As soon as I saw this pattern I knew I would probably end up making it several times. I bought the pattern on its release date last November and cast on immediately only to hate my yarn choice after knitting close to half way up. It was too heavy feeling for an oversized style so it was frogged and the pattern was set aside. Spring came and I thought I would like to make it in cotton, thinking Rowan's Handknit Cotton would be perfect. Unfortunately my stash of Handknit Cotton wasn't generous enough to make an oversized sweater and I just did not want to buy any. (Sometimes I am oddly frugal and other times I'm strangely extravagant.) After a thorough look through my stash I unearthed some vintage Rowan 4 Ply Cotton in white that would work if doubled. This sweater is so lovely in cotton, was such an easy knit, and is so easy to wear. I love it, my husband loves it, and it looks good with everything, so I've swatched some wooly yarn for a wintery Weekender. 

Sweater details: It's knit in one piece from the bottom up. The body is knit in reverse stockinette in the round, which you knit inside-out, so no purling. There is a slipped-stitch decorative detail on both center front and back. The neck line is a simple boatneck style, maybe more like a slash neck; wide and flattering. The sleeves are knit by picking up stitches at the drop shoulder and knitting stockinette in the round to the cuff with a few tapering decreases. I picked up less sleeve stitches for a more fitted sleeve--my preference. As you might have guessed, The Weekender is very easy to knit and well-written, and everyone is giving it rave reviews.

The Weekender pattern by Andrea Mowry

My Weekender project page on Ravelry

I've been taking pictures the last few weeks as everything is blooming--not just the roses, but the fruit trees, iris, wisteria, lavender, and it all looks pretty amazing. If I'm being honest, in late winter and early spring I start to dread the gardening tasks ahead of me. I have to put all that out of my head and resolve to chip away a little at a time. I don't do very much in a day, and I now ask my gardeners for more help than I have ever asked for in past years. Once the biggest tasks are behind us, the reward it a gorgeous garden with only a little bit of daily maintenance, which we enjoy. Today is cloudy and cool, and after posting I'm going to head outside for one hour of weeding, no more, no less. There's a baseball game to watch and knitting to be done :)

(Every garden post I am asked where we live because everything blooms so early. We live in the San Francisco Bay area in Northern California. We are a gardening zone 9 and have mild winters and summers. We do not get a lot of rainfall and have to water the garden bi-weekly starting about now. Our garden is completely organic and has been for 30-plus years.)

These two photos are from one massive Knock Out plant. For repeat bloomers, this cannot be beat; it will not be without a bloom all summer. I do cut it back several times in the summer as it can get too big. I'm thinking of planting these as a border for our perennial flower bed. Right now I border it with annuals, usually zinnias, but this year it got Cosmos, I'll share pictures later. The kids, Carter's parents, built a white picket fence in their front yard and bordered it with pink Knock Outs. I love it!

Carter and I played under the umbrella one day last week. Every time I tried to get up, he threw his tiny arms around me and hugged me tight, buried his head into my neck and put his entire weight on me to try and pin me down. It was so darling. I told him that we would stay out and play as long as he wanted. I cannot resist him!

We have two wisteria that grow up a lattice support. I don't know the variety, but the flower racemes get very long, up to 6 feet,  maybe even longer, and can drag on the ground. When I walk Carter around the garden we always stop at this particularly long one and he catches it and waves it around and coos and squeals. He is pretty darling. We did not have a good wisteria year unfortunately. When the racemes were just forming and a few inches long, we had a terrific storm and the fierce wind and rain knocked down hundreds of the buds. It made me so sad to see the damage the next morning, so I'm grateful that we even have these flowers to enjoy.