Catching Up

I have been consumed with one big knitting project after another for the past few months. My future sister-in-law gave birth to a beautiful little boy on April 7th, so for awhile there I was working only on baby things. Here are some of the things I made for the shower in February:

Modified Bear Claw Blanket (from the Bear Claw Blanket from an old issue of Interweave Knits, designed by Veronik Avery):

This was a big project. I started working with the pattern, and it took me over a week just to work the center square. I was on a time crunch since the shower was in February, so I decided to work a log cabin around the outside edge. I started with a knitted on log cabin border, but it was too scrunchy where it was knitted on, so I ripped it back. I ended up crocheting it on because it was easier to control the picked-up stitch tension and easier to rip back if it was scrunchy. I spent a lot of time fussing about how it looked, but I'm very pleased with how it turned out and I'm proud of myself for coming up with a creative solution to my problems using the resources I had on hand.

Modified Bear Claw Blanket (center panel from Veronik Avery's Bear Claw Blanket)
Yarn: Plymouth Dreambaby DK in cream, brown, and light blue; Valley Yarns Huntington in grass green
Needles/Hook: US Sizes 2 and 3 for the center panel, US Size F hook for the log cabin strips

I also made two baby sweaters and some booties. Here is one of the sweaters:

Little Wolf Sweater by Luanda Diaz-Santiago (purchase on Ravelry)
Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton Ease in green and blue (from stash)
Needles: US Size 8
Modifications: I knit the body in stockinette; I can't remember but I think there is a different stitch pattern in the directions. I also think I knit the body in the round, and made a couple of other modifications that I can't remember now.

I didn't make this bunny, but someone else did. I was at a craft fair and there was a woman who makes great bags and stuffed animals from old chenille bedspreads (I bought a bag for myself). I did change the bow, since the original had flowers on it, and I'm proud of my bow-tying job.

I'll find the pictures of the other items and post those soon, as well as the other things I've been knitting. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

Hello again!

I'm still here! There has just been lots of excitement around here these past few months. We hosted Thanksgiving in our new home, followed closely by Christmas, then January flew by, and now we're already in February. The excitement continues though, because Jack and I are getting married! So you may eventually get sick of all the wedding crafts that I post here (or I will be too busy to post much at all).

As usual, there was still lots of knitting. I'm going to try to catch up a little, but the details on these may be scarce since I knit them awhile ago.

First up, a sweater for my cousin's baby girl:

Pattern: Eloise Eyelet Cardigan (a free Lion Brand pattern, Ravelry link)

I think I just used the recommended needles and I used all of one skein of heather raspberry Lion Brand Wool-Ease and finished up the yoke in some cream Wool-Ease. Both were kicking around my stash and this was a great way to use it up. It's a very cute pattern, but sometimes it specifies to keep the first and last few stitches in seed stitch and sometimes it doesn't, so be careful with that--if you have the picture and you're not a complete beginner then you can figure it out but keep an eye out for it.

I believe in my last post I promised you a picture of my Tiny Little Shoes from Ysolda's Whimsical Little Knits. I love this booklet and her second one, Whimsical Little Knits 2. The patterns are wonderful and most only use up a little bit of yarn. This pair is made with some leftover sock yarn, which I love and think is a great way to use it. It would be really cute to make a pair for a new mom and use the leftovers to make these for the baby.

More to come soon, including a video to help you work through the cuff on my sock pattern (which is now available for download here through the Interweave Knits store!).

Where Did June Go?

There are still a few days left of June, but I feel that it both flew by and went slowly. Oddly enough, only half of these projects were knit amidst this past month's whirlwind of activity and the others were completed long before and never had their pictures taken (if you live in the area, you'll know that's because we've had a lot of rain recently).

I present my finished Ana Bandanna, which was my present to myself for finishing graduate school:



Pattern: Ana by Adrienne Thomas
Yarn: Handmaiden Fine Yarn Silk Maiden, 1 skein in colorway Nova Scotia
Source: A kit from Knit Purl in Portland, Oregon (ordered online)
Needles: US Size 6 29" circular and US Size 6 Brittany Birch dpns
Modifications: None.


Close up of the interesting back detail:


The silk and wool yarn is absolutely delicious and the hand-dyed colors are amazing. The pattern is very easy except for the joining part at the end, and even that isn't difficult if you just sit and follow the directions exactly (not always easy, I know!).



