Desert Sky Hourglass

I do believe that sometimes there is something special about a project. Not necessarily that it comes out perfect, just that the process is effortless. This has been more than the case with my Hourglass Sweater.

The combination of lovely yarn, a need for something simple and a nice straight forward pattern came together just right to make this sweater pour off the needles. I am still in shock at how quickly it all happened, even in the midst of holiday knitting! And with a week off for the Thanksgiving holiday, I had a nice new sweater for what is quickly becoming one of my favorite holidays of the year. :-)

From the beginning, the colors (blues, purples, yellows and browns) reminded me of sunset in the southwest deserts so it was a nice surprise when we were able to sneak away from the turkey for a few moments at sunset for a quick photo shoot.

As for details, I knit the main body on 7 needles in Brooks Farm Solana (s45) that I picked up at Stitches West earlier this year. The yarn is rich, smooth and so soft to knit. It's a superwash wool but other than that there is no specific wool type mentioned on the ball band. It is very merino-like so that wouldn't surprise me. I just hope it ends up wearing a little better than some merinos do. When I first did a Ravelry search the yardage used for my size (34) was all over the place. Because there was pretty much no way I could get more, I decided to be proactive and conserve the yarn by knitting the hems in something else.

Through some knit-group consultation, I ended up using a complementary shade of Mission Falls 1824 in Curry. I also decided to knit the hems using a smaller needles size (5) and allow the hem color so show during the turning row. In total, I probably used close to 860 yards of the Solana and about 60ish yards of the Mission Falls, so there was clearly enough Solana. And while it would have been really satisfying to use almost all of the Solana, I'm glad I didn't have to sweat it. That would have really messed with the whole 'effortlessness' of this project!

I didn't make many modifications to the pattern. I did regauge my stitch count a bit to account for the growth of the yarn after washing. (Thank you little swatch!). I also lengthened the sleeves by about an inch and a half or so and added an additional increase round towards the top of my sleeves. And although I am long-wasted, I didn't want this to be a tunic, so I left the body length alone this time.

This was the first time I knit a sweater in the round from the bottom up and while I was initially skeptical about the ease of the joining process, I decided this is a really great way to make a sweater. For me and the way my brain works, I liked doing the pieces and then once it's all together, zooming through the rapidly decreasing yoke. It was everything I like about pieced sweaters and sweaters knit in the round, but without the things I don't like. Plus I got a chance to practice my kitchener!

As for finishing, the sweater didn't require much blocking and I don't think I used one pin in the process. However, now that it is on, it does pull the stitches around my upper arms open just a bit, so I do plan on blocking that portion of the sweater next time it needs a wash. The unfortunately thing about this project is that because I can wear this sweater next to my skin, it will need much more frequent washings that most of my handknits.

All in all, I give this one a big thumbs up!

Thankful for more than just pie

The fact that I'm actually awake right now is something of an enigma. But, why question (especially when I know I'll most likely be napping in a couple of hours as B drives me and the doogles down to SD to spend the day with his fam).

It's Thanksgiving, and this year I have a lot to be thankful for. Least of all is this apple pie, but I must admit that I'm glad it turned out as well as it appears (and smells), considering I haven't assembled an apple pie in years, and any time you make crust well, you just never really know...

All kidding (and pie) aside, I am most thankful this year for B's health. That he is here and healthy is more than enough of a reason for me to pause on this day (and every other) to count my blessings. My family and friends mean everything to me. It was an extremely stressful, frightening couple of months there- as you know. Of course you do- you were there with me every step of the way. Which is just one of the many reasons I am thankful for you. I have made so many dear friends through this little, loopy blog. You inspire me, encourage me, comfort me, and support me through your work and your words, and I cannot tell you how much you mean to me.

And to my Loopy Girls, a special shout out: Nasus- I hope you're feeling better and finding some time to relax (ie: not studying or running a bajillion miles), and enjoying your visit with K (hi, K!) and the whole K crew. Dis- I hope all is going well with all your cooking and baking. I'm so happy that you and B are able to spend the day with both of your families (hi, Stitchin' Sheep!) this year.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

What are you most thankful for this year?

FO: LMJ Mitts...and a 5ives List

In the spirit of the original 5ives Lists:

Five knitterly announcements that you may or may not already be aware of:

1. It's official. I want a wheel. Like, to spin with. Let's be honest- we all suspected this would happen once I gave it a try. Which is why I held off on trying one for so long. Yeah well, all that blissful ignorance disappeared this past weekend, when I was lucky enough to take a friend's on-loan Lendrum out for a spin (hehe...*ahem*...sorry), thanks to Lori. Lori was a great teacher. MJ, you would be so proud! It took a little while for me to establish the necessary coordination needed in order to get things going, but eventually I did get the hang of it and soon I was spinning! I do enjoy the process of hand spindling, but oh the fun (and quickness) of a wheel! I liken the experience to a tendency I have while baking. Sometimes when I'm baking I prefer to mix ingredients by hand, because I like the process and motion of mixing by hand, using a big ol' bowl and a wooden spoon. At other times, in order to accomplish what I need to accomplish, a mixer is the way to go. I love my spindles, but a wheel. I must have a wheel. Must...have...

2. I don't know how or why it happened, but I've been bitten by the holiday knitting bug. Until a couple weeks ago I didn't intend on knitting any gifts this year. But somehow my brain is now consumed with small-scale holiday gift knitting project ideas. I've even finished one gift so far:

A pair of Cabled Fingerless Mitts by Carissa Browning for my longtime friend/hairstylist. She wears a lot of (if not all) black, so I felt it only fitting to knit these for her in some stash-busting Karabella Aurora 8 in 1148 (aka black). They are oh so soft. I hope she likes them!

