And another!

Not a great photo (as usual) but I didn't want to wait till daylight to shoot this and put it into the finished gift trunk - got to keep the momentum going! This is the Thrift Shop Shawl, another Ravelry find. The pattern is so super simple, which is the perfect way to show off this lovely red cashmere yarn that I got for a steal from Smiley's last year (the picture doesn't do this color justice!). And it's so soft! This year's Smiley's Manhattan sale is next week...I may not be able to stop myself from going and looking for more of this yarn.

Another one bites the dust

One more Christmas gift is finished! This is a Debbie Bliss pattern I found through Ravelry - the Ribbed Baby Jacket. The ribbed placket is supposed to be wider but I ran out of yarn; also there's supposed to be a button but I think it's fine without it. I had this crazy yarn to use up; I just started with one colorway, knit until it ran out, then added the other one and knit until that ran out. I love how wild it turned out, and the sister whose daughter it's for tends to like funky stuff for her kids, so I'm hoping it will be a hit.

Weekend update

So this is what I've been up to - I started this vest on July 1 (!) and finally sewed the buttons on yesterday, November 1, but really it sat for long stretches without being worked on, so I should have finished much sooner than that. Anyway, I'm very happy with the finished product - pending the final fitting, on Christmas Day, by the recipient. It's for my Dad, and if you knew my Dad, you'd agreed this is just his style. It's knit with good ol' Patons Wool (with apologies to Mom, who will end up being the one to hand wash it) from a pattern in Men in Knits by Tara Jon Manning. A super simple pattern, with that nice little cable detail; I'm already thinking of doing another one in cotton for Dad's April birthday, since button-up vests are my Dad's favorites but they are getting harder to find in stores. I know I have some taupe Cotton-Ease lying around...