And another hat:



Pattern: School Colors Hat by Betsy Lee McCarthy (Fibertrends)
Yarn: Plymouth Baby Alpaca Brush Paint and Plymouth Baby Alpaca Worsted Solid, 1 skein each
Source: A graduation gift from my wonderful Aunt Carol!
Needles: US Size 7 16" circular needle and US Size 7 Brittany Birch dpns
Modifications: None.

I love the colors so much, and the rolled brim is made with a neat technique. Again, follow the directions and don't assume that you know how to do it, the way I almost did ;)



And yes, there is another hat:


Pattern: Kittyville Hat by Kitty Schmidt from Stitch'n Bitch: The Knitter's Handbook
Yarn: Mission Falls 1824 Wool, 2 skeins black
Source: Patternworks originally, but I frogged the first version of this hat and reknit it
Needles: US Size 7 16" circular needles and US Size 7 Brittany Birch dpns
Modifications: I knit the i-cords and earflaps first and then cast on for the brim of the hat with the earflaps spaced evenly apart.

I think this hat is totally adorable and I'm proud of myself for frogging and reworking my shoddy knitting job (it was done when I was still a beginner and didn't know how to make pompoms or finish items properly).



And now for something completely different!



Another Super-Natural Stripes by Fawn Pea
Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton-Ease, less than one skein each green, white, and blue
Source: Stash, but originally from A.C. Moore (I just used the leftovers from this one)
Needles: US Size 5 and US Size 7 29" circular needles, US Size 5 and US Size 7 dpns
Modifications: None. I made the newborn size for both, and there was still yarn leftover and these sweaters are on the large size for newborns, which is great.

This is a very easy baby sweater to knit and I was very happy to be able to use up the leftovers from the last one (see link above). As I've said before, this is a perfect four-season yarn because of the cotton and acrylic content, and it is machine washable. Now if only I could remember to stop decreasing for the v-neck where the directions tell me to!

There are lots of other things that have been made that have yet to see blog time, and of course I'm planning several new projects in my head. This summer is shaping up to be a crazy one though, so it might be on the quiet side here!

A Bit of Spring

I crocheted one of the "Bedfellows" from The Happy Hooker for my cousin's third birthday:



If you've seen the pattern before you may be thinking that the two animals were a bear and a bunny, not a mouse, and you're right. Once I had the head finished it looked much more like a mouse than anything else, so I just went with it. This was a great use of stash yarn (all machine-washable acrylic) and even though it took some time it wasn't all that difficult.





I knit a baby sweater for another one of my mom's friends, this time using the Offset Wraplan pattern by Sara Morris (free Ravelry download). This was cute and not a difficult knit, but it took some time (fingering/light DK weight yarn) and there are several buttons to sew on. I used just a little over one ball of Patons Grace.




Lastly, I knit the Spiral Cowl by Keri McKiernan (another free Ravelry download). I used one skein of delicious angora yarn that I bought two years ago at the New Hampshire Sheep and Wool Festival (I can't remember their name right now but I'm pretty sure they're there every year). I like that this pattern has a button and a loop so that you can close it to make it more snug, or leave it open. The angora is so warm that I don't usually need to button it up but it's nice to have that option--especially once winter rolls around again.

I'm trying to finish up projects with yarn from last year's Sheep and Wool Festival, and I've also been crocheting a bit too. I recently bought Ysolda's Whimisical Litte Knits book and I'm trying to decide what to knit first!

Oh Baby

There has been lots of knitting, but specific projects keep stalling. Which makes me feel lame because I love to finish things and there are so many things I want to make. The Lucy wrap is stalled because I had to order another skein of yarn. This is annoying because it was a kit and I used a larger size needle than the pattern recommended (after first knitting the entire thing on needles slightly smaller than recommended and it came out too short), and it is still several inches too short to be a stole or wrap. Whatever. I ordered the yarn and I am now moving on.



I was also working on the Narragansett Bay Scarf from A Fine Fleece, and after knitting to the recommended length last Sunday I decided that I wanted it longer. I decided I would knit the matching cap first and then use all of the leftover yarn on the remainder of the scarf. I started the cap today and hope to finish it this week, along with the scarf.


