Koolhaas For Me

I now, finally, have a Koolhaas to call my own. 

 This was my first time using Malabrigo yarn. I wanted to know if it was all that people make it out to be. It felt nice enough at the yarn shop. It wasn’t until I actually started knitting with it that I was a believer. I told my husband that it felt like I was knitting a cloud. Every now and then I would rub the ball on my face to feel again how soft it was.  Mmmmmm...

Today is Children's Growth Awareness Day

The Magic Foundation is a such a fantastic organization that's made a huge difference in my family's life.  It's Growth Awareness Day and they are asking people help spread their message.  Feel free to copy and paste/ share this information:

Why is children's growth so important?

Children's growth (how much they grow each year) is a major indicator of their overall health. If they are growing at least 2 inches each year (after the age of 2 and before puberty) it is a strong sign that they are healthy. If they are NOT growing this bare minimum, it can be an early warning sign of underlying health issues such as disease, tumors, nutritional problems, hormone imbalances or unidentified syndromes. Paying attention to those height markers made on walls by parents, and the growth charts at the physicians offices gives crucial information for catching problems in their early stages.

Many people do not realize the importance of this simple information. Consequently children may struggle for years with an unhealthy body or serious problem which can be treated.

What good does spreading this information really do?

Efforts like this have literally saved the lives of children. Simple information about children's growth have helped parents realize that something was wrong, pointed them to online educational resources, and helped them find their way to experts- quickly. Serious problems like brain tumors have been identified with enough time to make a life long change for children.

Why should you get on board with this challenge?

Because you are probably just like us...hard working people who have busy lives. Alone, we cannot possibly make enough noise for the world to hear us...but united we are loud!

How you can help!

Send one simple email to your friends and family. Ask them to forward on and continue the chain! It's that simple! I assure you that somewhere along this information path, a child's life will be changed! You could be the person who makes that happen.

Thank you. Together we are MAGIC!

Vivonne Bay hat

I used Jude Webster's Vivonne Bay Hat pattern to make this cute lace hat.  It turned out smaller than I was wanting.  Next time I would do more ribbing, more pattern repeats, or both.  But it is cute!

My First Adult Sweater!

I've been knitting for 16 years but until now, I haven't ever knit a piece of clothing larger than a baby sweater.  I was afraid to invest a lot of time, effort, and yarn into something that may, or may not, end up fitting and I may, or may not, end up liking.  I finally got over my inhibitions and knit an adult sweater and guess what? I like!  The $5 in Paris pattern by Anna Peck Maliszewski has been one of my favorites since I first saw it on Ravelry.  And bonus: it's free!

Here are the notes I took while knitting it:
-Cast on for large, but used size 5 needles to get a smaller neck.
-Knitted a row of cc with size 9 needles before starting increases.
-Moved stitch markers over one stitch to make jogless stripes easier.
-11 repeats of arm increases. If I were to knit it again, I would probably only do 10.
-Moved side shaping markers to to be centered under sleeves.
-Shaping: Decreased 3 times, knit 10 regular rows, increased 5 times.
-Knit 1 round of MC before ribbing.
-Had to decrease 2 sts, in first row of ribbing.
-4 inches of ribbing on bottom.
-Used Jeny’s Surprisingly Stretchy Bind-off for bottom ribbing.
-Planned on slightly longer sleeves, but thought that two more stripes would make them an awkward length.
-Used size 7 needle for arm ribbing.
-2.5 inches of arm ribbing.
-Used regular cast-off for arms.
-If I make again, I would consider making the stripes a row or two wider to get more length before starting the ribbing.
-Used 1.5-ish skeins (137 g) aqua and just over 2 skeins (215 g) of gray.
-I was really nervous to wash and dry it, because I’ve used a superwash yarn that grew/sagged like crazy after getting wet. But the Plymouth Merino Superwash did great. The fabric is a little bit drapier, but it didn’t loose it’s shape. It’s even softer after washing.