That Elizabeth Zimmermann....

...she was one clever cookie. I know I'm not the first to sing her praises and I certainly won't be the last but let me just reiterate....she was an amazing knitter. Case in point, the Baby Surprise jacket I've been working on.

Ta da! The jacket is off the needles!

What a clever design this is. You start off and knit and knit and decrease and increase and knit and knit and then...presto flippo! You fold and sew seams and you've got a baby sweater!

Incredible. So much fun that I sort of want to start another one right away.

I still need to seam up the shoulders (should get that done this evening) and, obviously, weave in the ends.

But I particularly enjoyed what I think of as the fun part. Choosing the right button. I bought three sets at Joanna's to think about and choose from but wasn't really sure about any of them.

There were puppies...


There were stars...


And there were haycorns...


I ruled out the puppies, cute as they were, pretty quickly, so it was between the acorns and the stars. I asked people at work their opinions about them. My boss said she liked the acorns but the star buttons let the sweater shine...you notice the sweater more. The acorn buttons stand out more. Others preferred the acorns. But still I wasn't sure. So this afternoon I stopped in at The Black Sheep. And wouldn't you know it?! They had the perfect buttons!

They are wood, stained blue (and are actually a little darker than they appear in this picture) with some rubbing and wear. Just perfect! I love 'em.

In other news, I got some nice stuff in the mail this week. Nestucca Yarns, a nice on-line shop, is going out of business and, though I feel rather vulture-like, I've gotten some nice things in the clearance sale. This week I got a skein of Pagewood Farms Denali yarn in the Rainbow colorway and a Noro pattern book with some really good stuff in it.


I'm going to be sorry to see Nestucca Yarns disappear, though, and I hope Cheryl has nothing but good fortune.

And wouldn't you know it? Jessalu had a hedgehog bag in stock last week. And now it's mine.

And look at the inside...

wee little hedgehogs!

And in still other news...

our backyard is full of goldfinks. There were eight or so at the feeders when we got home this afternoon. This picture was taken through a screen so not the best picture in the world. Maybe I'll try for another one later. And we've had a Rufous-sided Towhee scruffing around in the backyard this week. They are shy birds, so it's fun to see him.
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Prompted by ML's comment, I hasten to add that this brilliant pattern is available from Schoolhouse Press and includes instructions for a baby version, child's version and yes, adult version. It also includes instructions for making it a pull-over, adding a collar or hood or even throwing in pockets.

Buttons are on. Pictures tomorrow.