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   Meherwan's (J.) hat - few years ago I saw a friend with a beautiful rainbow stripes hat. She said it was knitted as a simple rectangle shape and then tightened together to create the top. I eyed it doubtfully, but gave it a try, and these are the only hats I knit since: they are easy, do not have to be a perfect fit and everybody loves them.
   Cast on sts for 18-20" . Knit in rib sts (2 knit 2 purl) until you have 11". That will give you about 2" rim. Sew the sides together to create a cylinder, weave yarn through the top, skipping every other sts (so it's not too bulky) and tighten.
   In these hats I used needles #8 (US), 72 sts and yarn called 'casual cot'n' by 'red heart'.

Here are some of my favorites:

   These vests were knitted as one piece - a rectangle with simple opening for the head. I used garter sts for the arm and neck opening in order to eliminate much finishing work. All that is needed is a little sewing.
   In terms of color I used the three yarn technique - but use what you like:
1. Decide if you want a tight or a big vest.
2. Go to your closet and pick your favorite garment similar to your decision (big t-shirt or tight skinny outfit).
3. Measure it: full height, full length and height till arm opening.
4. Make a gauge piece and if you are using the 3 yarn technique, remember that the vest will get wider, so make it a bit tight.
     Instructions for a medium size (garment is about 19" wide and 18" tall):
With needles #8 US cast on 63sts, and Knit 6 rows.
With needles #9 knit in stockinette st (knit one row, purl the next) for 9" (gauge 13st for 4").
Armhole - knit the first and last 5 sts on both purl and knit rows for 8".
Neck: knit 6 rows (or 7) and on the next row with RS:
knit 18 sts, bind off 27 sts, and knit 18 sts.
Next row - knit 18 sts, cast on 27 sts, knit 18 sts.
Knit 5 rows (or 6)
With RS move back to stockinette sts, but on each purl row knit the first and last 5 sts. Do that for 8".
Knit stockinette sts for 9"
With needles #8 US knit 4 rows.
Bind off, sew the sides and be happy with your new vest!



  

   Other ideas:

If you know only how to knit (but no purl)
check the EASIER and EASIEST pages.

   Richard's vest is done with 2 yarns knitted together - one yarn of variegated fall colors, the others are left over browns that I simply used until I finished the ball, going from the darks at the bottom to light browns on top.
   Again figure out how big (wide and long) you want it and make a gauge piece to determine how many sts you'll need. For a medium size and 12.5 sts per 4" on 10.5us  I did:
9us needles and 58 sts, 7 rows garter sts. (knit each row). Then
10.5us needles, add 2 more sts and knit in St.st. until armhole.
   For armhole edging knit the first and last 5 sts in each row in garter sts ( optional: bind off 1 sts at the beg. of each row twice).
   Start the neck opening at the height you desire by knitting 4 sts (5 if your number of sts is uneven) in garter sts. Increase this area by 1 sts at each side until you have 10 garter sts (or 11) Divide the knitting and start binding off in the middle (add another yarn for the other side) until the neck opening is the right width. If the vest is stil too short, go on knitting straight up (without decreasing in the middle) until you reached the vest length that you want.
   For the back: cast back on the sts you bind off for the neck opening, count to see that you have the same amount of sts as you had before neck opening, and retrace your steps (knit 5 sts at beg. and end of each row until armhole is done....)

   These vests are done in rib 2/2 and are made in 3 pieces:
The 'scarf'  that goes around to the back,
A small piece encasing the left waist,
And a bigger piece over the right shoulder. Both pieces wrap around and attach to 'the scarf' in the back.
The right waist is simply ribboned together.

   The vest on the right is done in the weaving style and is knitted in one piece. The white vest is mitered and knitted from top down, not reducing sts on the edges at the top of the shoulder and reducing only every 4th row after that. It would have been better to knit it with either bigger needles or thinner yarn, in order to give it a softer flow.

