Yarn Crawl

Virtual Vacation: Maui

It's that time of the week again, and today we're going to visit Maui.

Jim and I visited Maui as part of the Hawaiian cruise we took in March 2006, and chose another helicopter tour here as the best way to get an overview of the island and its scenery.

Here we are starting our tour - you can just barely see me seated in the middle of the front row, next to the pilot again:

We saw golf courses

meandering waterways in the midst of lush greenery

greenery covered mountains

waterfalls carved into mountains

waterfalls on their own

and last but not least, beautiful beaches:

Isn't that last picture exactly where you'd like to be right now? I know I would.

So Far, So Good

Last night, we ate at home to start the week (woo-hoo - one day down) - we have this super easy thing we make once in a while where we just melt some muenster cheese on top of a few slices of roast beef from the deli and a slice of that Turano dry Italian bread. Usually we add giardinere (sp?) on top, but this time I had bought some yellow banana peppers to put on top. I had found some different roast beef in the deli this time that was called "London Broil" and was basically a rare roast beef. Tasty! This was our simple dinner - a slice each and then we split a third slice. I did have a glass of merlot with it, which was a good pairing. I have really been off white wine lately and am more into the reds now. I was trying to only drink wine once a week, but it really makes the meals at home a little more special with a little wine. I'm not an emotional eater, like some people say they are, but I guess I am an emotional (wine) drinker. Wine makes everything just a little nicer for me.

Anyway, after dinner, I decided to work on Tidal Wave again (the Rowan Plaid project I started on Sunday) and decided I didn't like how it was looking so I frogged it. I think that yarn is better for cables than lace patterns. I decided it was a sewing night instead of a knitting night, and I had been wanting to make a muslin of McCall's 5391:

I had tried one other muslin for shorts (a New Look pattern) and like many other New Look patterns for the bottom half of the body, it had WAY too much ease and a weird shape. I love the way their patterns are sized for the upper body. Sandra Betzina notes in her books that their sizing is different than the other pattern companies on top as there isn't a lot of extra fabric between the shoulders and chest and that one should pick the pattern size in their line based on full bust measurement. She is right on, as when I've done this with their top or dress patterns they have always fit. It's the skirts and shorts that have an insane amount of ease.

So I made up the muslin for View C last night, tried it on and determined that it's going to fit very well without any adjustments. This is NOT an easy pattern to figure out - they had you 1.) sew the pocket to the side front, then 2.) sew the result of #1 to each main front piece, then 3.) sew the inside leg seams, then 4.) the crotch curve, then 5.) the outer side seams. I did something wrong on #2 or #3 because I wasn't able to match right sides together on one of these steps, which it didn't say to do but I assumed. It can be hard working with the muslin as it's not as easy to tell right and wrong sides. I only mark on the wrong sides, but somehow I still think I got messed up somehow. If anyone has any suggestions I would very much appreciate it. I am also going to check out the reviews of this pattern over on Patternreview.com.

Anyway, despite the glitch, I can tell it's going to fit well, and based on this one experience (plus what I've heard from other people that seem to be shaped like me on the bottom half) I think McCall's fits my body better on the bottom than the Simplicity/New Look patterns do. It seems to be for a (ahem) rounder rear end, as opposed to the Simplicity/New Look, which seems to fit a wider, flatter derriere better.

So anyway, now that I've talked ad nauseum about my butt, I've been on a roll with the muslins lately! I want to make a list of to-dos once I've vetted them with the muslin version and then make a bunch of things at once. Sandra Betzina is right (can you tell she is my new BFF and I've bought two of her books in the last two weeks? I've even forgiven her for that negative ease woven skirt) that only about 50% of all commercial patterns are worth making and that if you're not enthused about the muslin, don't bother going any further. She says throw the pattern out, but I'm not sure I'll go that far. Probably just stick it in my pattern drawer or give it away to whoever wants it!

Sunday Happenings

So I went to the shower - it actually turned out to be a lot of fun.

I tried to take a picture of my new hairstyle in the mirror before I left, but you can't really see it too well.

So anyway, the shower was fun. I was nice seeing some of the cousins that I hadn't seen in awhile who are about my age. Usually I am always seated with Jim's aunt Vicki (who we are closest to and that we spend holidays with) and her daughter Tracy and her kids (the sweater models) but this time I was seated with Jim's second cousins and/or the second cousins' wives. It was kind of like Sex and the City in a way - no topic was off limits, as two of the unmarried cousins in their 30s lamented about their dating dramas and the two other married women (married to the cousins, who have kids) and I kind of all laughed together about the dramas. I usually never see the married ones without their young kids, and also they married into the family so I haven't known either of them as long, so it was nice to get to know them better as individuals. They were fun - they had funny kid stories to share, and were very into celebrity gossip.

