Rubén's New Set! Jacket and Hat... :)

Dear friends,

How are you all? I am fine, can't wait to go home next Friday, for the whooole summer! Therefore, I have been knitting like crazy to finish my last big project. Rubén's mother (see Rubén here, with his first set of hat and jacket last year) has asked me to do something for next winter, and I simply LOOOOVE special requests! She said that she had liked the pattern of the very first jacket I did in April 2006 (click here to see it) - but she wanted, of course, different colours. She said dark blue, and I thought I would lighten it up with some soft cream vanilla marmor effect! Also, I have been using the same pattern, which I have tested last year, and it works perfectly well with my 5-1/2mm and 5mm needles. Also, this time I did the second step: the matching hat, and I just think it's soooo lovely! What do you think?

I don't have double pointed needles here in Switzerland, so, for the I-Cord, I just slipped the 3 stitches to the other needle at every row, as if I were purling, or something like that... well, it works :) Picking up stitches is already something that does not worry me in the least... but once again, I think I should not finish the collar so soon. When I work on it, I always have the impression that it's massive.. but when I bind off, I realize it's not as long as I wanted in order to fold it on the neck... mmm, but it's probably better this way, the baby doesn't need a huge collar to struggle with... So, here it is! Notice Winnie the Pooh with the hat ;) It's too big for him, LOL! :)

PS: DON'T PANIC! Click the photos to enlarge them! :)

Love,
Flavio