good patterns for circs & dpn newbie

[FarAboveRubies]

I want to start learning how to use circular needles and double point needles...anyone have a good patterns for a beginner?

[squeakyweasels]

Hats are perfect -- they'll teach you to use both! This is the pattern I learned with:

http://www.frugalhaus.com/homepage/ribbed.htm

It's a pretty cute ribbed hat. They're great gifts.

[scarletkittycat]

I suggest the voodoo wrist warmers from knitty, I'm making them at the moment, the pattern is really easy and great for learning dpns

http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter02/PATTvoodoo.html

[NoelleNoodle]

My first project on dpns was an ipod cozy (it was also my first buttonhole!)   
http://radio.weblogs.com/0129449/categories/Knitting/2003/12/30.html

And the first circular and dpn was the kitty pi.  I think this one is good for a first project because it starts out on double pointed then moves to circular - for the first time I thought it was easier to move stitches from dpns to circs than the other way around but that might just be me.
http://wendyknits.net/knit/kittybed.htm

Of course if you don't have an ipod and/or a cat they might not be that exciting lol but I really enjoyed making them and they were great projects to get comfortable with a new technique.

I'm also a big fan of the plain hat pattern in Last Minute Knitted Gifts

[loves2experiment]

I'm trying to learn how to work with dpns too.  To me, the thought of having to work with more than two needles is a tad intimidating!
scarletkittycat, thanks for the link.  I think I will give that pattern a shot and see what happens.  I would keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best, but something tells me I'll be needing them when I try using the dpns...

[princessliak]

I love knitting baby hats on circs... they are rather quick and mindless.  I found a site that tells you head circumfrences and then with your gauge you just cast on the # needed in a multiple of 8, knit all the time until you get it as big you feel it should be.  Then decreases - you knit 6 and then tog on the first go around, then 5 tog 2 on the next... so on and so forth.  I learned on circulars and have trouble on straights!