YOP: Week 48

     I finished and mailed my swap package so I'll show off my hat.  I took a quick poorly lit picture before I blocked it and then neglected to get a good picture before I mailed it.

The color is brighter and more vibrant in real life.  This is the free pattern Lake Reed.  The only modification I made was to make the brim shorter.  As I mentioned in my last YOP post I did a tubular cast on for the first time for this hat.  There was a link to a tutorial in the pattern and the tutorial was a good one.  It was a fun pattern and I really like how it turned out.  I may use a true worsted weight when I do this pattern again.  The pattern calls for a DK weight, but the gauge is what I normally knit worsted at.  I could have gone down at least one needle size for the Mal Rios; I prefer to knit it at a bit tighter gauge.  Either way I was really happy with how this turned out.  I hope my recipient likes it.

I've started the project for my next swap but I don't have any pictures yet.  I'm using a bunch of scrap yarns and its a quick pattern so I'll probably make a few extra to have on hand.  

My husband has also asked me to make something for his aunt.  I can count on one hand the amount of times my husband has asked me to knit something so of course I'm already in the planning stages.  I need to get some more yarn..... oh rats... whatever shall I do.  That's about it for me on the crafting front.  I'm going to sew something for the current swap so more on that once I've done it.

It's snowed more here.  I think its going to stick now being December, essentially.  The kids have been out on the Kitty Cat snowmobile that my husband finished rebuilding.  We bought it right before our daughter was born.  Once my husband started working on it he found out it was going to take more than he wanted to put into it.  We moved with it a couple times then he gave it to his uncle who likes to putter around with small engines.  A month or two ago he called up my husband to tell him he had gotten it running and we could have it back if we wanted.  We picked it up and they had a hard time getting it started again so my husband took a look at it again here at our place.  Everything was original and it's a 1980.  He figured out that the engine had hydro-locked after they had gotten it running at his uncle's place so he decided to put a new slightly more powerful crate engine in it instead of entirely ripping apart a 45 year old engine.  It took him a couple weeks and some serious modifications but he got it all set for the kids.  It still could use a new track and possibly some better skis, but its great for just making circles around the house.  They've been having a blast with it.  Until later.

-Q