teeny tiny cardigan

One knit baby garment officially out of my system.  I'm actually quite superstitious, so I'll hold off on any more baby knitting until we get much closer to the due date (or beyond), but I've been wanting to use this great wool for a while now.  It's a fingering weight merino wool by Nature's Palette in a perfectly gender unspecific rust shade, and I picked it up at Lettuce Knit two years ago.  I only had enough for a small item, and I've learned that I'm horrid at estimating yardage because I thought I would have just enough for this sweater, but I've still got more than half of my second skein left (baby hat perhaps?)  I will need to handwash it though as the linked review mentions that some dye will release the first time.

I was going to follow a Debbie Bliss pattern but I couldn't imagine piecing this together when it is so easily knit in the round.  I started with her stitch count and then realized 5 inches in that the neck was too tiny, so I stopped under the armholes and went back and unravelled 1.5 inches from the beginning (not an easy task, but worth it).  So in the end, this cardigan resembles nothing from the Bliss pattern and seems to be the way I knit nowadays - I consult a pattern, and then make up everything as I go, which generally involves lots of unravelling and reworking.  At least this one worked out without any real frustration and I think it's super cute (as does Sadie, who has earmarked it for her teddy bears).  Also, I finally got to use buttons I found in Paris, but if we end up with a little boy they may have to be changed.  Or not.  As a funny aside, my belly is already big enough that I could balance the buttons and thread spool on it while I sewed.  And I'm only at 17 weeks! 

With all this making-up-as-I-go knitting, I think I'll start to actually document what I do.  That way, if something turns out well, I'd be able to share the pattern here.  I'm helping a friend with a toddler vest right now, so perhaps that will work out (and her two year old Asher would make an adorable model in photographs!).  And speaking of this friend, she sent me a link to a fantastic and easy pattern for extended wristwarmers - "Those Mitts" at the blog A Friend To Knit With.  It's one of those blogs that I hadn't come across before and will now visit often.  Plus, the blog has inspired me to give Classic Elite Portland Tweed a try - it looks great.  But I think my New Year's Resolution is to avoid going to Romni, so I'm looking for a Canadian online retailer that would send it to my door (my other resolution sounds like I'm okay with being lazy).  Any suggestions?