Yarn Along and a finished Habitat

For this week's Yarn Along, I'm working on new projects and new books.  How exciting!  I borrowed 2 books from the library to get some new ideas on canning, as if the 3 new books I've read recently weren't enough.  The Joy of Pickling is fascinating because it's as much about food fermentation as pickling.  I can't say that I've gotten too many new ideas from the other book, although I haven't thoroughly looked through the recipes quite yet.

The new knitting project that I started this week is a scarf for Paul for Christmas.  The pattern is Mr. Rochester's Scarf, free on ravelry, and the yarn is Cascade's Eco Duo, a super-soft blend of alpaca and merino.  I really like the subtle pattern in the scarf.  It's an enjoyable knit: not too complicated, yet not boring. And the subtle color variation between brown and gray in the colorway is lovely.  I hope it will be a nice soft scarf for Paul next winter.

I finished the Habitat hat that I was working on for the last few weeks.  It's going to be her Christmas stocking hat this year so Finn was selected as my model.

This hat took the longest ever to knit!  So many cables going this way and that way.  I love the finished look though, and I hope Elizabeth will too.  The color is her favorite and Malabrigo is always so soft and cozy to wear.

(Ever the willing model, this is the face I got when I asked him to let me photograph the front.)

Happy Yarn Along day to everyone participating!