FOs: oatmeal and ginger

These are both from two weeks ago but it took awhile for me to set up a tripod. But they're both done! The Ginger Skirt is done! Please excuse the wrinkled skirt and the extremely awkward poses (and don't look too closely at the seams); it's far from perfect but it's the first thing I sewed on my new sewing machine and I'm proud of it enough that I'll probably wear it in public and just hope no one stares at it too critically. 

My plan is to make a few more of this pattern as I get comfortable using the sewing machine - I love the high waist and the A line cut and would love to see how it looks in some more conventional fabrics (I used quilting cotton here, which probably wasn't the wisest choice.) And, also! While I didn't make the shoes, I did, sorta, design them in Vietnam, in that I picked the heels, colors and laces out at one of the many shoe-makers in Hoi An, so, yay for that! 

The second FO in this post is a return to much more familiar waters - the Oatmeal Pullover is a quick, satisfying knit that definitely restored my occasionally flagging knitting confidence. Like many other Ravelers, I knit it using Puffin by Quince & Co in Carrie's Yellow, and like many other Ravelrers, I added an extra row between the shoulder increases, and I'm pretty happy with both the color and the fit. I could definitely see myself making more of these in the future, because bulky yarn + nice loose gauge = crazy fast satisfying knitting.

Raveled here. 

wip: o a t m e a l

I keep meaning to take photos of this in progress but the knitting is going so fast that this is the first change I got. Massive needles = awesomeness, especially because work has ramped up the craziness lately, so coming home to something mindless feels pretty damn good. 

In other news, my mom sent me a giant box of photos from my childhood this weekend, which gave me an excuse to play with the scanner. Good to know I still have the same awkward dance moves.

And also the same haircut. Yay, bangs.

fo: i n t h r e e s

First FO of 2013 is also my first ever knitted gift for a baby! I don't know many people with babies - or at least, not people I know well enough to spring a handmade knitted gift on - but two friends of mine that I met five years ago in Vietnam had a baby girl a few weeks ago. Knowing nothing about babies, I can only hope that this fits and is the kind of thing she can wear maybe in the Spring when she gets a tiny bit bigger. 

The pattern is In Threes, and I used Lorna's Laces Shepard Worsted in sage - which looked greener on the website (I'd been aiming for gender neutral, though no one could possibly care about pink or blue for boys and girls any more, right? Please say yes?) It's more of a robin's egg blue, though, which works for me since that's one of my favorite colors, and hopefully it works for the baby (or at least her parents). Also, it's crazy soft and superwash. 

The only modification I made was that I didn't include the garter bands that run down from the arm pits. This sweater knit up in five days of lazy knitting (babies, it's awesome how tiny you all are!), and I flagrantly disregarded my New Year's resolution to watch exclusively quality TV programming by devouring probably about ten episodes of Once Upon a Time to keep me company as I knit it. 

Raveled here. 

wips: y e l l o w

Some snapshots of some very early-in-progress works-in-progress and also from last month's whirlwind trip to Vietnam, because, yellow! 

They're not much to look at yet but I have high hopes for these two sweaters, because I love yellow and it goes with everything I own. The first, above, is a cozy Oatmeal Cardigan by Jane Richmond, which I need to finish soon or else it'll be too hot in LA to wear it. 

... and this here will someday be a Cria by Ysolda. 

And, more pictures of Vietnam to come - remember when this blog used to be about knitting AND traveling? Me too! That was awesome!