3. While knitting the above, I decided that I want a pair of fingerless something-or-anothers for myself. I would love full on mittens, but in SoCal, they are not so practical. Fingerless gloves, on the other hand, completely so. ;) After seeing Julia's, I think I may need to be a copycat and knit me a pair of these.

4. Kat's book, Boho Baby Knits, is available (Congratulations, Kat)! You must check it out. And I'm not just saying this because several dear friends/fellow knitbloggers contributed patterns to this book. I have a copy and I can tell you, all potential biases aside, that this is a beautiful book, filled with lots of cute projects that look like a lot of fun to knit up. (Oh, and the models are freaking adorable!)

5. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, a mass donation day for Ravelry has been planned for Thursday. Some thankful Ravelers (Ravelriers?) came up with this idea which I think it's great. Ravelry has become nearly indispensable for many of us and we have Jess and Casey to thank. If you've been thinking about it, but haven't yet donated a little something to help them out (or even if you have) here's the perfect opportunity to show them some love. Just think- if we all gave even just $1...!

Jenny's FAMOUS!

Hey everybody! Go check it out! Jenny's is today's Grown-up Daily Puppy! She's a little embarrassed about all the attention, but we sure are proud of her.

We found out she was going to be today's featured Grown-up Puppy yesterday on her birthday, which was nice because her birthday present (aka going to the park) got rained out. She was genuinely excited when we told her the news (or at least she was genuinely reacting to our excitement ;-)

So go see her page and say hi! She would love to hear from everybody!

10 things for Thursday

I feel like it's been forever since I posted anything. Things have been normal, projects are progressing, I've just had some trouble sitting down and focusing. So, since it is still Thursday, and I seem to like to do my random posts on Thursday, that's what you're gonna get. Lucky you ;-)

1. I realized that Ravelry has another great purpose (or at least it does this holiday season), I can load and keep track of my gift knitting without the recipients ever being the wiser!

2. Gift knitting will be light this year. I don't think I could go a whole season without doing any, but I've selected a few people because inspiration has been kind to me.

3. I've got three of the four gift projects started. And the fourth is just waiting for the right project/yarn combo to get sorted out.

4. My local "Self Storage" turned itself into "Elf Storage" this week by taking out their 'S' light. This is a proud annual tradition and now it signals the start of the holiday season for me.

5. As Nonnahs showed earlier this week, it is always nice to have your knitted items appreciated. And sometimes you even get an opportunity to see that appreciation in a way you never expected. I present Exhibit A:

What you are looking at is a moving box of a friend of mine, the same friend who was the recipient of the Gryffindor scarf I made last year. I am completely honored that the scarf wasn't just included in his "clothes", but actually got it's own itemization "HP scarf". And although I am sad to see him leave San Diego, I'm glad he is going someplace he will be able to use this scarf more!

6. I was Daedalus for Halloween to Nasus's K's Icarus. We made everything. I even made the toga/robes out of cheap Ikea sheets. I decided to take the fact that no one really seemed to think anything of the costumes as a complement (i.e.: they thought we bought them).

(Mim, you would have been so proud ;-)

7. Our costumes were part of our random-annual office nerd olympics. Competition is in full force and we are currently in the lead. (Yay!) The costumes were connected with our team name "Broken Wings". We thought it was clever, but apparently others not so much.

8. I am trying to get a submission of Jenny photos turned into the Daily Grown-Up Puppy.

9. If ever there was a grown-up puppy, it's Jenny. She rarely acts her age and only her sensitivity to heat gives her years away.

10. And finally, speaking of Jenny's age...she's going to be 10 on Sunday (which also happens to be her favorite day of the week)! She's as beautiful as ever, I say! The gray just adds to her spunk and vitality. Happy (early) birthday, Jenny!

Girls in Peanut Dresses

I finally have some modeled shots to share of the Peanuts wearing their Peanut Dresses! And as a bonus, more photos of a modeled Sarabeth dress! How excited are we?!

Peanut Dress, variation A, front

We were all together. It was a great day!

Who: Three 16-month olds
What: Playdate
When: A sunny autumn morning
Where: The Getty Center
Why: Because it's only fitting that 3 adorable, dress-inspiring nieces born 11 days apart should meet each other, as should their moms (my sister LA and B's sister S).

For scale. The Getty is big. The Peanuts - and their dresses - quite small

I really can't express to you the joy I felt to see the 'Nuts all decked out in their dresses.

Peanut Dress, variation B, front

...And to see that they (still) fit!

Peanut dress, variation B, back

I mean, they pretty much kill me with their cuteness every time I see them. (I'm not sure how they manage to get cuter by the day.) But to see them each in their own little dresses. Too much!

Peanut Dresses in motion

I'd been trying to arrange a little get-together for a while now. LA and S have so much in common, I just thought they ought to meet. Plus, I'm no dummy. If they're meeting, the girls have to meet, and I get to hang out with all of them at the same time! The fact that LA and S arranged for the girls to all be wearing their dresses was way too cute.

Original Peanut Dress meets Peanut Dress, variation C (AKA Sarabeth)

As it turned out, the little ones tended to scamper off in all different directions, so there aren't too many photos of them all together. The only way we could get them to stay in the same vicinity for more than two seconds was to park their food-induced drowsy selves, side by side, in their strollers. Hey, whatever works!

Dresses modeled by their namesakes

If there's anything better than 2 modeled dresses, it's 3 modeled dresses! I don't know much about a whole lot, but this I know for a fact!