I could kind of relate to both sides as I'm almost a hybrid - married, but no kids. So I feel single in some ways and married in others. The single ones have a strong career focus (one of the cousins is in pharmaceutical sales and the other is finishing her residency to become an OB/GYN) so I can relate to that, but then I can relate to the married ones in that we have houses and go grocery shopping and have stuff in the refrigerator besides wine and beer and know that we have a toaster and where it's located (funny story for one of the single cousins.)

I usually have low expectations for the food at any type of event (honestly!) but it was FABULOUS as Italian showers (or any other type of event, really, hosted by the Italian side of our family) always tend to have that attribute. It was at the new location of Volare out here in the suburbs and they did a great job. I just tasted a little of everything and didn't get too crazy. First they had a half hour of cocktails (mostly champagne), then appetizers of eggplant parmigiana and calamari, then a great salad with balsamic vinaigrette dressing, then there were the main courses of lemon chicken, grilled salmon, some sort of pasta with bolognese sauce, and rigatoni. All the while white and red wine was being freely poured. The dessert was plates of assorted cookies and cupcakes served from a sweet table. Then there was about 45 minutes of the future bride opening up her gifts. She liked the comforter I bought her from Bed Bath and Beyond from her registry, so that was good. I had it directly shipped to the registry address (her mom's house) and I just had brought the card saying that it had been sent to her, but her mom went ahead and wrapped it and brought it to the shower. So I felt a little bad about her having to do extra work, but that's the way BB&B handles many of their comforter purchases from registries as they don't carry every style in every store.

Anyway, the shower was over at about 3:00, so I went home and changed, then went out to Jo-Ann's to use my 40% off coupon for another bolt of muslin and to Barnes & Noble to look for a new book with my 25% off coupon. I bought another cookbook, then I went to the grocery store and bought some ingredients for quick meals this week. It feels good to know that we're prepared with stuff than can be made pretty quickly and have a plan. Jim resists planning, but I think he even liked me having a plan - as long as he didn't have to try to come up with it, he's on board with executing it.

Last night it was freezing out and we've turned the heat off for the season. So I sat in front of the fireplace and started a cold weather knitting project with some Rowan Plaid I had purchased a while back.

I'm making it in the colorway shown, and just modifying it to knit it in the round (bottom-up) to the armholes. I love nice warm, soft alpaca and wool blends on size 10.5 bamboo needles. Candy. I'm crazy, I know. I just couldn't get motivated to work on a tank top when it's so nasty out.

Picture Update

I got my Starbucks and thought I'd do an update in pictures as it seems like I haven't shown any in awhile.

Here's Sweetheart Vest, finished but not modeled. It's been cool enough to model it this weekend (after temps in the 80s the day before!) but it's the wrong season.

Swing Top - pre neck and armhole pickups and washing/blocking - the color is off - it's definitely more teal:

Tea Rose Halter - it's more violet than this. I have to make the straps and wash/block it, but here it is:

Lacy Little Top - had to put this on longer needles temporarily while I used its needles to start Mentionable. I haven't gotten really any more done on it, but now I can see it's going to fit well.

And Mentionable, which I started yesterday afternoon with the recommended yarn, the Yarn Botanika merino/tencel that had been waiting patiently for me in my stash for two years. I love working with this yarn! It's super soft because of the merino and sproingy because of the tencel. I tend to like any yarn mixed with tencel, but I really like merino mixed with it.

What else did I do project-wise yesterday? I made a muslin of the skirt from Sandra Betzina's Today's Fit Vogue 8204 pattern

and determined that "pattern does not work for me" in Patternreview lingo. I don't know why I didn't look at the finished measurements, but once I did I understood why the skirt didn't fit right at the hip and thigh. She sizes her patterns on a different measurement system than the other patterns with a lettering system -A through J. I was between a B and C based on my measurements, so I decided to go with the C as I could always cut it down. Size C was supposed to be for someone whose hip measurement was 38.5, which is a little bigger than me, but the Size B was for 36.5" hips, which is a little smaller than me. Well, the finished measurement on this skirt per the pattern (which was immediately apparent) was 37.5". AND the pattern is supposed to be designed for woven fabrics. How do you do 1" of negative ease on a woven fabric in a skirt?? It wasn't too bad at the actual hip but it was definitely not for anyone with any muscle tone in their legs. Also, it was too loose around the "tummy" area as I know she designs for someone with a bit of pooch in that area. My waist is not quite as small in proportion to my hip as some of the Big Four patterns would say it should be (1" off) but I don't have a "tummy" (as she puts it)- just a more athletic build/bigger rib cage/wider waist. So I'm glad I spent the hour to make the muslin instead of going full speed ahead with the garment.

