FO: Knotty Pillow

I finished the crocheted faux bois pillow, and it turned out so well. The pattern says it's 20"-by-20", but mine is about 17" square. (I stuffed a flattish 19" pillow into it.) I bought 3 balls of Red Heart Soft Touch and 2 balls of Bernat Satin for this project, and I think there's enough left for a second pillow. You know what would be awesome (and pretty easy to do)? Adapting this pattern to make a blanket.



I wish I could photograph this pillow against the wood panelling in my parents' house! That would be crazy.

I spent some time last week putting lots of my vintage Beehive pattern booklets into my Ravelry library. (Rav link.) It was inspiring. I want to use more of those patterns. The patterns for women's sweaters can be tricky, because they were generally designed for women who are smaller than me to start with, and then wearing a girdle or a corset or something, but the sock patterns are gold. They usually have to be adjusted slightly, because today's sock yarns are generally 4-ply while the patterns are usually written for thinner 3-ply (and most of the patterns I have are for men), but that's not hard to do. (For example, I'm planning to start a pattern called "Alternating Rib" next, from Patons book no. 113; the stitch pattern is a multiple of 4 stitches, so instead of casting on 72 sts., I'll cast on 64.)

I don't know if it's cold where you are, but it's super-freezing here. Another week of this winter weather, and then we're off to Cuba for a week! Bill found us a cheap all-inclusive deal in Varadero, and two of our best friends are coming, too -- I can't wait. I'm thinking a lace shawl will be a good thing to take, so I'm packing a skein of Alpaca with a Twist Fino and the pattern for Cleite. Who knows? Maybe I won't knit at all. Maybe I'll read novels! Maybe I'll just look at trashy magazines! But I'll tell you what I won't do: slip on the ice, freeze the tip of my nose off, or stay indoors all the time.