My New Plate Cozy

At least that's what my husband happily decided to call it when he saw it blocking over one of our dinner plates.  He knows it's really a hat, but couldn't be stopped from smiling at the thought of individually be-sweatered plates stacked cozily in the kitchen cabinet.

I started this hat, you may remember, the last time it snowed in Mississippi.  By all rights, that should mean I started it years ago, but no, it has snowed three times this winter alone.  Temperatures have dropped below freezing more than enough times to validate knitters living south of the Mason-Dixon line.  Still, imagining that winter was surely giving way to warmer temperatures and gallons of rain even as states north of here are frozen and covered in snow, I declared that perhaps I would have a completed hat by the next time it snowed here.

But the groundhog saw his shadow a few weeks ago, and according to NOAA, there is 100% chance of heavy snow tomorrow night.

Just in case, I have a hat blocking on a dinner plate.  I'm ready.

Specs for the Debbie Bliss Plate Cozy Cabled Beret:

One and a third skeins of Lion Brand Wool-Ease (which is soft and springy but may not actually have enough wool in it to block - we'll see), sizes 5 and 8 circular needles, cable needle, counter (which is only really useful if you remember to press the little button, which I often don't).  
Cast on 110 stitches, knit flat and seam up at the end.  I won't do it this way again, because it turns out I really don't like seaming.  I think if you omit one stitch at the beginning and end of each row, you can join and knit in the round.