Yesterday I went to the new salon and I was very impressed! I had taken whoever they gave me, as it's a new location and I hadn't been there before, so I had my first haircut with a guy. I wasn't against having my hair cut by a guy, I just never had run across that before. This one didn't fit the stereotype of a male hairstylist. He was no older than 22, I'd say, not flitting around the salon, kind of moody and serious, cutting my hair in "artiste" mode like creating a sculpture, stepping back to study it, no chit chat whatsoever. It was a bit hard not to laugh at all the seriousness, but I let him give me long layers which I hadn't had in a while (it was all one length) and it turned out really well. I guess all that attention to detail paid off. I really like the new colorist. She's young too, probably the same age, very light blonde hair, cute, with a few piercings and small tattoos. Everyone in that place was edgy yet gorgeous, so I felt like I was in good hands.

Anyway, the colorist lightened up the all over brown color to make it more neutral and gave me more noticeable blonde highlights. They also are one of the three salons in the area to carry my favorite Kerastase line now, so I will be going back. It's back in the price range of the place I was going for awhile that I ultimately ended up firing because of too many blah color services, but it's OK because I'm happy with the results and I feel like I'm getting a more up to date look. I'll have Jim take some pictures. I have the wedding shower for Jim's cousin Jane at 11:30 so maybe when I get ready for that, if I can blow dry the layers right.

Yesterday afternoon didn't go according to plan. It was supposed to be my cooking debut, but Jim got involved with a new house project that I ended up helping him with (a little) and time kind of got away from us being able to sit down with the recipe book and come up with a list of things to make. It was 5 pm before we knew it, and were both starving, so we just went to the local Pan-Asian place, Bok Choy. We agreed to start Monday and the tentative plan is that he's going to cook two days, I'm going to cook two days, and the rest can be out if we want. Friday night we had ended up going out for some Delaware oysters.

This non-cooking thing is a more firmly entrenched issue than I realized. Not to blame it all on him, but Jim either likes to eat a big breakfast (eggs, sausage, ham, etc.) or no breakfast at all, whereas I always eat breakfast every day, but just a yogurt and maybe some fruit or oatmeal or sometimes Special K or Wheaties. So then I'm hungry at lunchtime and I usually eat a salad with either shrimp or chicken on it, or a Lean Cuisine, or if he hasn't eaten breakfast that day, I'll go to a deli with him for lunch and eat a turkey sandwich or something like that. If he's only eaten (the crazy big) breakfast, then he won't eat lunch, but then he's starving at 5 pm when I usually leave work, and picks me up there (as we're sharing the car and live 5 minutes from my office) and then wants to eat anything that's not tacked down. It's hard to avoid this cycle. Not making excuses, but I need to realize that this is going to take time to change.

Anyway, the house project that started at about 2 pm yesterday was a redo of the laundry room and the creation of a new workshop for Jim in the basement. Right now, all of his tools and stuff have been sharing space with everything else in the garage, and he decided it would help clear out the garage if he could make a separate space for the tools. He probably does something with all of these tools at least once a day, and he probably has as big of a collection of them as I do sewing and knitting stuff. We had this huge countertop thing in our laundry room which made fitting the ironing board and just walking around a challenge, which he ripped out yesterday. We weren't using it and it was always covered with stuff (extra laundry soap, etc. etc. etc.) He took it out and we discovered we had an extra water hookup behind the back wall of the cabinet. This is going to be great, as we're going to put in a new utility sink where I can do my handwashing for my knits and other handwashables. I've been using our big tub in the bathroom, and that's been less than convenient, as I actually have to get into it with the knits, and the water is usually freezing so as to avoid felting, shrinking, etc.

I didn't take a picture of what the laundry room looked like before, but basically that gaping hole is where the counter top used to be. Excuse the unholy mess. There's no way to really crop out all that junk and still show the whole room.

