Happy New Years!

We've been home for just a day or so and now Matt and I are getting ready to leave for Costa Rica tomorrow morning. The good part is that we never really had to unpack our suitcases, so that made things pretty easy. I'm really looking forward to lounging on the beach, which is something that we hardly got a chance to do in Hawaii.

Our trip home was fun and it's always nice to spend time with the family. Kauai was beautiful and green and warm and I really enjoyed being there. I was a little bummed that we didn't get more time to hang out because we were busy helping with the wedding and going to various celebrations before and after Andrew and Dayna's big day, but it was worth it to be a part of everything that was going on. I think that we'll have to try and go back another time when we can just cruise around and see the sights. Kauai is so laid back and quaint, so different from Oahu.

I've been knitting nonstop since I finished school, but of course I've forgotten to photograph all of my projects. I finally finished my UO Shrug and it is SO cute! I think that in retrospect I should have knit the back part to be about 18 or 19 inches instead of 20 or 21 like the pattern suggested, but it still fits pretty nicely and I like the way that the rolled collar replaces the need to wear a scarf (I'm prone to cold neck). I also finished the scarf that I was making for my uncle just in the nick of time. I carried that thing around with me everywhere I went until it was done. I also started a ruffle/corkscrew scarf thing from Scarf Style. I really like some of the patterns in that book and I decided at the last minute to buy the book and make Matt's mom the ruffle scarf in black cashmere. I've never knit with cashmere before, and it's quite lovely! I'll be sure to take a picture of it when it's done.

Of course, part of planning my trip involves figuring out which projects I should bring with me (and I always bring too many). I'm kind of low in projects to bring that aren't too big and complicated so I've decided to try making Clapotis with some of the yarn I got from Matt's mom's stash. I know this project takes forever, but it will be a good thing to bring along and keep me interested on the plane.

Happy New Years to all of you, I'll be back from Costa Rica in a couple of weeks!