The Husband and I took a nice little mini-vacation to San Antonio recently. We knew San Antonio in August was going to be warm. What we did not know was that we were in for record. setting. heat. The highs were like 104.

We went to Fiesta Texas the first day and rode nearly everything we wanted to before we gave up and left for our hotel. There we relaxed in the shaded lazy river and I decided that I’m no longer as young as I once was. The lazy river turned out to be much more my thing.

Thursday, we went to Sea World with a plan. We checked out the penguins, hung out with dolphins, watched the Pet show featuring rescue animals and caught the water ski show (I get to cross “see live water ski pyramid” off my life list). Then we headed back to the AC.
 

Friday, we headed to the zoo. The hippos were down in the water except for their noses and seemed like the smartest animals in the place. The hippo viewing room was air conditioned so we spent a lot of time admiring this view (hippo butts).
 

On the way home, we hit the Local Yarn Shop, Yarnivore, and I got Black Pearl Yarn that is made with. wait for it. actual pearls! see!


…and The Husband picked up a hank of Malabrigo Rasta (Paris Night) and asked what I’d make out of it. “A hat.”, I promptly replied and he agreed that he’d like a hat knit out of it. I’d have purchased two if they’d had them, but figured I could get a hat out of 90 yards if I was careful.


I was, but just barely careful enough.
This yarn is thicker than the pattern called for, so I got gauge with size 15’s. Then I dropped down to 13’s and started the hat.
The hat was way too big. I dropped to 11’s and decreased the stitches around the head to 54.
That fit. I decided to start the decreases early so I’d have enough yarn, which just to be clear, is sheer lunacy if you want a hat to fit. I finished the hat with plenty of yarn, but it was too small for The Husband’s head, so I ripped out all the decreases and added the required pattern repeat and one extra then started the decreases every other row, not per the pattern instructions.
And a la peanut butter sandwiches!

(I talked The Husband into wearing a jacket while it is 95 out for the picture. He’s a good sport.)

…and just in case you’re curious, I had exactly 12.75 inches of yarn left (and that was from the cast on edge). That’s as close as I’ve ever cut it.

Ps. Check out what others have finished at:
Tami’s Amis

Wisdom begins in Wonder

Natural Suburbia

I just finished reading The Selection and The Elite by Kiera Cass. These books were quite a bit better than I expected. The characters have some depth and there are political and moral dilemas. I do get frustrated with love triangles that go on for three full books, but what can you do, that seems to be the style right now. Here’s hoping Aspen imprints on someone else in the third book. (yea, I’m Team Maxon.)


In the meantime, I’ll be knitting. starting with these tiny green socks for my favorite 3 year old. Said 3 year old SELECTED the Cricket colorway (see what I did there). The yarn is Spud & Chloe fine sock yarn (80% wool and 20% silk). I love the feel of it and I’ll be using it in future to show off some sharp cables and lace patterns. But, the crisp stitch definition is a double-edged sword because it sure doesn’t hide mistakes.

To see what others are working on, check out:
Tami’s Amis
Small Things
Frontier Dreams

Ps.Last night, Sydney slept in my lap while I knit and watched Suits on tv. It was a lovely evening!

I thought the second appley sock was going to be boring after that first hiccup, but at some point, I lost track of where I was in the chart and all of a sudden, I had an extra row of zigs where there should have been zags. Not to worry, I ripped a couple of rows and all was right with the world again.


I must confess that I love these little socks. I don’t know if it was the yummy yarn or the smooth pattern or that people far and wide have been admiring them or fond thoughts of the person they’re going to live with, but even with the rough patches, I really enjoyed knitting these lovelies. I felt like a process knitter for once in my life.


Pattern: Lycaena virgaureae Sock by Hunter Hammersen
Yarn: Schaefer Yarn Company Heather (love it. This stuff is right up there with Handmaiden Casbah.)
Colorway: Apple Green
Needles: 2.5mm for the leg, 2.25mm for the foot.
Pair 12 in my 100 sock journey.

Ps. Check out what others have finished at:
Tami’s Amis

Wisdom begins in Wonder

Natural Suburbia