Now Even More Yarn!

This past weekend was Stitches West. I live so close--how could I not go?

Needless to say, I picked up quite a bit of yarn. When I lived in Chicago, I went to Stitches Midwest. It was a lot of fun, but I didn't really have a plan for what I wanted to buy. This time, I tried to focus on yarn that I couldn't buy in any local stores.


The first thing I did was head straight to Blue Moon Fiber Arts. I visited this booth the last time I attended Stitches, but at the time I hadn't knit any socks. I remember it being totally crazy and packed, and I wasn't sure what the fuss was all about. So this time I decided to go there first, before all hell broke loose!

I bought one skein and a pattern, which I had originally seen on the Yarn Harlot's blog. Hopefully, the yarn lives up to the hype.


Next up... more socks! I checked out the Cookie A trunk show at Full Thread Ahead, where I picked up the Django pattern. I'm really excited to try this pattern, and I think it will the Pagewood Farm yarn I picked up a little later will be a good match. I'd never heard of this yarn before--it's a mix of wool, bamboo, and I think nylon.


I also bought a skein of Handmaiden Sea Silk at Full Thread Ahead. This was one of the yarns I was on the lookout for--I've wanted to try it for a while. Maybe for a Montego Bay Scarf, or maybe not... we'll see.


Another of my planned stops was at Lana Knits, where I picked up some Allhemp6 for the Ruffles and Lace sweater.

I'll probably skip the ruffles.

I'm really curious to try this yarn. I've never knit with hemp before, and the best way to describe it is crunchy. Supposedly it get softer with knitting and washing though.

This will also be the first time I've knit anything in black. I've noticed that my yarn choices don't necessarily reflect my regular clothing purchases, which aren't nearly as colorful as my knitting is!


Speaking of colorful... this is Tess' Designer Yarns Peruvian Socks. Amazingly, the color is even more vibrant in person. It is just gorgeous!


I also picked up a skein of Superwash Lace at this booth. This yarn is so soft--it feels like Malabrigo Lace. It's hard to believe this little skein has 500 yards.

The last time I went to Stitches, I feel in love with a silk/wool blend at Tess' booth. Alas, I couldn't afford the 30-something dollar price tag, but I would have loved to make a sweater out of it. My choices this time were quite a bit more affordable. Maybe next year, I will get a sweater's worth (that might have to be my only purchase, if so).

This was another booth that was completely swarming with people, by the way.


My final purchase was a sweater's worth of Brooks Farm Solo. It's so soft, and I love the dusty grayish-blue color. I love Oblique and Twist and a few others, but I'm not sure this yarn is the right weight. Time to swatch, I guess!

Oh, I almost forgot... I also bought a sweater pattern at the Windy Vally Musk Ox booth. It's very pretty and lacy, and it was the only thing I could afford there! Unfortunately, qiviut was definitely not in the budget this year!

Other highlights were seeing Vicki Howell (she is just as cute in person, if not more so) and Joan McGowan Michael. The sweater very beautiful at that booth. I definitely need to pull out that book and knit something from it!

I also noticed that the novelty yarn trend is still alive and kicking--both in yarn and in sweaters being worn throughout the show. It was everywhere!

Well, that's my report. I think I'm going to try to restrain my yarn purchases for a while after this!

FO: Chunky Baby Cardigan

The baby cardi is complete...


Pattern: Chunky Zip-up Cardigan from Knitting For Two
Yarn: Araucania Nature Cotton

This was a fun little sweater to knit, and the end result is so cute! Originally, I chose stripes as a kind of last resort--I was having a really difficult time finding yarn. This cotton was one of the last yarns I looked at, and it just seemed right. I've used it before and liked it a lot. It's very soft and has a great thick and thin texture. Hopefully, the new parents don't hate me for choosing a yarn that needs to be hand washed though!


I made quite a number of modifications to the pattern, starting with the stripes. The biggest change was using buttons instead of a zipper. I had originally planned to use a zipper, but I couldn't find a suitable one.


My first thought was to do button loops, but in the end I decided to knit a button band. I'm very happy with how this turned out. The front pieces are all stockinette, so this eliminates any rolling edges, as well. The leather buttons are from my button box. I think another button or two would have looked better, but that was all I had!

I actually picked out different buttons at the store...


...but my husband thought ladybugs were too girly! I was on the fence myself, so that's why I started searching the button box. I'm still not sure about those ladybugs--what do you think, are ladybugs for girls only? In any case, it's too late now. I'm sure I'll find another use for them, because they are so cute!

