I knew that I wanted to make something special with the yarn that LarZaina sent to me and for some reason, this pattern just seemed a natural sort of fit. I’d been meaning to make a Baby Surprise Jacket for awhile - not for any specific child, mind you, just because. I didn’t realize just how much yarn this thing was going to suck up! I figured it would be done in a day or two and just take part of the Wisdom Poems yarn, not 2 full skeins! I was amazed at how much yardage it sucked up and so quickly. Thank goodness I had a few other skeins of yarn that I could toss in. I didn’t expect to have to use the Wool of the Andes in it but I think it REALLY works well as the button band. It kind of ties everything together. I was trying to get the lumpy bumpy coilspun to be the whole button band, but I think it works far better as the beginning of the edging. It would probably be a pain trying to get buttons through that yarn or making a proper buttonhole.

I was unimpressed with the Poems yarn - it broke off in 4 places while I was casting on with it and is just generally very thing. I probably should have doubled it to use with Leslie’s handspun but just didn’t realize how very thin it actually was. I think that it looks great and I might consider using it again, but I’d be hardpressed to say for what. I’m probably an unfair judge, since I’m not a huge fan of singles yarn to start with - it fuzzes and breaks so. I like a nice tight twist. The WoTA was great to work with, as always. That is such a fine yarn. The real pleasure was Leslie’s handspun - I can’t tell you how great it was to work with. It felt fantastic. I loved the texture, loved the twist of it, loved the spots where it was so thin and skinny that it felt like sari silk or those wonderful Chinese friendship bracelets. I’m so thrilled that I could make something so great with what she made for me.
I think that it’s adorable - I can’t wait to get some big, chunky buttons to put on it. This, unfortunately, requires me going to the bad LYS but it’s worth it for the buttons. I really wanted to make this before Leslie comes to town to visit the Art Museum so that I can take it with me and show her!