I have also been knitting these:




And this:





The top picture is of two baby blankets I knit for premature babies at a local hospital as part of a program for the library I work at. The deadline was this past Friday, and it was so inspiring to see all of the beautiful blankets knit and crocheted by members of the community. We are starting a fiber arts group at the library, so contact me if you are interested.


The baby sweater is for my mom's friend, and the pattern is Super-Natural Stripes by Fawn Pea. I was really excited to find this pattern, because it's worsted weight and interesting without being too technical or demanding. It may become my new go-to baby sweater. I knit most of it at the Manchester Monarchs hockey game on Friday night, and I finished up the sleeves while watching The Goonies yesterday morning. Very quick and very easy--just make sure you read the directions all the way through first (which I did not).


I have started the Spiral Cowl, but it is at the very beginning. I also have to actually work on the second Bird in Hand mitten because it is not knitting itself (although that wouldn't be much fun for me, now would it?). Progress is somewhat hindered by trying to spend some of these beautiful early spring days outside, but it's worth it.

March/April Charity Project

So far I'm keeping good on my promise to complete a charity project every two months, even if this one was a little bit of a copout. I was planning to knit blankets for animals in shelters waiting to be adopted (the patterns are in Knitting for Peace, but they're just garter stitch rectangles), thinking it was a great reading-while-knitting project, especially reading-deathly-boring-articles-for-school-and-the-only-way-to-stay-awake-is-to-knit-while-reading project, only they tend to take longer than I thought and I am about halfway through the first one. It was also the last week of April.


Desperate times call for premature baby knits. It doesn't get any smaller than this, folks:


Preemie Baby Jester Hats from Knitting for Peace
Yarn: The greenish-blue is Sirdar Snuggly DK, the pink and brown are Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino Aran. All neglible amounts of sport/fingering machine-washable yarn from the stash. This is great for cleaning out your leftovers.
Needles: US Size 5 aluminum dpns
Modifications: At the end I turned the hats inside out and did a three-needle bind-off instead of grafting the right side with Kitchener stitch.


These were so quick and easy (I did one in the half-dark of the Calvin Theater at the Harlot event). I also managed to get three done in a week without bringing them to school or work, which is impressive. I'm looking through Knitting for Peace for ideas for May/June but I'm not committing myself to any one project yet.

Spring Cleaning

I have sort of a mish-mash of pictures for you this week.


My new boots for spring (they were on sale!):


The cat helping me knit:

A new Chaos for Leo, since the first one was too small (my aunt suggested I save it for someone else, so I didn't frog it):

Yarn: Lion Brand Wool-Ease in grey, 4 balls for two sweaters (the largest and second-to-largest sizes)

Needles: Handmade Peace Fleece needles, US Size 7 and US Size 8 straight needles; also an Inox 24" circular US Size 7 for the neck band

Modifications: I worked fewer rows on the neck band--on the first one the neck opening seemed small, so I thought if I did fewer rows it might give a little more room. I think it looks good that way. I worked 1x1 rib for four rows after the pickup row and then bound off on the fifth row.

Closeup of the neck and pattern:

Action shots to follow (also of him wearing the Trellis cardigan I knit for his last birthday, which I apparently failed to take any pictures of)



I finally knit the beret from Greetings From Knit Cafe--I've been hoarding this yarn for almost a year now. The only other thing I have to do is make a felted flower to pin on it.

Yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas Alpaca and Silk in light green, 1 skein

Source: Patternworks

Needles: Addi Turbo US Size 4 16" circular, Susan Bates aluminum US Size 4 dpns

Modifications: None

My tribute to Cyndi Lauper:

The Pretty Lace Handwarmers from Whitney over at the Purl Bee (her little pom pom socks might have to be next--I told you, I'm addicted)

Yarn: Something from Lorna's Laces. It came from the free bin when I worked at Patternworks

Needles: Susan Bates aluminum US Size 5 (I really need to invest in wooden needles in sizes I don't have--it will make my knitting life much more pleasant)

Modifications: None

This was the result of another "I need spring to be here NOW" impulse:

Kate Gilbert's Strawberry Clutch from the Spring 2007 issue of Knitscene

Yarn: Cascade 220, one skein each of red and green, and some yellow wool of unknown origins for the seeds (another Patternworks free bin score)

Source: Stash! (although I had to buy another skein of the red since my stash skein was small)

Needles: Addi Turbo US Size 13 24" circular

Modifications: I chose to duplicate stitch the seeds on rather than do intarsia since my intarsia isn't all that great. I did some intarsia where the leaves come in, but after a couple of rows I did all one color and then went back to duplicate stitch the appropriate pattern.

