Once again, it is Spring Break. We were lucky enough to be invited on a Grand Canyon adventure with my daughter and her three children. We spent a night in Kanab, UT, a little western town in the heart of "Red Rock Country". We even had an Easter Egg Hunt in the limited landscaping of the parking lot of our hotel. Oh well . . . we had to make due. We then traveled over the Glen Canyon Gorge and on to the magnificent Grand Canyon.
The remainder of the week was spent at the "Bison Ranch" in Overgaard, Arizona. The resort had great swimming pools, a fishing pond and horseback riding. It is in a tiny logging town, with not much else to do, so we had a very relaxing time. It was a fun time! Overgaard's claim to fame, is the only documented alien abduction. We spent some of our time researching this incident, which occurred in the 1970's. To learn more, go to Fire in the Sky.
While I was relaxing, of course I was knitting. This is the back of my Sprossling, by Anne Hanson. During our time at the Bison Ranch, I knit this piece up to arm decreases. I didn't like the way the body shaping looked, so I ripped it all out and knit it again. It took some time, but I'm much happier with the outcome. I've decided it is always worth taking the time to make things look right. I'm now knitting on the front pieces (both on the needles together). This time I'll know how to decrease and increase in pattern.
When we returned, I finished up my version of "Mousy Tail Clone". The original was knit by Jankee, but there was no pattern for it. However, she made detailed notes on her project page in Ravelry, so with the use of a "Custom Fit" pattern, I was able to create my own. It was knit of Wollemeise DK, in the color: RH - O Negative.
I'm so happy with the outcome, and the fit is perfect. The only trouble I had, was knitting the buttonband. I chose to use US1 needles and knit the entire band in one continual picked-up piece. I guess my age is catching up with me, because knitting it was really hard on my hands, arms and shoulders. There was a lot of muscling the stitches around the needle, so I had to knit it with a lot of breaks. However, it was worth the trouble, as the buttonband came out perfect. I learned this technique from Jankee, and I'll never do it any other way.
I may be setting my "Sprossling" aside soon, as my Sister is about to get her first Grand-daughter, and I've got some knitting to do for her, I'll keep you posted . . . . . . . . Happy Knitting!
