Yesterday was Abigail’s kindergarten field trip. It was cold. It was raining. And I’m going to stop there. (long pause) OK, I’m not. We were at a farm. Outside, in the very cold wind and rain, at a farm. I actually really enjoy farms, in decent weather. The problem with farms in the rain, and lots of it, is that there is mud. In the city, and even suburbs, mud is comprised of water and dirt. Yeah, you can make the next conclusion all by yourselves. And there were no sheep. BUT, since Hedi was kind enough to drive, I got some work done on the blue tote! Enough to get me on a roll, in fact, and I continued working on it much of the day.

Seeeeeeeeeee?

I included, for your viewing pleasure and interest, the felted swatch to the right. Isn’t it amazing how much it changes in the wash?

Also, I stayed up late doing some swatching for the Bottom’s Up. The first swatch didn’t survive the night, but the second is actually quite nice, if you overlook the mistakes. It was pushing midnight, and I wasn’t going for perfection.

What do you think?

A question for those of you who have completed this pattern: I’ve been looking at some of the finished hats on Becky’s Bucket Hat Knitalong, and I’ve seen some that look like they fit and flair great, some that look a bit like beanies, and some where I can’t tell where the brim ends and the hat begins. Can anyone shed some light, or give me some tips before I begin mine?

My thought was to do what the pattern suggested and pick a size smaller than my head, which measured at 22 inches. I was also contemplating making the brim and hat a little taller, to avoid that beanie thing I saw going on, but I’d love to hear some experienced opinions.

PS- The Farm really wasn’t that bad. It was freezing and wet to the point that I spent much of the last hour zipping each of my three, shivering little children in my coat with me, in turn, to warm them up. But the people that run The Farm (which is capitalized) are extremely friendly, and keep it remarkably clean. I’m sure the girls enjoyed it to some extent. Seeing little Veronica holding a baby chicken in her tiny little hands, all by herself, with that look of wonder and awe in her eyes was fantastic.