I really need to get back to working on the Secret of the Stole II, but lately I've needed small quick things to do at school (and to keep me sane). It just requires too much concentration, so once this semester is over I'll bring it out again. I also lost a pair of kneesocks that I wanted to frog because they are a little too big and they are a great school/bus project. I don't usually lose things, and I've never actually lost a handknitted item before. I never even lost mittens as a kid! Oh well. I'm 90% sure they are somewhere in my room, so they'll have to turn up sometime.

In more exciting news, next Sunday I will be at the Yarn Harlot event at Webs with Susan and Beth! Since the NH Sheep and Wool festival is just a few weeks away, I can't go crazy, but there will definitely be some stash enhancement.

One step forward, two steps back.

Not much to report

Between grad school and knitting a commissioned project and starting a new job this week, there wasn't much time for knitting. I did make these:


High Top Baby Booties from Knitting To Go
Yarn: Raggi, color 1542 Blue Tweed, leftovers from a pair of socks I made my brother (you can find it here)
Source: Stash, originally from Patternworks
Needles: Aluminum dpns of unknown origin, US size 6
Modifications: Added two extra rows to the instep length





Other than that, and the commissioned project, the knitting has been slim. So here's a nice Valentine's Day picture (let's ignore the fact that I forgot about Valentine's Day completely):

(This is a chocolate rose from a very nice boy who may or may not have something to do with the lack of knitting lately. There was another one, but I ate it. It was delicious.)

Christmas Presents for Leo

I've been in a little bit of a knitting funk lately. It seemed like things weren't coming out right, or I had to redo everything several times (the hat and booties below are two examples), and I miss knitting with my knitting friends (although I love knitting with my mom and her cross-stitching).

This weekend, although not without some knitting frustration, produced these:



Reindeer hat, from the Yankee Knitter Designs "Pattern Hats"

Size: Children's

Yarn: KnitPicks Swish Superwash Worsted, 2 balls Baby Blue and 1 ball Deep Ocean (Baby Blue was leftover from the sweater, see below)

Source: KnitPicks

Needles: Inox 16" circular, US Size 5

Modifications: I knit the hat in the round instead of flat (subtracting two stitches from the cast-on number, since there would be no seam); I "redesigned" (didn't pay attention to) certain parts of the chart; I did parts in duplicate stitch instead of fair isle; I changed the decreases for the crown; I only did one row of single stitches above the reindeer instead of up to the crown. I also knit the entire thing on size 5 needles instead of switching to size 7 after the hem.




I'm still not thrilled with it because I'm a perfectionist and colorwork almost always has some issues (especially when knit by me). I just need more practice, and I think the hat turned out pretty good (and I won't have to look at it every day so it won't annoy me as much).






Child's Monogram Sweater from Hollywood Knits Style

Size: 4 years (and it came out smaller than I expected; I love Suss Cousins' patterns but I have yet to knit one without any issues--just a warning if you are not in the mood to play around with gauge and other aspects of the pattern)

Yarn: KnitPicks Swish Superwash Worsted, 4 balls (maybe 3) Baby Blue

Source: KnitPicks

Needles: Brittany Birch straight US Size 7, Crystal Palace Bamboo straight US Size 5

Modifications: I did a three-needle bind-off to attach the shoulders instead of seaming; I also made little adjustments here and there that I can't remember. As I said, her patterns are very cool and inspiring, but I always swatch and prepare to fiddle with the pattern (I even write in the book, something I don't usually do).


(I embroidered the "L" by hand. I photocopied and enlarged the letter from the alphabet provided with the pattern, traced it onto tracing paper, added interfacing to the back of the sweater for stability, used the satin stitch (a tutorial can be found here) and just stitched right over the tracing paper. After you stitch, you can just tear away the excess tracing paper. It helps to keep the tracing paper in place with an embroidery hoop. I am shocked at how easy it was and how good it came out).






Fat Baby Booties by Beverly Galeskas, from Interweave Felt

Size: Infant/Newborn. I originally made the toddler size, but after felting they were very large. If you substitute yarn like I did you might want to make a test swatch.