A (nonstandard sized) ironing board was to the left of that counter, so it could be a challenge to squeeze in there if there was any laundry stacked up. We're going to get a new ironing board that can be hung on the wall and come down where the counter used to be, as it is exactly as long as a standard size ironing board.

Then I helped him move the counter in two huge pieces, down two flights of stairs to the basement. He had it strapped on this hand truck thing he has but I helped support it underneath as we went down each stair. He didn't ask me to help, as he never does, but I was afraid it was going to fall off of the cart and make a crater in the hardwood floor on the main floor.

This is the destination of the countertop thing - Jim made this little "room" in a section of the unfinished part of the basement with drywall on Friday (part of why I think he was so starving when he picked me up, as he had eaten breakfast, then hung drywall all day.)

That thing on the right is the side of our 2nd refrigerator/freezer (it is the one that was in the kitchen when we moved in that we replaced with a stainless one) which we will be using a lot more when we make things in bigger quantities to freeze, like soup. He makes more of stuff like chili now, but we just need to do that kind of thing more often.

Here's FatKat on top of another in-process project - replacement of half of the roof, with the skylights that were in that section, and the gutters. Sorry about the blurry picture - she looked like she was going to run away so I wanted to snap the picture quickly before she did.

Jim is kind of more the "general contractor" on this project, getting the materials and hiring the guys to do it, but still a lot of work. That should be done within the next month.

Now for something a little prettier after those construction pictures- my flowers are coming up on the walkway:

Apparently the rabbits didn't eat all my tulip bulbs, although they seemed to be making good work of it whenever I caught them:

If you made it through that marathon post, congratulations! I'm off to do my workout and get ready for the shower now. I hope it's not too torturous, but I'm ready for the worst.

New Kim Hargreaves Book

I had mentioned earlier this week that I bought what WAS the latest Kim Hargreaves book. However, this morning, I received an email notification that her newest spring book is out called Nectar.

Taking a look at some of the new designs, I see that they are very much in line with the trends for the season, including flouncy hems with or without ruffles, deep-V pullovers and one button cardigans that button lower on the body than previously, and roomy sleeves. There really seems to be something for everyone with the bolero length still holding on for a few designs, some tunic length tops and regular mid length sweaters. A few of the designs look very much like the ones seen in the Spring '08 issue of Interweave Knits, and a few others are reminiscent of recent Zephyr Style designs like Juliet.

I tend to really like the cropped sweaters layered with long tops underneath or the long lengths by themselves, as I think those are the biggest departure from the same old, same old look, and they personally work well on my short waisted figure. When I do mid-length sweaters they can tend to aggravate the short waistedness if they're even a little bit off. This is another reason I love being able to make my own sweaters because RTW sweaters never fit me exactly right.

I see that the the in-depth collection view for the Heartfelt collection that I bought last weekend has now been removed from the site, so I'll try to take some pictures of it to show.

Weekend plans - this is the last full day Friday at work that we'll have for awhile as our "summer hours" start next week. We basically work a little extra from Monday through Thursday and then close the office at 12:30 on Fridays. This year it is planned to run from May through the end of September, and I can't wait for those half days to start!

Tonight I'm just going to work on some sewing projects, most likely, and tomorrow morning I am trying another new hair salon that just opened up on our main street, then we are probably going over to Jim's aunt's house for a visit (and to borrow her power-washer as power washing the decks is one of Jim's upcoming planned projects.) Then we'll make a stop over at Whole Foods and shop for my debut cooking night that night. After that, probably more sewing, or maybe some knit project finishing that day. Sunday at 11:30 I have a wedding shower to go to for one of Jim's cousins, Jane, who is getting married in July. So that is pretty much my weekend - a bit more "scheduled" than usual, but reasonable.

What are your weekend plans?

New Challenge

Lately I've been looking at the insane amount of money Jim and I have been spending on dining out and saying, how could we change this and eat healthier at the same time? I've tried doing the Lean Cuisine and Nutrisystem thing and it works well for me, but not for our relationship. Meals are a time when we like to connect and when I'm eating some frozen entree and he's eating some fast food takeout, it doesn't really fit the bill. Right now Jim is still working on house projects, but he's been pretty busy with them, and hasn't had the time to spend on cooking that he used to. The other problem is Jim learned how to cook from his mom and his aunt, who were both used to cooking for a houseful of people. Neither of us really know how to cook "real food" for two people. Some of this would get easier when we get the gas grill back in rotation, but we actually have a grill on top of our stove, so there's no excuse for not grilling seafood or chicken or even other types of meat (that I'm not as keen on, but I eat once in awhile.)