Now I just hope it fits... eventually. I knit the 9-12 month size. It's for a Florida baby, and having lived there myself, I know there is not much more cool weather to be had at this point. I figured the baby would get more use out of a sweater come November.

I have also been working on my pair of socks for the Sock of the Month knitalong, and it's not looking promising at this point.


I only have one sock started, and I had something of a disaster last night on the toe. To start with, I wasn't sure if I liked how the decreases were looking. Not a neat as my normal toes, but I kept following the instructions. But that is not the bad part. The pattern instructs you to decrease down to 8 stitches, and then draw the yarn through the remaining stitches to close the hole.

Well, I got down to my 8 stitches and drew the yarn through. Somehow I dropped a bunch of stitches, which promptly unraveled. In order to fix it, I had to pull out the yarn I pulled through the other stitches, which only increased the unraveling.

I was so close to finishing this sock! Well, I'm not giving up, but I think I need to start the toe over at this point, and maybe do a normal toe. I'm actually looking forward to kitchener stitch after this!

Stripey Goodness

For the past week or so, I have been working on a little striped cardigan. It is amazing how quickly baby knits progress! I just finished seaming it, and although I can't say I ever enjoy that process, it is very satisfying to see everything come together.

a sneak peak

I still need to put in a zipper. Actually, I still need to purchase the zipper, and I'm headed to JoAnn's in a little bit. Hopefully, I will find something suitable, but if not, I think I will pick out some buttons and add button loops. At this point, I just want to finish it, and I think either a zipper or buttons will look cute.

On a completely different note, one of this things I like about my current job is that I get most federal holidays off. Like most three day weekends, this one has been great! I spent Saturday cleaning and organizing, and while cleaning is generally one of my least favorite activities, it does feel good to have a clean apartment.

We spent Sunday doing one of my most favorite activities since moving to California... wine tasting. I'm definitely not an expert, but it is a lot of fun comparing different wines and wineries. Yesterday we went to two: Picchetti and Ridge. I don't think we'd visit Picchetti again, but Ridge was great. If you like Zinfandel and Syrah, this is a must stop.

Not only was the wine wonderful, but there is a picnic area and 360 degree views from the top of the Monte Bello Ridge. It was truly beautiful, even on a hazy day.

I hope everyone had a great weekend, too!

FO: Evangeline Mitts

My mitts are finished!


Pattern: Evangeline from Magknits
Yarn: Misti Alpaca 100% Baby Alpaca Hand Dyed

Apart from a difficult beginning, these mitts were a very quick knit. I finished them in just three evenings. I'm so glad that I went with the Misti Alpaca--it is so soft and the colors are very nice. No pooling!


The cable pattern is actually quite simple to work. It shows up well, although the photos are a little dark. If I were to make these again, I think I would add one more cable repeat to make them a little longer, or maybe even go all out for the full length version. My only mod was to add a few extra rows ribbing on the bottom--they were just a little too short.


The best part is that I have enough leftover yarn for a pair for myself!

Moo and New Project

So I finally upgraded to a flickr pro account, and I got something really cool out of it...

Moo cards! The cards are so cute and little, and the order of 10 was free with the flickr account upgrade. The back of the cards have my blog, ravelry and flickr info. I'm not entirely sure what I'll do with them, but I'm sure I can think of something! Plus, an order of 100 is only $19.99--you can't really beat that, so I'm sure I'll be ordering more soon.

I did finish my Evangeline mitts, using the Misti Alpaca yarn. I should have photos soon. I just need a second pair of hands. In the meantime, I'm about to start a new project with some new yarn.


My husband's best friend is about to have a baby (well his wife is), so I'm going to knit a little sweater. I really wasn't sure what yarn to use, and I had a hard time finding anything cute but non-pastel, so this is what I came up with. A striped sweater in Araucania Nature Cotton.

It's going to be a boy, and they live in Florida... hence the cotton. I'm planning to knit the 9-12 month size, so hopefully he can get a little more use out of it. My one concern is that the yarn is hand wash only--it seems a little high maintenance for a baby, but all the superwash yarn I saw was pretty blah. (Speaking of which, I saw the cutest baby bell bottoms today, knit in Koigu.)

I had originally planned a blanket, but I'm not sure when that would ever get finished considering the long line of previously mentioned UFOs. After this it's back to working on those--I swear!

