Last Poncho of 2006

Yep, I started the last poncho of the year for my niece. Okay she isn't technically my niece, her mother is my cousin. We all found that the whole second cousin and second cousin once removed was far too complicated a relationship for the kids to comprehend, so we've just stuck to the aunt, uncle cousin thing. Actually when my cousin's oldest son was two, the gender thing of aunt and uncle was too complicated. So her kids now all refer to me as Uncle Kate.

If another child asks me to make her a poncho I have to convince them that they want something else. This will be the fourth poncho of the year and I'm over it. It's an easy pattern and I've now memorized the child size 2-4. I've omitted the hood after the first one. I found out after giving out the first one that children won't actually wear hoods so what's the point? I'm knitting this one in Katia Mexico in a colorway called Tutti Frutti. I can't find a picture of it online, but trust me it's cute. The yarn is heavy worsted and self stripes. It's 50/50 wool/acrylic and can be washed.

Just as an aside, I think pattern designers who want us to make things for kids out of 100% wool that cannot be washed in a machine have never actually had (or even known) children. I don't know a mom with small children that has time to hand wash and block a wool sweater. Also, mom's with small children often have husbands who do the laundry. I know maybe two guys who would think to check first before whipping a wool sweater into the washer and dryer.

Anyway. I'm able to get this started because I finished this:

Yeah, I know this is the worst picture ever and you shouldn't ever hang a sweater on a hanger. But in the interest of time. . . Okay, my door isn't really putting out death rays and the yarn is all one color. Imagine it if you can. At least I don't think the door is radiating death rays. Let me double check.

Yep, we are clear, no death rays just a really bad photographer.

I will probably make this one again with a couple of modifications. I would skip the decreases on the sides as the fit is just right in the shoulders but is a little more fitted than I would like when it comes to the body of the sweater. Since I made it with the Paton's Katrina from my roadtrip to New Ulm, the yarn has enough stretch that it works, but in the cotton yarn the pattern calls for I'm afraid that it would show every lump and bump. And have I mentioned how sick to death I am of seeing people's chubby abs wrapped tight in fabric? Form fitting is only stylish depending on the form, ya know?