So, I decided to order a cookbook on cooking for two online. It arrived yesterday, and I love that it has nutritional info on every dish and the dishes look easy to prepare and importantly, like things both of us would actually eat (as well as being lower calorie and low fat.) I want to try to cook something from the book on one day on the weekend and one weekday per week. So nothing crazy or anything, but for me, a dramatic departure as I have never done any cooking for the two of us. Ever.

If left to my own devices I would just eat sandwiches and pasta with parmesan cheese and takeout sushi all the time, but I want to learn more about cooking seafood, chicken and meat. Saturday will be the first day I try it. I'm going to make something with fresh fish, and will go to Whole Foods that day and pick out some fish that looks tasty. We'll still eat stuff like sushi out (probably still once a week like now) but I want to cut out the extra $100 dinners that are really nothing fabulous. Not showing off, just explaining just how out of control it's gotten. I've been lucky enough to be able to sustain this craziness without any financial pain, but I just feel like it needs to stop for both financial and health reasons.

Anyway, wish me luck with my new adventure!

On the knitting front, I need to find an inspiring project. I finished the knitting on the Swing Top and Tea Rose Halter and just need to do the finishing/blocking on each. I like how they both turned out. I've been more motivated to sew lately, and last night I actually got motivated to sew at night, which never happens. Usually I only have enough energy to sew in the morning/daytime, so I would wait til the weekend to do it. Now I am feeling a lot more confident about sewing and am feeling like I will be cranking out the projects very soon.

Did you see the new SKC nominations posted? I like Dayflower and the short-sleeved version of Labyrinth best. I am sure once that KAL starts up again I will get my summer knitting mojo going in full force.

Virtual Vacation

Today we're visiting the big island of Hawaii, on the volcano side. The time? March 2006. This was part of a cruise we did that started out in Los Angeles and sailed to the Hawaiian islands, visited each for a day, then sailed back.

The big focus of this day was a helicopter flight, the first for both Jim and myself.

Blue Hawaiian Helicopters is the tour company we used and they have their own hangar/terminal for takeoff/landing. At the terminal, they weighed us to determine seating on the helicopters. The helicopters seat five adults, with specific seats assigned depending on weight, within constraints of the overall weight limit. Jim and I were clearly the lightest (he weighs about 25-30 pounds more than I do, which I probably shouldn't admit) and got to sit up front with the pilot (the best seats in the house as there are windows all around, in every direction).

Here's me sitting next to the pilot:

First we flew over our ship, Celebrity Infinity:

and over the port as a whole

to Kilauea, an active volcano in Hawaii in Volcanoes National Park.

As it was daytime, we didn't see dramatic spouting lava, but we could see some on the ground:

The volcanic ash beaches were dramatic against the beautiful blue-green water, and I really loved those views:

7 Random Things

Chrispy tagged me for the 7 Random Things meme, so I'm playing along.

The rules are:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

7 Things About Me: Some of My Favorite Things

I have been crabby lately so I am going to keep the emphasis on the positive and focus on my favorite things for this round of this meme. I’ve done it a number of times before, but I never did it with this theme, so here goes.

1.I would love to live on a beach (wouldn’t everyone?) I love the sound of the waves hitting the beach and to me it is the most relaxing place in the world.

2.My favorite (wild) animal is the tiger. I love every type of big cat, but the white tigers are so adorable. I love how they do things that remind me of domestic cats and kittens.

3.I’d love to go back to Southern Italy and Capri and spend some time there. I found it to be one of the most beautiful places in the world.

4.I love knit fabric. There are so many gorgeous prints available that I can’t wait to take the class I have coming up on the subject and gain some confidence to start cranking out some great dresses and tops.

5.I love the feeling of an entire day of free time stretched out ahead of me. No worries, nothing to do, just a whole day of unstructured, unplanned time. I find myself to be the most creative when I have no agenda.

6.I actually love being in my (ahem, mid) 30s now. I would never want to relive any previous time period of my life, not that it was so awful, but just that I’ve moved on and learned from the past. I feel so much more at ease with myself and in my own skin now. I’ve learned what works for me and what doesn’t work for me and I’m not afraid to listen to my instincts.

7.Oh geez, after all of that drama, I have to throw in something lighthearted. My favorite coffee is either Starbucks Skinny Vanilla Latte or Skinny White Mocha. I wish we had a Starbucks in our building. I usually only do coffee on the weekends so I’m making do with Sugar-Free Red Bull this morning.

