Yarn Along: Clouds in My Coffee

~knitting~

A finished object!  Meet my Clouds in My Coffee cardigan (and my new canvas-linen dress!)  I used Elizabeth Brown's pattern of the same name, some Misti Maki alpaca yarn from the stash, and some vintage buttons from who knows where.  

I'm quite pleased with this one--I wasn't sure whether I'd be able to keep up with the faux-cable panel down the front but it was surprisingly easy and straightforward.  The whole pattern is written line-by-line, which I appreciate.  My only complaint is that the sleeves came out too long, which is a common problem for me.  #hobbitarms  I usually measure sleeves as I go, to make sure they come out short enough, but I thought, since the Ramona cardigan sleeves fit so well right off the bat, that I didn't need to worry about this one.  I do think the extra drape provided by the alpaca might be at least a little to blame, as the sweater did grow slightly during wet blocking.

I probably could have stood to size down one as well, since I'm a bit smaller than when I started the sweater, but I used the recommended 3" of positive ease to pick my size.  If I make this again, I'd probably go down to my actual bust size.  Fitted this ain't.  That said, it does make for a comfy sweater.  

And my dress.  It is another Cotton+Steel linen-cotton canvas and I love it!  It doesn't look so great on me without the strong contrast from the sweater, but it is a perfect match to the sweater and I think they work well together.  I just found a bright blue sweater-y type undershirt on ebay that might be a good match as well if I want my undershirt+dress+scarf uniform.

That faux cable panel was just enough to keep it interesting--I think it would make a good all-over pattern as well.  It is four rows long and easy to read while you are knitting it, which is good for me since I get interrupted constantly.

The cowl is a bit saggy on account of the alpaca, but I don't mind.  It is kind of my preferred silhouette right now anyway.

~reading~

I'm rather proud to announce that I finally finished War and Peace a couple of weeks ago.  It did feel rather anticlimactic, as the last section of the book is mostly Tolstoy droning on about the legacy of the Napoleonic Wars, plus a little bit about Pierre and Natasha's life together.  But I'm glad I finished it!  I did have to take a break and read some completely mindless things for a little while before tackling anything new.

I did receive a couple of books for Christmas from my parents, and I started Bittersweet by Colleen McCullough last week one day when my kindle was recharging.  So far so good.  I loved The Thorn Birds, and the reviews say it is similar in scope and feeling, so I'm hopeful that I'll love this one.

I also started reading Unglued earlier this week and am finding it helpful.

~watching~

After the quality and excellence that was Medici, I've had a hard time finding something else that engages me in the same way.  I watched the whole series through twice and sort of want to start it again.

I rewatched Klondike recently just to enjoy some more Richard Madden and enjoyed that again very much.  The women's costumes are hilariously bad, but the storyline is quite good, and I think most of the acting is good.

I started Victoria on pbs after reading rave reviews and it is...fine.  The episodes are quite long (nearly 2 hours each) and while there is a fine cast, and the storylines are engaging, I'm just not as into it as I probably should be.  

I think I'm done with Homeland.  I tried to give season six a try, but I really can't get invested this season.  Plus: language.  Oy.  I was willing to give it a pass during the first five seasons because the story lines were so intensely engaging, but I can't right now.

I'm also done with Peaky Blinders.  I got through half of episode three in the 3rd season and I'm.just.done.   I can't take the grit and senseless violence any more.  As much as I enjoy watching Cillian Murphy's outstanding performance, I just can't do it any more.

I did watch The Dressmaker over the weekend.  I liked it better than the book--I found the nastiness of the townspeople and the general yuck of some of the book's themes harder to take in the book for some reason.  Judy Davis was outstanding as Molly.

I also just finished Risen, with Joseph Fiennes, on the good advice of my sister.  It is really quite good--I'm sorry it didn't very much press.  It is the story of a Roman soldier assigned to deal with Jesus' tomb directly after the crucifixion and what happens to him as a result of having to find the body of the Risen Lord.  The perspective of the story is fresh and new, and I really like the attention to detail.  I do wish they'd talked Jim Caviezel into reprising his role as Jesus, but otherwise, I highly recommend the film.

Hopefully I can find something to keep my attention while I finish the sleeves on my Rincleau sweater.

Linking with Ginny for Yarn Along!