ripe tomato!

I finished my Tomato tee today! (Ravelry project details.) I'm very pleased with it. I have to say that I was a bit anxious how it would turn out when I tried it on before washing it. It just looked droopy and not very flattering.

tomato, prewashing

But, Pakucho is magic in the washing machine. All the knitting evens out and it shrinks about 10% into a wearable garment!

tomato, postwashing

I am quite pleased with it. Someday, I think I want to use this yarn to make a long sleeved cardigan. I was going to say cabled, but I already have one of those, so, I'll just have to keep thinking.

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on chocolate tomatoes and bringing things out of hibernation

I am a sneeze away from being done with my Organic Chocolate Tomato tee. I've been quietly knitting away on it. It's hard for me to tell if it's going well, since it will shrink 10% when I wash and dry it the first time. It doesn't look great now, but hopefully that will change. I also have mixed feelings about the colorwork, but I think I will like that much better after washing as well. Washing fixes everything!

almost ripe chocolate tomato

The thing washing won't fix is that the ribbing on the one sleeve I finished is too loose. I'm going to reknit it with smaller needles. Cookie helpfully pointed that out to me, but was kind enough to also warn me not to show her my sweaters, because she'll always find something wrong. Duly noted, Cookie!

I have also pulled my Lotus Blossom Tank out of hibernation. It was actually pretty much finished. I had sewn the shoulder seams and just had to finish around the edges and it was done. But, it wasn't right. I did two sets of short rows for the bust and that was too much. In addition, I hadn't knit far enough on the sides so it did some ugly angling things. I ripped back to right before I started the second set of short rows and I'm moving forward. It might even be done in the right season!

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road trip knitting

We drove up to Portland this week to visit family. That's 10 hours of Erik driving for me to knit! Well, I drove for a few hours on the way up, but I did get a lot of knitting done. On the way up, I finished my Mingus socks, knit a couple of fish tawashis for the boys and knit part of a dishcloth that ended up being ripped out. On the way back, I made a lot of progress on my Chocolate Tomato.

In other news, the views on the way were amazing. I continue to be astonished by the California landscape.

mt shasta again

Then when were in Portland we drove out to see Multnomah Falls and I learned just how gorgeous Oregon's scenery is as well.

multnomah falls

The kids brought their umbrellas and were hoping to get splashed by the falls.

There are also gorgeous views to be had of the Columbia River Gorge. Of course, the photographs don't do it justice.

columbia river gorge

Then there was the drive home, which involved snow and below freezing temperatures! Talk about crazy.

Nuts!

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a blankety week

It's been all blankets all the time around here this week. Back in January I saw the book Knitalong online somewhere and started to think about making a blanket for Anabel's new little one. Specifically, I saw the Blessingway blanket, which looked like something Anabel would like. I talked to Kristi about it and we debated whether that was the right project, particularly since the book wasn't out and then thought about doing something more square, but what yarn? What patterns? You know, all the things you debate when starting a project. Kristi then happened to see a class a couple of friends of hers taught at her local LYS on log cabin knitting. We discussed a couple of different yarns to use and then settled on Pakucho. Kristi picked some colors and I knit the first square.

We decided that we had a winner! So Mary and I wound yarn into the kits and distributed it to Janice, Lisa D, Lisa L, Karen, Rachel, Jeni, Teenuh, Jill and, last but not least, Cookie. One kit was sent off to Kristi and then I waited for them all to come back. There were more knitters than there were squares to knit, so Juls and Hannah contributed to the ordering of the yarn. The last square was delivered to me on Thursday at which point I got the crazy idea that we could finish the blanket by today because Kristi is in town and I thought it would be nice for her to be there when we gave Anabel the blanket. I sent out a desperate plea for help with seaming and Cookie, Jeni, Lisa D, Karen and Teenuh all came over yesterday evening to help. Thanks all! By 11pm, the squares were seamed.

blanket pieced

Originally I had a crazy plan (I'm all about the crazy plans) for a border with mitered corners. Then I thought about an i-cord border. In the end I was pressed for time and overwhelmed by how large the blanket had become. Each of those blocks is 12" square! So, in the end, a crochet edging was added in natural. I did one row of single crochet and then one of half double crochet. I was pleased with the result.

done!

I presented it to Anabel at our special Saturday-Kristi-visiting edition of BobaKnit. I'll have to leave it to someone else to post a picture of Anabel with the blanket because I, of course, forgot my camera. After all that. I hope Anabel and her new little person enjoy the blanket! Also, now that we're done, you're free to give birth. I know this blanket is just what you were waiting for. (Insert winking smiley here.)

(To those BobaKnitters mentioned here who haven't signed the card for Anabel, I have it, touch base with me so you can sign it, or email me a message to put in!)

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it’s good to have friends

So Cookie has been bugging me recently to buy some Pakucho organic cotton yarn. She very sneakily asked me what I'd make with it and how much I'd need. Then she tells me that it will be arriving as a Christmas gift from her and Kristi! You guys are the best! I plan to make a Chocolate Tomato for myself from it. Sounds yummy, eh?

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