Time to Relax

Good morning, friends! It's much later than I'd normally be posting on a Monday, so it must be vacation. We got here Saturday without incident and only a little late because we had to go through deicing before we took off. We got pretty lucky that we took off when we did: It was flurrying when we left the house, and apparently by the time we got to the airport, there had been a brief snow squall that dropped about an inch of snow (snow that wasn't predicted, by the way). I had requested a wheelchair at the airport, so while there wasn't a long line to get through security, I did get to preboard and snagged us the fourth row of seats on the plane. When we landed, my parents were waiting for us -- as was, inexplicably, this guy:

I can only assume that he was there to pick someone up and wanted to give them a laugh, but I'm not sure he realized how many other people he'd amuse in the meantime!

Now that we're here, I am completely focused on de-stressing. I'm sleeping in (obviously) and reading for pleasure and knitting. I won't be going for my long walks or runs, unfortunately, but I can still enjoy the sunshine. I'm also feeling quite proud of myself for not overpacking on the knitting for once! And I did manage to finish up the hat before we left -- though I wasn't able to block it or get pictures in actual daylight, so I apologize for these crummy shots.

Pattern: Coronal (Ravelry link) by Allison Janocha, size L
Yarn: Fibernymph Dye Works Bona Fide in Teddy Bear and Cozy in OOAK
Needles: US 6 (4.0 mm) and US 7 (4.5 mm)
Started/Completed: December 17/December 20

This was a really fun knit. Once I figured out the general "formula" for the body pattern, I didn't need the chart. This is one of those patterns that looks more complicated than it actually is in the execution. You only work with one color at a time, and the cabled columns are just slipped when working with the other color. The only part that needed a fair amount of concentration was the crown, which seems pretty obvious when you see it:

There's a lot going on here, but the decreases happen rapidly -- the entire crown is a total of 20 rounds. But it really packs a punch! I knit this for charity, so I made the largest size I had yarn for, but I think this is a pattern I'd very likely knit again. I also didn't intend to use yarns of two different weights; I really thought they were both DK until I looked at the labels. (If they look familiar, that's because I used them for my nephew's gnome.)

I worked on my socks on the flight down and finished them last night, and here's a great photo to show how much of a difference blocking can make:

I don't normally block socks unless they're a gift, but I blocked the first one for pattern photos. I'm happy that these are finally done -- I started them back in October!

I started my sweater last night, but I already seem to have done something wrong, so in the light of daylight I will take a look and tink back. I've also got to start the hat that I brought yarn for, as I think we're going to be headed to the movies on Christmas and I'll need something to keep my hands busy.

I'm not sure whether I'll be posting on Wednesday, but either way I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, and generally a relaxing holiday season! I will be back for sure on Friday.