Again, I've gone more than a month in between postings. Well, the holidays were thrown somewhere there in the middle, as well as a trip back to Maine to visit with family, but I still should have managed to post. It's not like I didn't have anything to write about, it's just that I didn't have the desire to sit down and write. I wish there was a way that I could have a mind-reading dictation and transcription system, because my ideas for blog posts usually come to me when I'm nowhere near a computer. Ah, well, I don't think that will happen anytime soon, so you get silence instead. I actually did start a post last night, but wouldn't you know it, the power went out, erasing my post in progress!
I know the holidays were a month ago, but I do hope that you all had a good time. The kids and I flew to Maine to be with family. I was freaking out about flying overseas with the kids, but it turns out that most of my fear was for nothing. There were a few incidents that made the trip a little more difficult, but nothing major. The worst part was that airport staff (in every airport we were in) were terribly rude, and completely unwilling to help. Luckily, fellow passengers were quite helpful, so we made it through. I guess the frantic-looking mother with two kids and many suitcases in tow looked like she needed help :) The actual stay in Maine was also somewhat stressful, mainly because both my parents and in-laws live in the same city, so I was constantly badgered by one side or the other about who I was spending more time with. So much fun. Overall, it was nice to be back home, and for the kids to see both sets of grandparents, as well as their great-grandmother. They also got to play in the snow, which is something we haven't been able to do in our part of Germany in the past two years.
Now that we're back in our own house, and have returned to our normal routine, things are much easier. We've been pretty busy with school activities and birthday parties (why does it seem like there is one to go to every single weekend?), though this month still feels like it's dragging. Travis is due home sometime in February, and these final weeks of the deployment are agonizingly slow. I think it's worse on his end, though, because he's stuck in a holding pattern right now, and their return date is constantly being pushed back. He will get home at some point, so it's simply a matter of waiting.
While I wait to see my husband once again, I'm trying to finish up some of my knitting projects that have been in progress for far too long. I spent the first two weeks of January working hard to finish up my Central Park Hoodie. It wasn't the project that had been on the needles the longest, but it was the closest to completion, so it only made sense to finish it up first.
Pattern: Central Park Hoodie by Heather Lodinsky, from Knitscene Fall 06 (Ravelry link)
Yarn: Valley Yarns Williamstown #06 (9 balls)
Needles: 4.0mm and 5.0mm circulars
Time to complete: Cast on 29 Nov 07, finished and blocked 20 Jan 08
I can see now why this pattern is so popular. First of all, it's a fairly simple knit. It has plenty of stockinette, plus the addition of the cables to keep things interesting. It seems to be very flattering for many different body types, and now that the sizes in the pattern have been expanded, I imagine even more people will be knitting this. When I first started the project, I was unsure of how good it would look in the yarn I chose. I was afraid that the tweedy bits were too colorful and overpowering. I decided to press on, and am so glad I did. The finished hoodie fits perfectly, and I really like the color, tweedy bits and all. This was my first time using any of the Valley Yarns line, and I think that it's a great deal for the money. The durability is tough to determine at this point, since I just finished, but it has been washed and blocked twice (once in pieces, then again when the hood and button bands were added), and shows no sign of pilling or wear. I would definitely use this yarn again, perhaps for a sweater for Zippy.
In addition to the new sweater, I also finished a pair of socks earlier this month (plus a pair that I finished before Christmas, but never blogged).
Pattern: plain vanilla sock, knit top-down over 60 stitches
Yarn: my handspun
Needles: 2.5mm Addi circulars
Basic socks in fun colors, from a handspun yarn that I love.
Finally, my Loksins!
Pattern: Loksins! by Cassandra Thoreson
Yarn: Have you any wool (hey, that's me!) superwash merino in Tomato
Needles: 2.5mm Knitpicks circulars
These socks didn't take me long at all. I really enjoyed the pattern, and I think it looks great in red. I have a lot of red clothing in my wardrobe, so these socks have already gotten a lot of wear. Methinks I need to knit more red socks ;)
I'm working on reskeining a bunch of sock yarn that I dyed up last weekend, so be on the lookout for an Etsy update sometime this coming weekend!
Your CPH looks terrific on you. Great yarn choice. I'm glad you posted - I worry about you when you don't!
Posted by: Carole | 01/24/2008 at 01:03 AM
Welcome home. Your sweater looks wonderful, and I'd been curious about the Williamstown yarn, maybe I'll have to try some.
Posted by: PumpkinMama | 01/24/2008 at 01:21 AM
Just love the hoodie. I pushed it down my queue a while ago, but now I think I want to bring it back up to the top! You're always doing that to me. You're so darn inspiring. =0)
Posted by: katie | 01/24/2008 at 02:33 AM
Beautiful CPH! I've had this on my list of things I want to knit and seeing yours just confirms that desire.