I'm not going to tag anyone specifically, but feel free to play along if you are inspired to do so!

Remainder of Weekend Update

I finished the Tea Rose Halter on Saturday afternoon (although I still have to wash it to see how far lengthwise it is going to "grow".) I decided I was going to wear this with white pants and a white tank layered underneath it with thicker straps. As I didn't have a layering piece in my closet that fit that description, I decided to make one. I picked up this pattern:

and made a muslin of the version in the upper right. It looked like it was going to be kind of boxy, but the muslin actually fits perfectly. I was able to make the muslin in about a half hour, so this should be quick. I'm going to make it in plain white cotton broadcloth. It's exciting to think in terms of outfits now - I can knit one piece then sew something to go with it, or vice versa. I'm getting into it.

I also got my kit of knit swatches for my Understanding Knit Fabrics class, and labeled them all with my P-Touch labelmaker. I am going to put this thing to more use in spring organizing projects.

I went to Wool and Company with Heather yesterday and picked up the newest Kim Hargreaves book. I had been eyeing it for a while, and there are some really cute patterns in there. After shopping, we tried a local restaurant that had outdoor seating on a rooftop terrace. It was great to be able to sit outside in the sun!! I am so looking forward to more warm weather!

I also picked up Twinkle's Big City Knits on Saturday at Barnes & Noble as I had a 25% coupon. I know the sizing looks goofy in the book, but I really like some of the designs. She is kind of in the same genre as the Loop D Loop books (as far as chunky knits) but the construction makes a lot of sense and the patterns are well-written and logical. I had a lot of fun with that Tea Rose Halter and found out that Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece makes a great chunky fabric when held doubled. It's not too bulky and drapes nicely, and is not too hot. I plan on using it to make some of the designs in the book, even those that call for wool.

On the Swing Top I talked about a week ago, I am done except for the shoulder seams and neck/armhole pickups. I wasn't in a finishing mood so I didn't work on it this weekend. Last night, I did start the Captiva Tee (thanks Katie! I am finally getting to this after receiving it from you in my first Secret Pal round!) with my Lotus Yarns Nirvana Worsted in "Wish You Were Here" as I needed some mindless knitting. Mindless knitting is almost like a requirement for me for during the week after work, or on weekend nights. I wouldn't knit half as much as I do if I didn't always have a project like that on the needles. I guess I need a lot of "zen" time to zone out and calm my mind. That's why that "knitting is the new yoga" cliche really is true for me. There are times I want to challenge my mind with my hobbies (and usually? that's with sewing projects for me lately as those aren't relaxing, more like engaging and engrossing) but much of the time relaxation is the goal.

I started my newest audiobook, Spin, yesterday, and after a slow start (probably the first 20 minutes) I am totally into it (hence another need for the mindless knitting.)

I've decided not to artificially limit the number of knitting and sewing projects I work on (not that I have been doing that much of that anyway.) I feel like I'm constrained if I do, whereas the more different options I have with projects, the better I feel.

So that's the update! How was YOUR weekend?

New Project!

I decided to start a new project last night. I am using two skeins of Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in CW-790 (Columbine Blossom) held together, and with that I got both stitch and row gauge on the recommended needles - a rarity for me! I went with the 31" size as Twinkle's designs always stretch a lot. I considered even going with the 27" shown on the model, but decided that might be a little too much for it to stretch.

I don't know how many skeins of yarn I'll ultimately need, as the pattern is written for Twinkle Cruise, with FOUR strands held together. I did some research on this yarn and it is light DK weight; therefore, I thought I'd try two strands of BSCF with the thought that I might need three to get the gauge. Nope! It worked perfectly on the first try. I will need two more skeins at the most, as I am between 1/2 and 2/3 of the way through both skeins and have just started the waist ribbing (yeah, gotta love those size 11 needles!) Perfect new mindless project; I started it at the beginning of Atonement (the book is much much better) and ended at the end of Kramer vs. Kramer (another Netflix movie I had never seen when it was originally out in the 70s.)

Here's a picture:

although the color is actually really like this:

Blue seems to be really hard for me to photograph well!

Oh, and based on the results of the poll, I will go with Fabric #3 for that dress!

At first I thought a bigger print might be too much, but I think a smaller print might be too cutesy for that design. So I'm going to trust you all! I already have two potential pairs of summer shoes picked out to go with it:

(more of a butter-yellow color)

(more of a bright neon yellow than green)

or gold? I think I like this best, actually.

What do you think?