Yarn: Dalegarn Tiur, 1 ball green and 1 ball gold (when I made the toddler size, I just barely got away with one ball of each color with Dalegarn Heilo--there was just a yard or two of the main color left)

Source: The store closing sale at The Yarn and Fiber Shop two years ago

Needles: Susan Bates 24" circular needle, US Size 9; Susan Bates 16" circular needle, US size 8; Susan Bates 16" circular needle, US Size 10.5 (standing in as the bind off needle for a 10.5 DPN)

Modifications: On the first pair (which I will post pictures of soon) I didn't read all of the directions. The second time around I followed everything except the second bootie got turned inside out (before a really crucial point) and I didn't notice until the last step. I felted it anyway. It's on the bottom and not really noticeable--I love felting.





I finished the third clue for the Secret of the Stole KAL. I think they are on clue 6 now. Boo. Although I will have almost two free weeks before Christmas when school and work are done, to work on it; I guess I shouldn't stress about it.


Thanksgiving is almost here! I can't wait to make my pies from scratch, to curl up in front of a roaring fire, to sit and watch the Macy's parade with my knitting...

Stash Busting Like Whoa

Completed:

Felted Mohair Ballet Slippers from Felted Knits
Yarn: KnitPicks Wool of the Andes 4 skeins (about 2 skeins leftover) in Fern and Mulled Wine, and less than half a skein of Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted in Sage and Medieval Red, respectively
Source: KnitPicks and stash
Needles: Addi Turbo 24" US Size 13 circular, Susan Bates 29" US Size 11 circular
Modifications: None other than yarn substitution


I really learned my lesson with these slippers: putting a pair of jeans in the washer with them speeds up the felting process considerably. It took two times to felt the slippers for my mom (the red ones) but only once for my grandmother's (the green ones). However, it worked out for the best because my mom has smaller feet and needed that second felting to get them smaller. (My felting obsession has been refueled by the purchase of the special issue of Felt put out by Interweave).

Completed:

Sleeveless Tuxedo Shirt from the Summer 2007 issue of Interweave Knits

(Sorry about that lower photo, it makes my eyes hurt, but it shows the placket in pretty good detail. It's not that wonky-shaped in real life, I don't know why it looks like that).

Yarn: Less than one cone of Brown Sheep Cotton Fine in Twilight Green

Source: Stash

Needles: Susan Bates 24" circular US Size 2, Crystal Palace bamboo US Size 2 straight

Modifications: Gauge adjustment, yarn substitution (woo-hoo for stash busting!), knit in the round instead of separately and then seamed, added 2" in length, added waist shaping.

Awkward bathroom mirror shot, but you can see that it fits like a dream.

You can see the true colors better here.

I have finally completed the Treeline Cardigan from the Purl Bee. The worst part is that I have had the knitting finished for a few weeks, and I even dyed the cotton snap tape (my closure of choice) before I went on vacation. I was nervous that it wouldn't work so I put it off, but Friday I bit the bullet and pinned and hand-sewed the tape on. It took me all the way through the 1954 version of Sabrina and the better part of an hour-long episode of the fabulous show Mad Men to finish it (I went up and down both sides of the snap tape to make sure it was secured properly). Anyway, it was worth it. I have a beautiful sweater that fits perfectly and doesn't make me look like a gorilla and I learned some interesting new techniques.

Pattern: Treeline Striped Cardigan from the Purl Bee

Yarn: Manos del Uruguay, 4 skeins each light brown and light blue

Source: Stash and one skein of brown was from Knit New London

Needles: Clover 8" (yes, 8") circular US Size 8, Addi Turbo 32" circular US Size 8

Modifications: Added enough stitches to adjust pattern for 42" chest (the original pattern only goes up to 38"), left off some repeats for the button band, added 3.5" to the length, added 1.5" to the arm length, maybe a few other changes here and there (I kind of just did them as I went along).

I'm almost done Leo's Christmas sweater. I got both sleeves done on Friday at the open mic at the Bridge Cafe, and I even read one of my poems! Exciting for me, since I never read my stuff. I'll post that next week, hopefully along with lots of other finished projects. Next up, something for me: Fiber Trends' Landscape Shawl in the excellent organic Irish wool I bought a few weeks ago.

