FO

Pattern: Purple People Eater Poncho, based loosely on this one
Yarn: Misti Alpaca Chunky in color 9100, 3 plus a smidge balls; Lion Brand Fun Fur in color 112
Needles: Knit Picks Options US 10
Rating: 3 out of 5 skeins

This was, like, the easiest project ever. The hardest part was finding the pattern (thanks, Pasadena Daytimers, for sharing your patterns with me) and overcoming my *ahem* repugnance to ponchos (I'm with JenLa here) and novelty yarn; once these things were dealt with, the actual knitting occurred quickly. I'm disappointed in my sewing of the pieces together, but hope that my less than fantastic finishing will just be seen as funky and homemade instead of crappy. Ah, self-delusion - it's my friend. Plus, this poncho is for a kid, and thus its shelf life is way shorter than a Twinkie.

So, how'd I make it? Well, I knit two 11" x 22" rectangles lengthwise, and then sewed them together in a poncho-ish shape. My gauge was roughly 3.25 st/in. It might be a little loose, but I was afraid the garment would be too heavy if I went with a tighter gauge. Hopefully the thing won't sag, like, er, um, never mind. I reinforced the neck with a row of single crochet, and finally crocheted a FF row around the bottom edge to impart a little pizzazz. See, easy peasy.

This is the first project I've made using my Knit Picks Options needles, and I'm definitely in the love 'em camp. It's also the first time I've used Misti Alpaca, and boy, is it soft and squooshy. And how about the Fun Fur? Well, it's hot pink, and I have a lot left over, so if you need any, let me know.

Next up for the kid? A sweater made out of yarn that costs more than I've ever spent on yarn for an adult-sized sweater, let alone a child's. Holiday insanity must be striking early this year.