the work set out for them. So they quit. YAY quiters!
So... I'm going to go do my homework now...

The Me Now

See? I really did. This is my lower back. With a tattoo. Aren't I just the little innovator. But hey... it's me now.
Oh, the red thingy at the bottom? That's a belt. From aeropostale. Nice store. Preppy, butterflies and all. Nice.