Swirley Hat

HatDesign
Originally uploaded by xoxcybele

Swirly Hat Pattern- adult medium- 21 ½ inches around

Use any size circular needle, at least 24" total length
Use any yarn you like.

Do a swatch test to determine whether yarn: needle ratio will give you a fabric density you like. You can also count stitches per inch, and measure your head. Depending on the thickness of your yarn, you will have more or fewer rounds, and more or fewer M1 stitches.

Cast on 8 in the round
Crown:
Round 1: knit
Round 2: *K1, M1 around
Round 3: Knit
Round 4: K2, M1 around
Round 5, and all odd rows: Knit
Round 6: K3, M1 around
Round 8: K4, M1 around
Round 10: K5, M1 around

{ continue adding 1 K stitch before an M1 in all even rounds and knitting all odd rounds until circle is at least 5" in diameter (across) }

{ for an Adult Small, 5" diameter circle when beginning the body of the hat;
Adult Medium, 5 ½" diameter; Adult Large, 6" diameter}

Turn of Crown:
Round 12: K6, M1 around
Round 13: Knit
Round 14: K7, M1 around
Round 15 Knit
Round 16: K8, M1 around
Round 17: Knit

{ Body of Hat: continue to make swirl pattern by doing M1, immediately followed by a decrease, in this case SSK. SSK leans to the left side, whereas K2tog leans right. You want a left leaning decrease. }
Body:
Round 18: SSK, K9, M1 around
Round 19: Knit
Round 20 and all even rounds: SSK, K9, M1 around
Round 21 and all odd rounds: Knit

{ continue until the body of the hat measures the length you need for head dimensions, usually 4 ½ - 5 ½ " in length, depending upon the size of the melon of the hat wearer }

Brim:
Switch to 3 x1 ribbing.
K3, P1
Work even until brim (ribbing) measures 1 ½". Cast off in ribbing pattern.

There will be a small hole at the top of this hat. Cover it with a pompon, patch, or appliqué, or leave it alone. It's not big enough to let your brains leak out, promise.

Something's Fishy

...packed like lemmings into shiny metal boxes....

I eat an entire tin of sardines on Triscuit crackers, squirting vulture cats with a spray bottle because I don't want to share. Halfway through my inhalation, I wonder whether this is a manifestation of some neurosis, nutritional deficiency or emotional baggage. I haven't even thought about sardines in... I don't know how long.

I pull my copy of Constant Craving, Doreen Virtue's book on the meanings of your food cravings. Nada. Sardines are not even mentioned. Chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, however, has a significant entry.

I pull Joy Of Cooking, which has useful information about sardines, but only one recipe.

Frustrated, I dive into the 'net, always a risky business, as I mean to do things, but get distracted by the shiny internet and eventually wander away from the computer wondering what it was I meant to do, how I managed to spend $63.87 NOT doing it, and where the hell have the last four hours gone.

Wikipedia says of sardines, in part, this:

are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which reduce the occurrence of cardiovascular disease. Recent studies suggest that regular consumption of omega-3 fatty acids reduces the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease. These fatty acids may also help lower blood sugar levels a small amount. They are also a good source of vitamin D, calcium, B12, and protein.
Because they are low in the food chain, sardines are very low in contaminants such as mercury relative to other fish that are commonly eaten by humans.

Good to know. I certainly may be lacking in some of those nutritive areas. But I derive comfort from this post- the comments, rather than the entry itself.

On bread with mustard, with hard-boiled egg, drizzled in soy sauce, disguised as tuna salad, in hot sauce over rice- so many ways!- I never knew any way to eat them except out of the can on a cracker. Also striking was the memory-laden resonance of some of the serving suggestions:

Daddy and I would sit on the back porch (Mother would not allow sardines in the house) and smash sardines on Saltine crackers. I was about 5 and none of my siblings would touch them. Just me and my Dad. I hadn't thought about that until I read this piece today. I can hardly wait to get a can, sit on the back porch and think of my Dad, long gone, but those sardines were only thing that was "just us".

Evidently, I'm not the only one scarfing a whole can of sardines all by myself.

(Synchronicity II; The Police)