Merry Christmas!

I have to admit, this is a really low-key Christmas this year. The Brain and I don't know anyone in the area so it's just the two of us. I have 11 brothers and sisters and this is the first time I haven't made it home for Christmas so you can imagine the difference between the two. Plus, it's in the 70s here but freezing and snowy back home in Minneapolis, so it doesn't even feel Christmasy outside.

Oh well. Hopefully I can make it back there next year.

In the meantime, I have been making some progress on my Dollar and a Half Cardigan.

Blocking the back:
















Look, no Michelin effect!
















The sides were a different story. They are both knit using different stitch patterns, so it was kind of hard to figure out how long I should make them. I ended up making the one on the left a bit too long, but I can just rip out the extra rows once it's done blocking.





















I was in such a blocky mood that I even hauled out last summer's MS3 and blocked that. It took FOREVER to pin it out, and in the end I think I stretched it to the breaking point, but it dried quickly and looks just fine.

It's not perfect, but I can live with not perfect. I just have to figure out what to do with it now. I am REALLY not a lacy shawl person, so I was thinking of giving it to one of my sisters...but none of them are lacy shawl people either. My grandparents just emailed me today to let me know that they will be in town in January to visit one of my grandpa's cousins (or some other distant relative who I had never heard of until I moved here). Maybe I'll give it to her. She's incredibly old and it's alpaca so it is both lightweight and warm.

I'm super excited because I ordered some yarn from Webs' clearance sale, and The Brain paid for some of it. Yay! Free yarn! I can't wait for it to get here so I can start working with it as soon as the Dollar 1/2 is done.

Merry Christmas, everyone!