I finally finished Sam’s Abate sweater yesterday. We took it for a test run on my parent’s farm this morning. I knit the 4 year size because I wanted him to be able to wear it for more than one season and that seemed to work out perfectly. (I know the photos are a bit fuzzy, but you try convincing a 14 month old to hold still for more than .5 seconds. It’s impossible.) I used a yarn I’d never heard of before, Plymouth Yarn Coffee Beenz. It’s a wool blend so it’s not scratchy and is machine washable.
I’m quite proud of it. It’s adorable.
So is the kid.
My first batch of harvested lavender is drying in the dining area; it gives off the faintest scent of lavender when I walk past it. I look forward to harvesting more.
Gabe and I canned the pears given to us by family friends. I used the same book as before, Canning for a New Generation: Bold, Fresh Flavors for the Modern Pantry by Liana Krissoff. We made spiced pears in red wine and a pear and ginger preserve. What does one do with a preserve? I have no idea. It tastes amazing eaten straight out of the jar with a baby spoon accompanied by a glass of cheap red wine…so I’ve heard.
While discussing our future plans for the farm, Gabe and I decided that we would try our hand in raising bees. It doesn’t seem terribly complicated and Gabe puts honey on everything. Since I switched our family over to the Paleo diet, we’ve been going through lots of bottles of honey; most food items are sweetened with honey as opposed to refined sugar, a big no-no in Paleo. We thought it would not only save us some money, but also be a fun activity for us and our kid(s) when they become older. Gabe checked out a few books on bee keeping at the local library, one of them being shown in the above photo. I can’t comment on the content of the book just yet, as I’ve only skimmed through the first few chapters, however the pictures are lovely. I love the robin’s egg blue color of the hives. I will probably insist Gabe paint our hives the same color. Because one must have colorful bee hives.
Everyone knows that.
Such an adorable sweater made cuter by an adorable model. 🙂
Thank you Lisa, I happen to think he's pretty adorably myself 😉
What a great sweater! I tend to knit most baby items a bit bigger so they can get some use out of them for a couple of seasons.
I totally agree. After all the effort we put into our knitting, we don't want the kids outgrowing them 6 weeks later!
That sweater looks so cozy. I want one in my size!
Hi Kelly, thanks for the compliment, The author of this pattern does make an adult version! It's on Ravelry if you're interested. I might make the adult version for my husband. How adorable would that be?
I love the sweater! I am hoping to knit the same pattern for my little guy next month, I love how yours turned out. 🙂
Thanks, October Rose! I'm very happy with it as well; it was such a quick and fun knit. Let me know how it turns out for you!
The variegation in the sweater is similar to the variegation in the lavender.
Lisa, that's an amazing observation, you are so right! I wish I could say that it was intentional. At least subconsciously I am able to tie my photos together.