Some positive knitting thoughts

Even though I got good advice from wise, seasoned sock-knitters, I decided that, since I had this super-fine yarn sitting in my stash, as well as 40 inch, size 2 circulars, I'd make a "dry run" of the two-socks-on-one-circular pattern. So I've started:

And I really like it! This probably sounds silly, but I've never knit with needles smaller than size 4 before and the tiny, neat little stitches are just SO cool! I'm going to continue with these socks and maybe do some funky topper and/or lacey thing (trying something else new) and use them just as "dress socks". That way I'll get my trial out of the way. But I'm already looking forward to making socks in this manner with some good sock yarn!

There are a few things that I'm not really sure of, with the pattern. I think I'll stop in at my LYS to "fix" it before the real socks. First of all, the figure 8 cast-on was really neat, but when I tried to "snug it up", I couldn't pull the yarn tail to do so! Secondly, there seems to be a row of little holes on one side of where I did my increases at the toe (not sure if it was the "pick up a stitch and knit in the back of it" or "pick up a stitch and knit in the front of it").

And I have to share what C. did to remedy the too-small hat I made her. She has wanted to learn to knit with circular needles for some time. So she found all my scraps of Wool-Ease Thick N Quick and whipped up a hat: