An FO For a Monday

Hello to all of you!  I hope your Thanksgiving was a lovely one if you celebrate, and that in any case, you had a good weekend.  

Today I have another FO for you:

Project: Birthday Cake Close to You

Pattern: Close to You, by Justyna Lorkowska (Ravelry link)

Yarn: Dye Is Cast Squish Wish Sock, in the colorway Sweet Sixteen

Needles: US size 6

Modifications: The pattern calls for a total of 19 eyelet rows, and I did 20, because a) I had enough yarn, and b) I could not do 19 when I had enough to get to a nice, round, even number.

Comments: First of all, the yarn.  This yarn was specifically dyed for the sixteenth anniversary of my LYS, Loop.  You can't really tell from my photos, but it is a cream base, with flecks of various colors, to resemble Funfetti cake and frosting (remember that?).  It's lovely yarn, and really really really nice to use for knitting - soft, squishy (truth in advertising), and it shows the pattern detail nicely.

You may recall this this yarn was originally for a Hipster Shawl for my niece Julie - well, I got a bit into that pattern, and there was just too much going on for my brain.  Plus, I realized that I knit things for Julie and family last year for Christmas, so I decided to switch gears altogether and knit something for her sister, Liz.  Liz was born on December 25 - so they celebrate Christmas on the morning of that day, and "Lizmas" (as the family calls it) in the afternoon.  I wanted to find something special, because Liz is a wonderful and sweet person, but given what her other sisters are usually up to, she is often in the background.  When I saw this pattern, I knew I wanted to knit it for her - and even better, the pattern is a freebie!

This is a well-written pattern, and once you do one or two of the pattern repeats, it's in your head, which is always nice, so you don't have to keep stopping to look every once in a while.  It was truly a joyful knitting experience, because as you go along, it just keeps looking prettier and prettier.  I can't wait to send it to her because I think she will be genuinely surprised, and hopefully pleased.

(In the above photo, it reminds me of a bird's wings in flight.)

I can highly recommend this pattern.  If you are a person who cannot use Ravelry, you might want to ask someone who doesn't have issues to print it for you, because I don't see that she has another place where it's available (truth alert: I didn't spend a ton of time looking, sorry!).  Anyway, you should get it one way or another and knit away - you will NOT be disappointed!