A Slight Dilemma

Do you ever start knitting something, and it doesn't turn out quite how you pictured it?

I found out last week that a former co-worker, who has been ill, is not doing very well. So I thought I would knit her a little gift--a pair of fingerless gloves in some soft Malabrigo yarn--and hopefully cheer her up a bit. Of course, I didn't have any of this yarn on hand, so I braved some scary/rainy roads and a totally insane knitting sale on Sunday, and still came up empty handed. (Although I did wait in line for 45 minutes to purchase two skeins of Cascade 220 and a book!)

Not to be deterred, I drove to another store, where I found the yarn I wanted. At this point I was happy, went home, swatched and began the pattern.


The pattern progressed quickly, but I noticed almost right away that the yarn was pooling badly. It's hard to see in the picture, but for the cable is dark with light spots in the ribbing, on the right and in the back. Very annoying. I kept going through the second cable repeat and then stopped.

Next I tried some Misti Alpaca that I had in my stash.


The yarn is really great--I swear that it feels like cashmere! It's pretty dark though and the cable is not showing up that well. I've only done one pattern repeat though, so I may do one more to see how it looks before totally giving up.

So much for a quick and simple gift!

In other, non-whiny news, Amanda at Fancie Pants Knits gave me the You Make My Day Award. This really cheered me up after a stressful week at work. Thanks, Amanda!


Here’s how it works:
Give the award to up to 10 people whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration and make you feel so happy about Blogland! Let them know by posting a comment on their blog so that they can pass it on. Beware! You may get the award several times!

A Friend to Knit With - beautiful photos and knits, plus delicious looking cookies of the week.
Busy Bea Knits - pretty socks and lovely sweaters, including multiple Central Park Hoodies
So Much Fun - the name says it all! I love her latest sweater.
Craft Pirate - great sense of humor. She just finished a beautiful Greta Garbo sweater.
Green Apples - one of the most prolific knitters around. Her sweaters always look perfect.
Lolly Knitting Around - always a fun and informative read. She just took up weaving!
Right Out Loud - not only does she knit, but she creates really cool books and prints, too
Sour Cherries - great photos and beautiful projects, plus she spins
So Much Yarn, So Little Time - I was completely amazed with all of her Christmas knitting
Yarnstorm - the most amazing and vivid sense of color. I can't wait to read her book!

Monkey Off My Back!

OK, I couldn't resist the totally cheesy title after my last post about unfinished knits. Anyway, one FO down, and a bunch more to go...


Pattern: Monkey Socks from Knitty
Yarn: Koigu KPPPM

I loved knitting these socks! The pattern was so easy to remember and the eleven row repeat just seemed to fly by, which made it feel like things were progressing quickly. I never even got bored--a first for me. I highly recommend this pattern to anyone who hasn't knit it yet.

This shot is closest to the actual color.

Of course, I also loved the yarn. The colors of Koigu are just so pretty. I can see an addiction forming (I picked up a new colorway just last weekend).

My only modification was to knit only four pattern repeats on the cuff, since I was worried about running out of yarn. I ended with just enough yarn leftover that I might have had enough for another repeat, but you never know. Better safe than sorry is my sock knitting motto!


I actually finished these on Sunday--well in time for the end of the month deadline for Sock of the Month. Yeah! It's taken me since then to get some decent pictures. I've taken a crazy amount of photos, most of which turned out quite blurry. There are just not enough sunny hours in the day at this time of year. One more reason to look forward to spring!

Backlog of Knits

One of my knitting goals for 2008 is to complete some of my many UFOs. I've started a few projects in the past year or so which I've completely deserted for whatever reason. These projects are always in the back of my mind when I start something new, but for some reason I never pick them back up.

I'm at the point where I either want to finish these projects or send them to the frog pond. The guilt is getting to me! Here are a few of the oldest listed from least to most guilt-inducing...

All Season Shell

I posted about this one way back in March, and I don't think I've knit a stitch since then. There are a couple reasons for this. First, I'm not sure it's worth spending a lot of time knitting something out of this yarn which I purchased at a going-out-of-business sale (Lion Brand Microspun). Second, I converted the pattern to be knit in the round, and I made a mistake lining up the ribbing. Of course, I didn't take any notes about this! Finally, it's not warm enough to wear sleeveless here. I think this one is a definite candidate for ripping.

Flora from Knitty

It basically just needs a button! This is also knit from kind of a cruddy yarn, but I'm not sure why I never took that extra step and just bought a button. I think I need to check my button box soon!

