I've been wanting to make a hat that the boys in my life would LOVE. Jane mentioned that this was her go to pattern for her guys so I decided to give it a try. I sent a photo to my Charlie and he was all in! I'm glad I asked him to choose the color as I would have gone with a totally different color scheme.
I ordered the yarn from Monarch Yarn and literally had it in two days.  The yarn was on the needles that night and off the needles 6 days later.  Truly a enjoyable, quick knit!
I've mentioned before that I love my new faux leather tags but decide to omit it from this project.  I didn't want it to look like Charlie had his name sewn on his cap as to not loose it. 😂

We traveled to Big Sky Montana last weekend to see Charlie as he is working there for the winter.  (Living his dream as a ski instructor!)  That place is gorgeous.  And I was so happy to see that the morning walk hat even fits under a ski helmet!

Pattern:  Morning Walk Hat
Yarn:  1 skein Woolfolk TYND, 1 skein Woolfolk SNO
Needle:  US 3 and US 4
Size:  Large

Here's the thing to remember about your knitting. You can always make it a size or sometimes 2 bigger!
My mom always taught me not to sweat the small stuff in life.  And that refers to my knitting!  I knew when I was working on this sweater that it was going to be too small.  But I forged ahead because of some of the basic knowledge I have regarding my knitting.  Blocking can be magical!
This sweater was too small.  I mean like really too small!  I could never have even worn a t-shirt under it let alone a blouse.  However, if you wet your project and lay it flat, pinned to the measurement you are trying to achieve, magic really does happen!  You must, and I mean must, let it completely dry.  Resist the urge to unpin it.  Trust me.  I have unpinned sweaters just to try them on and things can get a bit wonky.

This is a pattern I came up with a while ago.  It is intended for a solid color, but I didn't have enough of any one color so decided to combine a few colors from my stash.   The yarn was from a few of my Knitcrates.   I started off with the neutral and then I changed stripes whenever I felt the urge.  I did match the sleeve pattern to the stripe pattern in the body.  Not my usual color pallet, but I think I will get some wear out of this sweater.  Heck, I'm wearing it as I'm typing this! :)

I plan on writing this pattern up and making it one of those sweaters that encourage knitters to trust themselves and get creative.  Make the pattern unique and a one of a kind!

BEFORE.
Yes.  This sweater came out way too small.  It's too tight just about everywhere.  But I wanted to remind you that beautiful things can happen when you block a sweater.
I gave the sweater a quick hand wash, rung it gently in the sink and then rolled it in a towel.  Stepped on it several times and did a little dance.  Changed towels and repeated.   I then stretched my sweater so that it would be about a 40"- 42" when it was finished drying.  Pinned it in place to let it dry to those measurements.
I tried it on this morning, and I can honestly say I love it!
I'll be back next week to show you the AFTER.  😊

Happy Weekend!  Happy Knitting!

I'm sure like you, I have a list of things I want to make this year. Also on my list is to use up some of my ever growing stash yarn.
I had a couple of skeins of the natural color and really wanted to make a solid sweater using this oatmeal yarn. (Hello, beautiful natural color!)  However, a couple of skeins wasn't enough to make a sweater.  I fought the urge to get online and order a couple more skeins.   The voice inside my head told me to use what I had.  To make it work.  I had a skein each of the green and the purple.  But, I wasn't sure if I liked these colors. (Hello favorite colors natural, black and grey.) I went back and forth but in the end, I decided to listen to the voice.  I'm not sure exactly how I will like this.  Or how I will wear it.  (Usually one of the first things is envisioning the outfit)  But, I am going with it.  I started a sleeve yesterday and since I'm at my mom's, I plan on trying to finish it this week!  Fingers crossed.

I have to get going on some other things on my list!

I posted my granola recipe a while ago and mentioned how I loved to use it to sprinkle on top of my smoothie bowls. I also mentioned that I would share the recipes. I feel terrible it's taken so long!
I'll share more as we go along, but this is my favorite as of late.
The Vitamix is truly the key.  I don't know what I would do without it.  I use it on a daily basis, and most days more than once a day!

Banana Mango Smoothie Bowl
serves 2
2 Frozen Banana's, cut into pieces
2 cups Frozen Mango chunks
1/4 cup water

Blend in Vitamix until creamy.  You will have to use the tamper tool and this may take about 5 minutes to get it this creamy.  You can add a Tablespoon of water at a time.  But you don't want to add too much water.  You want a thick bowl, not a soupy bowl.

Top with granola and other fruit.  Enjoy! 😋

I love a clean slate. A fresh start. A new day.  A new year.
I love new goals.  Looking forward to discovering new things.
Cheers to my sweet friends to knit with.  May 2020 be everything YOU want it to be.

xx, leslie

The only item I knit as Christmas gifts:

Project:  Beatrice Mitts
Yarn:  Trench Coat by Turtlepurl
Needle:  US2
Labels:  Custom faux leather labels