From Russia, With Love...

After playing all morning at the park with friends, I went and mailed a big bag of packages at the post office and took Henry home to have a little rest while I waited for the UPS guy to come. The tracking on my from Russia via Maine package pooped out in Greensborough, NC yesterday morning so I could no longer track it. As far as UPS is concerned, the package is still there. How does that even happen? Anyway... every time a vehicle sounding remotely like a truck came up my street I was compelled to jump up and run to the window. And then he finally arrived. UPS guy probably thought I was some sort of deranged lunatic as I bounded down the front steps to greet him on the walkway, but I couldn't help myself. And the dorkiness doesn't stop there. I sat with the package in my hands, unopened for a minute and then I called my fellow knit geek, Liz, so I could give her a play by play of the package opening. She is a good friend and humored me.

There were two pairs in the package that were obviously made by two different knitters. The first one looked awesome!


The shaping looks great and they have the Crankypants look to them. I love them, even if they do have a Jolly Old Saint Nick feel in the coloring (which I will be changing since they can't get the shades of green and red I use). The finishing is a little shaky and I think I will be asking to do that myself from now on, but overall they rock!

The second pair? Kind of odd.




I'm not sure if people can actually see the difference, or if things just jump out at me because it is my pattern. The hips look a little lumpy in this pair and the pattern was chucked out the window when it came to the shaping at the beginning of the legs. They don't look Crankypants at all to me and I don't like them.

Yes, this was the first attempt at the pattern. No, I don't expect perfection right off the bat. But I am a little worried about consistency. Hopefully this will be a good jumping off place and we can work out all the kinks soon. It is another step on the path of expansion so I am super excited. And that top pair really does rock. Oh, and they are made with an 80% merino, 20% cashmere blend so they are nice and sooooft. I don't have a baby to test out pilling/performance on. Anyone have a baby they want to test these out on? They are probably about a 3 month size. Let me get measurements really quickly... waist: 15-18", rise: 17.5", inseam: about 7". I'm not going to fancy them up at all. I don't even have any of the yarn to do any extra finishing with.

Oh, and it doesn't get any cuter than this:


Carley's mama sent me this picture of her in her little beaded skully set from the FEAST stocking. I love getting customer pictures so much, keep 'em coming!!