Hourglass Sweater

This is a project that is hanging a little more heavily over me. I am this close to ripping all this work out. For one thing, my gauge is off. I'm a pretty loose knitter and generally go down at least on needle size. For some reason, I convinced myself I was getting gauge on the suggested needle size. Not quite. I'm pretty sure it would still fit, but it would be a little loose.

I really love all the finished Hourglass sweaters I've seen, but I've noticed a few other projects lately that I think would look nice in this yarn--Smoke, which is actually a cardiganized version of Hourglass, and Sayuri Sweater from Sensual Knits (the last picture on Amazon). I still need to think about this one some more, but I hate to waste this yarn (Noro Cash Iroha) on something I don't really love.

Cambridge Jacket from Interweave Knits

Of all my UFOs, this is the most guilt-inducing one! When I began this sweater for my husband well over a year ago, things were progressing really quickly. I finished the back in practically no time. By the time I got to the front though I lost steam, set it aside and haven't picked it up since.

I actually really love this pattern, so I really need to force myself to restart it. I've occasionally tried to distract Joel with other knits, but he keeps asking about it:) I'm going to start working on this one up soon.

This list does not even include a number of more recent projects (ahem... Forecast, Tree Jacket, Becoming the Bag Lady, Trellis Scarf, Snicket Socks and Marilyn's Not So Shrunken Cardigan) which haven't seen much action, but I'm not giving up on them yet either. The good news is that many of these projects are nearing completion. Time to start knitting!

Sock of the Month: It's a Monkey!

One of the most enjoyable parts of my recent trip (aside from visiting family and friends, of course!) was all the time I had to knit. There was plane time, car time and even a little downtime at our destinations.

I brought along a few projects, but only worked on one--a new sock. I cast on shortly before takeoff and never wanted to put it down.


This is my first Monkey sock, which I was able to finish before the end of the trip. I had high hopes of getting a good start on the other sock on the plane trip home, but that was not to be (never get sick on a plane!!!).

I have managed to finish about half of the other sock though, and hopefully, by the end of the weekend I will have a pair. I'm hoping to contribute these to the Sock A Month KAL, so that is my motivation to finish.

I joined this group with some reservations, since I have a tendency to get bored and not finishing things until much later. I think I should be OK for the first couple months though. I already have a languishing Snicket, so I should be in good shape for February at least. After that it may be all bulky slipper socks though!

Happy to Be Home!

Our trip to the Midwest was a lot of fun, and I even managed to survive the cold! I'm glad to be home though--this vacation was a major whirlwind of activity. First, we visited our friends in Chicago, which made me a little homesick. After two days there, we headed to Wisconsin to visit family for a few days. This was the most relaxing part of the trip.

From there we ventured to Iowa for my sister's wedding. I managed to find a yarn shop along the way, where I picked up a few skeins of yarn...

Alpaca with a Twist Fino -- so soft!

Louet Gems -- the color is off here

The morning after our arrival, my sister and I traveled to a local spa for Sonoma mud wraps, massages, manicures and pedicures. This was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. It was so relaxing and also lots of fun to hang out with my sister. I'm not really a spa person, but I think I could become one after this!

The next day was the wedding...

My sister's bouquet and dress.

My husband and I pre-wedding.

The ceremony was very nice, although a bit nerve wracking. We spent 1.5 hours rehearsing the night before, but I still don't think anyone really knew what they were supposed to do. It all went very well though--no major mistakes! My favorite part of the evening was dancing at the reception.

It was all over too quickly, and the next day we headed back to Chicago for the night before flying back to San Francisco the next day. I was looking forward to a quiet flight with lots of knitting, but unfortunately, that was not to be!

I woke up the morning of the flight feeling a little queasy, and promptly threw up after my shower. Things just went downhill from there, and I spent the majority of the flight sick in the bathroom. Not a fun way to spend a 4+ hour flight! It was pure misery, and I spent half of last week home sick from work and the other half feeling only slightly better and trying to recover.

Things are finally back to normal though. On the bright side, I did manage to get a little knitting done on my days off from work. I started a new pair of socks over vacation, so I was able to work on that--more to come on the socks soon.

I also have a new FO to show, which was actually completed before we left.


