Return to Odessa

There hasn't been much knitting (or blogging, obviously) going on around here lately. We headed to Pennsylvania last weekend, and this week, my sister and her boyfriend are in Boston. He grew up in Arlington, Mass., so they're having a good time visiting all his old stomping grounds. Since it's gotten cold and windy here again (after some freakish mid-March thunderstorms on Monday night), this gift for my sister still might come in handy:

That's right, another Odessa. As promised, it's in black, con beads, which didn't really add too much to the total knitting time. I started it on the way down to Pennsylvania, and finished it the night we got back. Not bad for three days!

I was able to knit it to 7" (instead of the pattern's 5.5") before starting the decreases, and I still had about 9 inches of yarn to spare at the end (nothing like cutting it close). The beads and the longer length make it a pretty glam looking hat. I think I must have been more consistent with my ssks, this time, too, because the spiral is much more effective this time--the black yarn might be more forgiving, too.

Either way, I hope my sister likes it--and since she's soon returning to Minnesota, where they just got 5+ inches of snow, she'll certainly get some more days to wear it before spring is here to stay!