     These socks are knitted on 2 straight needles (or use circulars as if they were regular needles, knitting back and forth). They start at the top L shape of the sock, increase around one way to the heal, and dec back the other side of the foot.
   For a women size 9, I used:
1 medium ball of yarn for 2 socks, less than 240 yard
Needles #8us
One stitch Marker
Sense of adventure
Pencil to mark the rows as I knit
Gauge : 15.5st x 24r = 4" (you can skip it and just knit and see what happens)
Co 15+1+30 = 46 sts
row 1 (rs) - k29, k1f&b, place Marker, k1, k1f&b, k14
row 2 (ws) and all even # rows - knit to Marker, sl M, knit to end of the row.
row 3 - k30, kf&b, slM, k1, kf&b, k15
row 5 - k31, kf&b, slM, k1, kf&b, k16
row 7 - k32, kf&b, slM, k1, kf&b, k17
row 9 - k33, kf&b, slM, k1, kf&b, k18
row 11 - k34, kf&b, slM, k1, kf&b, k19
row 13 - k35, kf&b, slM, k1, kf&b, k20
row15 - k36, kf&b, slM, k1, kf&b, k21
(optional - I inserted short row, knit 30 sts, turn around knit to end)
row 17 - k37, kf&b, slM, k1, kf&b, k22
row 19 - k38, kf&b, slM, k1, kf&b, k23
row 21 - k39, kf&b, slM, k1, kf&b, k24
row 23 - k40, kf&b, slM, k1, kf&b, k25
(optional - short row to 20 sts)
       Now the other side of the sock:
row 25 - k40, k2tog, sl M, k1, k2tog, k25
row 27 - k39, k2tog, sl M, k1, k2tog, k24
row 29 - k38, k2tog, sl M, k1, k2tog, k23
row 31 - k37, k2tog, sl M, k1, k2tog, k22
(optional - shrt row to 30 sts)
row 33 - k36, k2tog, sl M, k1, k2tog, k21
row 35 - k35, k2tog, sl M, k1, k2tog, k20
row 37 - k34, k2tog, sl M, k1, k2tog, k19
row 39 - k33, k2tog, sl M, k1, k2tog, k18
row 41 - k32, k2tog, sl M, k1, k2tog, k17
row 43 - k31, k2tog, sl M, k1, k2tog, k16
row 45 - k30, k2tog, sl M, k1, k2tog, k15
Next row (46) bind off
   Sew together. In the toes pick (or skip) every other sts so it is less bulky, pull and tie. If you want a square toe line pull lightly and sew into a rectangle. sew the sides.   
   To make your own size, measure a sock at the inner, smaller side of the L shape:
A = from toe to mid. point - minus 1" (because the sock will stretch).
B = from shin to mid. point - minus 1".
   Knit a gauge piece and multiply  A x sts. per inch =__sts. Co and place Marker.
Multiply B x sts per inch, cast that on (continuing after the marker). So you should have sts for A, marker, then sts for B. The st before the marker is the pivot st.
   First row will be the right side and where we'll do the increase and decrease. Before starting, hold the needle with the co in your left hand and write down where the yarn tail is (on the right or left side of the knitting). When the tail is in that side you will know it is time to do inc/dec (the tail will be on the right or left depending on your method of cast on). Or mark the rs in another way like a pin, button...
1. Right side row: knit until 1 st before marker. Inc 1 by kf&b (knit 1 st, leave the old st on the left needle and make another st by going into the back loop of it, then take that st off left needle) - or by any method you are comfortable with.
  Slip Marker and knit the next st (the pivot st)
  Next st (the one after the pivot): Inc. 1 st by kf&b (or other inc). Knit to end.
2.  Next row (wrong side) - knit all, do not forget to slip marker.
  Repeat these two rows until you have half a sock. Write how many rows you did or figure it out by counting sts.
     The other half - Decrease:
1.   Next right side row, knit until 2 sts before Marker. Knit these 2 together.
   Slip Marker, knit pivot st.  Knit next 2 st together, then knit to end of row.
2. knit all wrong side rows
    Repeat until your last decrease row. Dec as usual then count to make sure you have the same amount of sts as in the cast on.
Next (ws row) - bind off. Sew as above and do not forget the other foot...

***For a nicer look you can do a ssk for the 1st dec and k2tog for the second, and you can purl the last st and sl1kw at the beginning of each row.
    Since I knit the Persian way, I simply knit the 1st dec together through their back loops and the 2nd - k2tog the American way. I never knit the 1st st, and for garter knitting I purl the last st, in the Persian style.