Pattern: Fingerless Mitts, my own pattern
Yarn: Karabella Soft Tweed

After making Le' Slouch, I still had quite a bit of yarn left over, so I decided to make a pair of fingerless mitts. Basically, I cast on 24 stitches on size 10 needles, worked 33 rows in garter stitch and bound off. Then I seamed up the side, leaving a hole for the thumb, and voila... a finished mitt. I completed both in a few hours--a super simple and fun project.

I'm pretty sure that I still have enough yarn to make another pair--the yarn went much farther than I predicted.


Now I'm just looking forward to seeing what everyone has been up to and knitting!

Looking Back... and Forward

2007 was a year of big changes for me. Moving from Chicago to San Francisco was definitely the biggest! I started a new job that I actually like--that may be a first for me. I also traveled to a lot of new places. All in all it was a great year.

I also did some knitting...

1. Buttony 2, 2. Le' Slouch, 3. Waterfall Scarf, 4. Birdy Buddy Bag, 5. Basket Weave Rib Socks, 6. Diagonal Rib Socks - Complete!, 7. A Sweater For All Ages 2, 8. Silk Lace Scarf from Stitch and Bitch Calendar, 9. Dashing Complete!, 10. Elfish Toes, 11. Two-tone Ribbed Shrug Back, 12. Yarn Detail, 13. Center Square, 14. Cupcakes, 15. Camisole Tube, 16. Cables in Chamonix--Complete!, 17. Finished Garter Scarf, 18. Sunkist Cardi, 19. Unbiased, 20. My First Socks

I learned to knit when I was in high school, and have picked it up off and on since then. It's only really been in the past couple of years though, that I've really stuck with it. I feel like I've really learned a lot in the past year, which is really exciting to me.

Over the next year, I'd like work on some knits with more complex textures--I'm loving cables right now--and also do some colorwork. I'm also hoping that I find a little more time to spend actually knitting--sometimes I think I spend more time thinking about knitting than actually doing it. That should help reduce my ever-growing stash, too!

Our trip to the Midwest is almost here. We are leaving for Chicago Saturday morning. I'm very excited to be headed back there, as I have been really homesick lately. Joel keeps telling that I won't miss it as much once I feel the cold--we shall see:)

After a couple days in Chicago we are heading to Wisconsin to visit family, and then we are going to Iowa for my sister's wedding. I can't wait to see everyone, and as you can see, I'm going to have a lot of driving/plane time for knitting. Now I just have to decide what projects to bring!

See you in a week!

Happy New Year!

There hasn't been much time for knitting in the past month, but I somehow managed to fit in two more FOs before 2007 ended!


Pattern: Buttony from OhMyStars
Yarn: GGH Savanna

I am so happy this sweater is finished. When I first began this, way back in September, I intended for it to be a quick project that would only take a few weeks to finish. The body flew by, but then I got to the sleeves. By that point, all the stockinette was getting a little dull. So it sat. I finally finished the knitting in early December, but then I was faced with all those buttons!

So I finally got my act together, and I'm very glad I did. It is warm and cozy, albeit a bit Flash Dancey in the neckline. The perfect sweater for just hanging out and relaxing in.

I think it looks cute with a few buttons open, too...


I made a couple small modifications--adding some waist shaping and length to the body, and also working fewer decreases in the sleeves for more of a straight effect. Overall, I'm very happy with it.

Last week I began a quick project in preparation for my upcoming trip to the very snowy Midwest...


Pattern: Le' Slouch by Wendy Bernard of Knit and Tonic (pattern is on side bar)
Yarn: Karabella Soft Tweed

This was such a quick and fun project. It only took two nights to knit--gotta love that. The yarn is very nice. I think I have enough leftover to make some fingerless mitts, too. We'll see.

Hopefully, this will help to keep me warm on our trip. I'm starting to get very worried about the cold. When I first moved to San Francisco (almost a year ago now) I thought the weather here was very mild. I saw people wearing winter coats, scarves, hats, etc. in May, and I thought they were crazy. Then I adjusted to the weather, and now I'm one of those crazy people!

So I'm not sure I can handle January in the Midwest anymore! I am looking forward to the snow though:)

Happy New Year! I'm wishing everyone has a year filled with lots of joy and peace.

Alpaca for the Holidays!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday with their families and friends!

My husband and I enjoyed a very quiet Christmas this year. Because we are traveling to the Midwest for my sister's wedding in a week and a half, we decided not to travel for Christmas. Instead, we spent Christmas Eve in a nice hotel downtown where we could relax and enjoy a great meal. Mmm... the food and wine were great, and we ended the meal with a delicious goat cheese cheesecake which has me curious to try this recipe.

