Snowy Sweater Weather

Winter is showing no signs of easing up around here, and the snow keeps coming. I like to use this as an excuse to justify my anti-social, knit-centric behavior, but let's be honest: I do that even when it's warm outside. Last month I signed up for the June 2013 Squam retreat, so I am using this as a deadline to have at least two hand-knit garments finished.

While on vacation, I started this Featherweight Cardigan in my Falkland Merino sock yarn (colorway Beneath the Olive Trees). I am making it longer than the original pattern. My father incredulously asked, "is it normal to start a new project before finishing the previous one?" Oh, sweet, naive man, so far removed from the idiosyncrasies of the knitting world. I am alternating between this project and my poor, long-suffering Folded Sweater from last year.

I finished both sleeves, realized one was 1/4" wider than the other, and frogged it. I've now got two matching sleeves, and I'm ready to get into the yoke. I might just finish this sweater after all.

Pattern Review: Be.Leaf Shawl

Alright, now that I've snuck in one last Rio photo, I can talk about vacation knitting. I had grand delusions of finishing several projects, but I only finished one: a shawl for my grandmother. I did make some progress on the Folded Sweater I've been knitting for months but then I cheated on it by starting a new cardigan I'll share soon.

My grandma loves pink, so I dyed this dark pink for her in my new single ply sock yarn. I had a hard time picking a pattern - I knew I wanted a stockinette body with a decorative edge so I could get it done in the short time frame, but I didn't want it to be overly plain. Be.Leaf by Kitman Figueroa was the perfect choice.

This is a great pattern. The simple stockinette is a lovely backdrop for the leafy border. The lace pattern is easy to follow, and I memorized it quickly, which made it a great knit to pick up and put down while waiting at airports, getting on and off airplane connections, etc. I slightly modified the ruffled edging: I made it garter stitch instead of stockinette to give it more structure, and did less rows.

I only have one, easily remedied, complaint about this pattern. I wish the two halves of the shawl were mirrored, instead of identical. This can be easily fixed by mirroring the charts, which I will do if I knit this shawl again.

What gifts did you make this holiday season?

Copacabana

As I went through the photos from this trip, I realized I don't actually have a lot of "show and tell" type photos - it was a completely family-centered vacation, with mostly goofy family photos. In truth, I hardly ever pulled my camera out at all. It doesn't make for a great "blog worthy" trip, but it was perfect on a personal level. We hadn't gathered this much of my family in one place in many years, and it was great. The kind of vacation that fills you with joy, and breaks your heart a little when you leave.

However - I do have a handful of photos to share on here. My father wanted a very memorable New Year's Ever for the family, so we all hopped in a van and went out to Copacaba beach. Every year, there is a fantastic and very long firework show. It was my first time going to Copabana for New Year's, and I'm glad I did manage to snag some photos!

How did you spend your New Year's Eve?

Happy New Year, dear friends!

I know I'm a little late, but Nate and I just got back from a two-week vacation visiting my family in Brazil. Our flight landed back in Boston this morning, and we have some serious jetlag to fight off and a lot of catching up to do. I have some vacation photos and project photos to share soon once I am back into my regular routine, but until then here are a couple of photos. This was the view from the apartment we were staying in. I miss it already!