Sometimes Good-bye is Second Chance

SO... I've been thinking. (instead of knitting, thinking) The thing is, the lace scarf I've started is definitely too wide. I've lost the desire to knit it in it's current width, since I know it won't be long enough. This leads me to the sad reality that I will be ripping it all out and starting over.

To make myself feel better I did some online retail therapy via Knit Picks. I'm getting a ball winder, (no swift, but one big thing at a time) a very cute key chain two sided crochet hook for 'on the go' dropped stitches, some more magnets for my chart holder, and 2 sets of fixed circular harmony needles to try out. That may be all, but I'm probably forgetting something. Oh yeah, some cuticle and nail stuff made from beeswax or something like that.

Anyway, I got it in my head to get some red lace-weight because Amy keeps knitting beautiful red stuff and I keep wishing I had some red lace stuff to wear. Go see and scroll down and then subscribe to her blog because she rocks. Red IS my best color to wear, btw. I took a serious liking to this yarn:

FiestaSee more from:

Gloss Lace Yarn
70% Merino Wool, 30% Silk
Lace Weight
$3.99 / 50 gm hank
AVAILABLE 4/26/10

As you see, I am a few days too early to order it. DRAT! However, it does give me a good excuse to do a little more retail therapy next Wednesday. ~~cue devious/maniacal laughter~~ This means I'll be looking for another cool stitch pattern. ACTUALLY... I saw a really pretty stole the other day done in a very pretty butterfly stitch. I need to photograph it or search for lace patterns that include it, because it was so cool. If any of you know of a pretty pattern already that you can suggest, I'd love to hear about it.

Tune in next time for sad pictures of the dismantled lace and awesome pictures of my clematis blooms, they've really gone berserk this year.

Spring Blooms

At the risk of being annually repetitive, I must share my tree's blossoms. They seem to have really outdone themselves this year. Even the tiny one in my back yard, which receives daily (ahem) "attention" from my dog, is blooming like a pro. Hopefully all the pictures will distract all of you from the obvious and serious lack of knitting going on. My children and I seem to be playing volleyball with at least 2 or 3 different viruses. I have had a low grade fever off and on for about 3 weeks now. (annoying)

So... feast yer eyes me hearties on me bloomin trees! ARGH!

You know I love bees

One Step Forward, One Ripped Back

Well, I didn't knit much on my little jaunt. When I did knit, I made a mistake, and since I hadn't moved up my life line to the half of the repeat, I had to rip back to the beginning of it. So my progress is about where it was, if not less. **cue the DOH!** Which means it is NOT ready for tonight as I hoped, but that's ok. I have another scarf that matches what I plan to wear.

My trip was really nice. Did some work, got some training, got some more training and learned a bunch. Like - driving in Houston stinks. And - eating in a nice nice hotel is pricey. lol Actually I had a great time. I learned some new stuff that helps me with pain, and that is worth more than it's weight in gold!

I'll get back to the lace soon as I can. I'm still recouping from the trip. It's starting to look like I don't knit much on trips. I always take knitting and I never do much with it. Wonder why that is? Seems like other knitters knit away like mad on trips. Oh well! Maybe I'll figure it out one of these days.

Until I resume knitting, here is an interesting sky pic I saw while driving the other day. Clouds are water, yes, but sometimes clouds look like the ocean to me, and this is a good example of that.

Dropping By...

... to say, "Hi."

I'm mid way or so into repeat 5 of the chart, I'm starting to think this will be a very short scarf, indeed - shouldn't have made it quite so wide - but that being said, there's NO way I'll be ripping it back. I'll just block it very severely on the horizontal plane.

It's good practice, at any rate, I plan to make something rather larger on the lines of scarf/stole lace thing for a friend in a pinkish color. I really love the JaggerSpun Zephyr Wool-Silk Yarn so I think I'll be looking to invest in some for a few projects to come.

I'm just taking a lunch break from a gazillion things I must do before a little jaunt I'm taking, so this is a mini-post of sorts. Hopefully, I'll be finished with this by the time I get back. I really want it done by Tuesday next. So... until then, Live Long and Perspire =)+)

OH Bother!

AH, errata, thou dost vex me so! In hindsight, it should have been obvious, right? I mean look at it! HELLO!

It's just that any time I start any lace pattern, I'm all muddly at first which means I don't comprehend the chart as a whole and I don't look ahead in the chart as I ought to. I always have a few false starts and do-overs. You'd think that by now, I would realize that I should always always always use some of my other, not so wonderful, yarn and do a trial run. Maybe it sank in this time enough to be remembered next time. One can only hope so, eh?

At any rate, the yarn dealt with the multiple knitting and raveling incidents, and only the first few inches came untwisted. Of course, I'm much happier with this attempt, now that I have a better overall understanding of the chart and how it goes.

Isn't it nice when muddly gives way to clarity?

And now, I just have to think up a name for this scarf. Any ideas?

The Call of the Lace

Now that I've completed two projects, long languishing on the needles, I feel the need to knit something more challenging. So, I am taking two lace charts and putting them together to make a little lace scarf. I have some of the lavender lace yarn that I used on the Swallow Tail Shawl and it's been in my little yarn box whispering at me for a long time, "Use me up, I'm ever so lovely."

eta: JaggerSpun Zephyr in Violet, I think

even though it seems to light to be violet

Here are the two patterns I plan to merge, and without violating any copyrights too terribly - the way I plan to merge the charts partially shown. This all from the stitch library of "The Knitter's Bible"

You can see my hand written additions

Diamond Lace with Rosettes + Quatrefoil Eyelets equal awesomeness =)

(hopefully)

We'll see soon enough, won't we?

GOLD!

Actually, I didn't officially join the Olympics - but I have managed to unofficially get gold medals on both my languishing WIPs.

Self patterning yarn is the best. The only problem I had with this yarn is that once you drop a stitch, the yarn gets excessively splitty. Much of the knitting I did on these was in low light, which doesn't help.

As for my finished sweater, it turns out I don't have the ability to take a flattering picture of myself in it. Hopefully when I wore it the other day, it wasn't so unflattering - lol At any rate, it's very comfy and warm. It's pretty scratchy, so I wear something under it, which is sorta what I have to do with all sweaters, since the wind blows into them and gets me frozen.

On both projects I used the Miraculous Elastic Bind Off which is the first bind off I've ever used that I don't have to use an oversized needle in order to have the bind off as stretchy as the knitted fabric. It's my new favorite thing.

And here is my lunch today, it turned out pretty, so I took a picture =)

On a side note, Gene Kelly aka D'Artagnan is whistling on the TV and my dog is rapt at attention - I love rewinding the DVR and watching George tilt his head and perk up his ears. hehehe