some quick photos

First up: Kitty Love, the HQG1C (High Quality G1 Custom - I ordered mine from here but I think there are other retailers)

She's definitely well made. The plastic feels a bit different from the original G1s (a bit firmer) but the quality is good and I'm seriously tempted to order Pepper Jack, the "Farmer Boy" pony too, because I have altogether too few boy ponies.



She has a lot of hair.



It's not *quite* as nice as on the original ponies, and it came out of the package a bit messy, but right now I don't have the energy or patience to style it, so I'm leaving it as-is for now. She does come with a comb (the original Ponies did, too) and a ribbon to tie on her tail (same as the original Ponies). She also comes with a tiny charm and piece of cord to tie it around her neck.

And here's her butt symbol, aka "Cutie Mark":



Pretty well done and stylistically similar to the old ones. And I like that she's a seated pony; it's a cute pose and the original run only made two of them (Bubbles and Seashell, both of which I have).

***

I also wore Harvest today and I realize now I finished it back in like May, and don't think I ever posted photos. These photos are not GREAT - I have to find a good little tripod for my cell phone camera so I can use the timer function (My arms are too short for selfies)

It came out nicely. The yarn is Sublime (I think that's Sirdar?) and is a multi-fiber blend. (I still have a few balls leftover - maybe enough for a hat or two and I could be talked out of it if someone wanted it). It is more "rustic" (aka: potentially scratchy against the skin) but it is warm.

Like I said: my arms are too short for selfies. (And holding the phone one-handed, I either risk dropping it when I hit the button, or else my hand shakes)



And a not-so-great full shot, using the timer with the cell phone propped in my big chair:



At least I look tall in that photo...

And because part of the point of making your own sweaters is that you get to choose interesting buttons for the cardigans, here's the button I put on it:



(You can knit it either to hang loose and open, or close with a shawl-stick, or there's an optional buttonhole, which I opted for.)

I liked this pattern and would do it again. (In fact, I have some yarn - Lion Brand Heartland in "Cuyahoga Valley" which I bought BOTH because I liked the color and because I grew up very near to Cuyahoga Valley National Park (née "Recreation Area," that was what I knew it as as a kid). I bought enough for a Harvest. At some point I'll start the second one - much of this one was knit while invigilating exams; it's a relatively uncomplicated knit but it looks really good when it's done.

I like simple designs for things - simple sweaters, simple geometric-pattern quilt tops. Part of it is I don't always have TIME to complete something fussy and elaborate, but also, more importantly: something that is simple but well-designed has an elegance about it to me that fussier things don't always have. And I would rather knit a sweater like this - rather plain, but cleverly designed and that works up well - than some super-elaborate colorwork thing.