Vacation

The view from our back porch.

It was hard to leave.

So, vacation was great, except for a few spats with my brother (always to be expected).

This is the back and half of the front of Leo's Christmas sweater, which I finished before we left for vacation (he and my aunt and uncle were in the cabin with us, so I couldn't exactly bring it with me).

This was completed during vacation. I picked up the yarn just before I stopped working at Patternworks after I saw a shop model that Susan had made. And yes, it's crocheted. I finished it in one afternoon and took it out to dinner at the Danbury Inn.

Pattern: Easy Crocheted Bag (or something like that) from One-Skein Wonders

Yarn: Ty-Dy, one ball

Source: Patternworks

Hook: US Size F

Modifications: I crocheted the body 8" long (rather than 7") and made the straps longer as well. I'm also planning on sewing a lining for it, even though the pattern doesn't say to do so.

I also managed to finish three Christmas/birthday presents for friends, but I can't post them because they may or may not read this blog. I will post after Christmas. I had a very productive vacation (I realize that I am a type-A personality, the only kind of person who would be proud of being productive while on vacation). I also started this:

The Sleeveless Tuxedo Shirt from the Summer '07 Interweave Knits. I know it doesn't look like much now, but I have a very good feeling about this. And it is stash-busting, so I don't feel guilty. I got most of this done at the awesome Open Mic/NH Poetry Slam Team fundraiser on Friday night. The team, the first one from NH to ever compete at nationals, leaves in two weeks to compete against 75 other teams in Austin, TX. Go Team!

I still have three more days of Christmas in July to bust out more presents, so wish me luck on that. Hopefully I'll have a lot more to show on Friday.

Woohoo! Vacation

Completed: the Elisa Nest Tote (with a close up of the stitch pattern)

Pattern: Elisa Nest Tote from the Purl Bee

Yarn: Butterfly 10 mercerized cotton 1 skein

Source: Pearl's Yarn Shop

Needles: Crystal Palace bamboo U.S. size 9 straight needles, aluminum dpns U.S. size 6, Clover size F crochet hook

Modifications: Yarn substitution, added two inches to the length of the bag

A great pattern and a great bag. It's very stretchy and will hold a lot, but the holes in the lace are small enough that most things won't slip or poke through. Excellent summer knitting and really quick to knit.

I only made a couple of purchases at the Knitting Guild of America's and Crocheting Guild of America's big exhibition/market thingy they held here last weekend. A beautiful sweater pattern from Tess Designer Yarns and these two skeins of yarn from the Irish Ewe. They are going to be a worsted weight Landscape Shawl. They are from organically raised sheep in Ireland, and they were spun at one of Ireland's three remaining woollen mills (no wonder I couldn't find any yarn when I was there last summer).

The glorious KnitPicks order arrived. It is intended for two pairs of felted clogs, one pair of socks, a baby sweater, and a lace wimple.

Completed: Retro Rib Socks (and a somewhat blurry closeup of the pattern)

Pattern: Retro Rib Socks by Evelyn A. Clark (from Favorite Socks)

Yarn: Regia 4-Ply Tweed, 2 balls
Source: Patternworks Yarn Shop

Needles: Crystal Palace bamboo dpns, U.S. size 2

Modifications: My gauge was a little off, so I followed the woman's size instead of the men's even though their for my uncle. It should be all right, since his feet are just a little bigger than mine and these are just a little big for me (that is my very exact scientific measuring system for the people I knit socks for: a little bigger for the men, the same size for the women except my mom, who is a little smaller)

And, a little sewing:

This is the sun hat from Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing book (simple, except for the part where I wanted to throw my sewing machine out the window). The outside fabric was leftover from a tote bag I made my mom for her birthday, and the lining is from an old pillowcase. I'm very proud of myself for figuring out the problems, and I managed to get it done just in time for our vacation at the lake this week.

So, I still have more Christmas in July projects (and July is rapidly approaching its end). I figured out a couple that I can take to the lake with me (tricky, since I'll be in close quarters with most of the people I have to make presents for) and I am starting the Tuxedo shirt from the Summer 2007 Interweave Knits for myself in an extra cone of Brown Sheep's Cotton Fine I found in the stash.

But before we head out, I have lots of packing. Including figuring out just how many projects and books I can fit in my suitcase.