I've also been knitting with a different yarn from Valley Yarns (Northampton) and I'm very impressed with how nicely it knits up.
Posted by: Toby | 01/24/2008 at 02:49 AM
Ahh, family! ;o) So glad you made it through. Your CPH looks awesome, as do your handspun socks. Love the colors!
Posted by: elizabeth | 01/24/2008 at 03:32 AM
Welcome back! You are a brave, brave woman. I won't even take my kids to the grocery store.
I LOVE your CPH. I've been planning on doing that one for the longest time, and I've bought three different yarns for it, but none of them really seem to suit it. You're right--it does fit you perfectly, and it's beautiful. Great job!
Posted by: Suzanne V. (Yarnhog) | 01/24/2008 at 04:12 AM
Wow, your CPH came out wonderful! It fits you perfectly and it's a great color for you. Your newest socks are awesome too. I especially like the handspun ones of course.
Glad things are calmer for you now. The holiday's can be brutal.
Posted by: Karen | 01/24/2008 at 04:19 AM
oh wow love the CPH!! Must be in the air again because I am itching to start mine. Great job!
Posted by: Peacock Chic | 01/24/2008 at 04:34 AM
Your CPH looks wonderful! I love the tweedy bits, too.
I hope time speeds up for you while you wait for your husband to get home. I can see why the last weeks would be so hard.
Posted by: Beth | 01/24/2008 at 06:01 AM
Just this weekend I pulled out my Loksins in progress! I really need to work on them. Yours are beautiful! Also, I totally love the sweater. I haven't gotten past the ribbing on the back piece...should get that going again too. You inspire me. =)
See you on Friday!
Posted by: Faith | 01/24/2008 at 07:30 AM
Love the sweater! I think I might make one exactly like it. Is the yarn still soft?
Posted by: mel | 01/24/2008 at 07:35 AM
Well Happy New Year to you! Glad to see you've posted as I really enjoy your blog!
Didn't realize you weren't in the states, but so glad you got to visit with family!
Love that hoodie and the socks! FANTASTIC!
Posted by: HobbyMommy | 01/24/2008 at 08:35 AM
The knitwear looks great! I would so be going crazy waiting for the hubby to get home. I'll be wishing him and the rest of his (group?) safe and speedy travels.
Posted by: Carrie | 01/24/2008 at 10:08 AM
the hoodie is beautiful, I was thinking about using that yarn too... Hope Maine was great, sounds like being home is great too... sure hope your husband's return comes Fast! (Nice to read your words again...)
Posted by: Liz | 01/25/2008 at 04:37 AM
Wow, that hoodie looks great on you and the color, too! I like the tweedy bits as well -- just a bit of color and texture to add some oomph. I'm not normally a hoodie person, but I think you convinced me to give this one a try :)
And of course, I love the socks!
Glad to hear that you made it through the holidays with both of the families ... and the airports with kids in tow. Before you know it, T(ravis)-Day will arrive and we'll have to wait another month before we hear from you again :)
Posted by: Dina | 01/25/2008 at 06:07 AM
This turned out beautifully on you! Glad you had a fun time with your family!
Posted by: tiennie | 01/25/2008 at 09:58 AM
Ah, family! I'm so impressed that you travel with the two little ones all by yourself... wow. Supermama!
As for the CPH, it has been on my wishlist for quite a while now and I'm glad to hear a review of the Valley Yarn. I've heard some folks say that the CPH runs a bit small and that they wished they'd chosen a larger size; what's your opinion? Yours fits impeccably, as usual. I'd love to achieve a similar fit, fitted without button gapage.
I'm so glad Travis' return is soon. It must be wonderful to look forward to, yet agonizing to wait for. xo
Posted by: Karma | 01/25/2008 at 01:07 PM
CPH looks wonderful - great choice of yarn to go with that pattern.
so glad that the trip back home worked out (despite the tug of visiting multiple family members all at once)
I hope that your visit with your husband is soon.
Posted by: Teyani | 01/25/2008 at 04:33 PM
Your CPH is absolutely amazing. You did a fabulous job with it. I think the bright bits in the yarn are my favorite. Great choice.
Posted by: Macoco | 01/26/2008 at 03:39 AM
I like your hoodie and the yarn looks great. The little specks of color give it some more pep.
Posted by: Angelika | 01/26/2008 at 08:28 AM
What a beautiful sweater- the fit is fantastic as usual and it's so wonderfully made - your attention to detail is superb! =)
Posted by: keri | 01/27/2008 at 08:17 AM
The CPH looks totally fantastic on you! I love the tweedy yarn choice too.
Posted by: Cheryl | 01/31/2008 at 03:09 AM
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Posted by: Teyani | 01/31/2008 at 06:10 AM