Christmas day we headed back to our apartment, opened presents and relaxed. I received some great presents, including a new knitting book and a gift certificate to one of my favorite local yarn stores. We also enjoyed another great meal--if I do say so myself!--mexican lasagna, cauliflower-chili gratin and chipotle-cheddar mashed potatoes. Yum! I enjoyed that for lunch today, as well.

Before we left the hotel, Joel took some pictures of my new scarf...


Pattern: Waterfall Scarf by Linda O'Leary ( from the book 101 Designer One-skein Wonders)
Yarn: Misti Alpaca Baby Alpaca Hand Dyed

While I can't say that this scarf was particularly enthralling to knit, I am very happy with the end result. I love this yarn--so soft and the colors are beautiful. I've used the bulky non-hand dyed version before, and I know that I'll use it again. As a matter of fact, I already have the lace-weight version set aside for a swallowtail shawl.


The scarf ended up being fairly long, but I wanted to use up all the yarn. Perfect for wrapping up in! I'm perpetually cold here, so it will get a lot of use.

I should have another FO soon, if I ever attach those buttons on Buttony. I guess I just need to buckle down and do it!

That's LA for Ya!

My husband and I spent this past weekend in LA. He works in a very small office (2 people, including himself!), so we were invited to the LA branch's holiday party. The party on Friday was fun, but the best part was that we got to spend the rest of the weekend checking out the city. It was my first time in LA and Joel's second, so there was a lot to see.

Saturday we went to Hollywood and checked out the stars on the Walk of Fame. We also had a lot of fun at Graumans's Chinese Theatre.

A not very good picture of the theatre!

It was really interesting seeing the size of some of the stars hands and feet. Some of the women's were absolutely tiny--they must have been very petite!

We also checked out the men. John Wayne had tiny feet...


But Sidney Poitier's are huge...


From there we headed up to Mulholland Drive for some beautiful views of the city. It was clear and cool--very lovely weather. You can see a little of the hazy smog the city is famous for in this photo.


One of the coolest things we did was attend an Academy screening for the movie Juno (very good--go see it!). Apparently, Jake Gyllenhaal and Reese Witherspoon showed up to a screening the week before, so we were hoping to see some celebrities. Alas, all we saw were aging Academy members who looked like they last worked in the industry about 20 years ago--but it was still fun.

We also really enjoyed The Farmer's Market, which was across the street from our hotel. It had lots of food stalls and even live music. We spent Saturday night there and went back for breakfast! It's definitely worth a visit if you're in LA.

It really was a packed weekend. We also tried the frozen yogurt at Pinkberry--yum!--and drove around Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive, Malibu, Santa Monica and Venice Beach. I attempted, but failed to make it to any yarn stores though:) All in all a very fun trip, and I really liked LA-- I wasn't sure I would!

The whole time I was there certain songs kept popping into my head, including one my husband had written and performed with his sister when he was nine. They even made a taped recording which my mother-in-law still has a copy of! Some of the lyrics:

"Rockers! Knockers! LA! LA! Food Nutritionists? LA! LA! That's LA for ya! LA! LA!"

It is quite funny set to music. Yes, he was very talented at such a young age:)

I haven't had much time to knit in the past week, but I did manage to almost finish my scarf on the flight home...


I just need to drop those remaining stitches and this scarf will be complete.

Super Cute FO: Birdy Buddy Bag!

This may be my cutest knitting project ever...


Pattern: Buddy Bag
Designer: Anny Purls
Yarn: Bernat Satin, plus some leftover yarn for the leaves

This pattern was so much fun to knit, and I just love the end result! So cheerful and cute (how many times can I say cute in one post)!


There were a few very minor issues. All the little pieces were a bit fiddly, and the long i-cord was a bit tedious to knit (only because I hate knitting i-cord), and I think I could have improved my finishing of the pocket. The acrylic yarn was a little squeaky and scary.... but overall it was a super fun project and a great, versatile pattern.

The bag was a present for my nephew Aidan who, along with his mom and dad, visited us for Thanksgiving. We had a lot of fun with them, although I was sick and cranky for most of the visit.

I managed to get a few action shots...



I think he liked the birdy!

I have lots more to come soon. Buttony is blocking and awaiting buttons and Forecast is almost complete--sans sleeves. I've also started a new scarf in preparation for our upcoming visit to the Midwest in early January. Hopefully, I'll have more FO's to show soon!