Simple Knit Crop in hella fancy yarn!

I bought the Celadon in Cinders Rad DK 100% SWM yarn at the Kindred Red trunk show in Berkeley over a year ago.  It's a really awesome colorway dyed by one of my favorite indie-dyers who also happens to be one of the most inspirational ladies on my IG feed.  I took my sweet time finally using it though because not only did I want to find the perfect garment/pattern for it, I wanted my knitting skills to develop enough to make it just right if any alterations were necessary.  Finally, (no) thanks to our continuing lockdown, the right time arrived!

Crop tops seem to be all of the rage these days and for a 4'11" woman with a 38D bust and a wonky shaped abdomen from an imperfect emergency C-section, they are my everything.  If this pattern looks familiar to you, it's because it's the Stagecoach sweater without the colorwork, a slightly extended body and longer ribbing on the sleeves.  I knit size 2 of the pattern with size 6 circular needles and size 4 circulars on the ribbing.  Even though the pattern calls for more, I used less than 400g of yarn to complete this sweater. 

Above is the sweater hot off my needles, prior to blocking.

Thanks to our heatwave, it only took less than 24 hrs to block this MF.

This yarn is like a rainbow with bonus beats.

It looks great ribbed, in stockinette and with all of the M1L increases around the yoke!

You're just going to have to take my word because the photos simply do not do it justice.

Just look at that drape!

 We had so much fun during our funky family photo shoot, I decided to include all of the silliness!  Here's my rustic, artsy vibes with shouting and a sunbathing toddler included.

With the playgrounds still closed, we spend a lot of time in and ON our driveway.

 Xena is almost 2.5 months old now and for the most part, thankfully, she's been oblivious to all of this COVID-19 BS.  

 Just feeling all of her love - a hug, a gentle tug or outrageous eye roll helps to take away all of the pain, stress and frustration in the atmosphere.

If you just look at my butt, you can tell I haven't been missing any meals but considering the fact that prior to getting prego, I was your typical ass-less Korean, I am fully embracing all of the "new" junk in my trunk.

Also, I am still very happily married; I just forgot to put my wedding and engagement rings on after I got out of the shower today.

This pattern is designed for 3/4 length sleeves but I just wanted regular sleeves with longer cuffs so I have the option of rolling them up.

 This is definitely one of the coziest and best fitting sweaters I've knit yet.  I love the way it feels on my body and that it's made just for me, by me!

 Xena's super stoked too!

 Since this sweater was knit in DK, it's actually light enough to wear during the summer in SF, because ya'll know our summer isn't really "summer".

  Like many families, it's been a struggle balancing work and play in a tiny apartment but I continue to stay positive and global pandemic aside, on the daily, I remain very thankful for all that we have.