sheep and things

This little sheep was knit up during my knitting group's retreat to a cozy inn in Michigan last weekend! We did a sheep KAL, which was fun and inspiring, since the pattern is awfully fiddly and I'm not sure I would have persevered otherwise. Lots of short rows and confusing counting. He still needs one more trip through the washer to close up a hole (where I forgot to trim my yarn end) and reshaping and stuffing. The weekend was filled with knitting, movies, marvelous food, and plenty of wine. :-)

Pattern: Kipling, by Kim at Yarn Abuse
Size: Newborn

Yarn: Knit Picks Swish Superwash, Navy, 2 balls
Needles: Knit Picks Harmony US 5 16" circs

Notes (edited to add more info)
Modifications: I modified the pattern in a number of ways, and I'm very happy with the results. My goal was to make the sweater easier and more fun to knit. I knit it in the round from the bottom up. Rather than bulky hems on both the waistband and sleeves, I did 2x2 ribbing. Next time I would go down a needle size for the ribbing. I eliminated the complicated short rows on the sleeve caps. I just picked up 42 stitches evenly around the armhole, starting at the underarm. I placed a marker, then knit in the round, decreasing 1 stitch at each end every 6th row -- following the directions, "Work in stockinette, decreasing every 1 stitch on each side every 6^th row. (K2, K2tog, K to the last 4 stitches, K2tog tbl, K2)". Except I forgot about the "tbl" part, and it still looks fine.

I love the big 1970s-style ribbed collar. A great little knit! The yarn is soft and nice to work with. It stretches a good deal, which is fine for a baby sweater. One ball had LOTS of knots; however, I figure you get what you pay for. It's inexpensive, soft, and machine washable -- perfect for this project. This is my first time using the Harmony needles, and they're fabulous -- nice flexible cord, pointy (but not too pointy) tips, just enough bend.

There's also an Organic Guernsey (by F. Pea) in the works. Once again, I'm using Knit Picks Swish Superwash, in Dublin this time. A great color for this time of year!

A bonus shot of Kylie's enormous tummy! When we adopted her, she was a VERY LARGE girl (with a very petite frame). She has slimmed down quite a bit, but is still not exactly svelte.
Still waiting for official results on my last prelim exam, but my adviser unofficially gave me good news already. Huzzah, huzzah!