The "Angela" Top

We just returned from a little trip to Yellowstone National Park. It was a great time. We camped at a fun KOA, where we enjoyed swimming in the large pool, eating their homemade fudge and riding around on a 4-seater bicycle. We spent the first day at "Quake Lake".

It is an eerie place, even after 54 years. It is the location where in August of 1959, an earthquake happened in the middle of the night, in the Madison River Valley in Montana. 19 campers were camping in the the canyon that night, and all lives were lost. A lake formed as a result of the earthquake, which still holds many standing dead trees. It is strangely quiet there.

The next few days were spent travelling through the Park, where we saw buffalo, elk, antelope and geese. Old Faithful is a usual favorite, and we really enjoyed the Tetons. We took some pictures from the most photographed spot in the United States.

During the trip, I was able to finally finish the test knit of my latest pattern. The "Angela" Top.  Inspired by a top worn by my co-worker, "Angela".  Here she is while still in the knitting process, complete with bobbins to hold the excess cast-on yarn, to be used for sewing up the neck casings.

I finally decided on a scarf, which was neither of the choices I previously posted. This one is light and airy, and the floral design adds a lighter feel than the two I had considered before. Let me know what you think?

The travelling rib design adds a shapely feel to the garment.  It is extremely stretchy, so only two sizes will be offered with the pattern (Small/Medium and Large/XL) I'm hoping to have the pattern finalized and published on Ravelry, you can find it here on Ravelry.com .

Knit of Fyberspates, Scrumptious in DK Sport (grass green) on size 6 needles, it worked up quickly, and was really fun to knit.  I plan to wear my "Angela" with a long-sleeved turtleneck or tee, but I'm sure it would look great without it.  The armholes could be adjusted to hide any undergarments.

Remember the two chairs I recently purchased?  Well the fabric on the chairs is very light in color, and I am always afraid of stains on furniture, so I crocheted 2 of these pineapple headrest covers for the chairs.  I used a double strand of size 20 cotton crochet thread and a size G Hook to create them, and I used the pattern for a placemat (free download on ravelry) to create them. 

I'm always reminded just how much I HATE to crochet.  You can't read a book or even watch TV very effectively, because you always have to be looking at it.  No wonder I LOVE to knit so much, you don't have to be continually looking at it!

However, now that I've whined a bit, I must say . . . I really LOVE the outcome.  The pineapple headrest covers look beautiful in the room, and will protect the chairs from dirt and stains for years to come.

I started some new knitting projects.  I'm knitting away on a stack of Practical Baby Bibs for all of the new babies being born around me (pictures coming), and I've cast-on the The Junonia Skirt, a pattern designed by Kerin Dimeler Laurence.  I am knitting the skirt in KnitPicks CotLin and it is coming along nicely. 

Well, until next time . . . . . . . Happy Knitting!