SCHOOLS OUT FOR SUMMER!

At 12:30 today. The girl and I are taking a road trip and spending Friday at an awesome water park. The second half of our weekend will be spent with me helping her finish a sewing project, and my commitment to get Henry8 out from under the chair. Little hope of finishing him before my husband returns to Peru. He does not get to stay home very long, and I'm not very fast. My poor man gave me the best "why haven't you finished that yet?" I've heard. He told me he had to buy a cheap sweater in Lima, because he was getting cold. When he got it home he found it was poorly made, and he had to repair some holes. Booo Hooo. Come home to Texas, honey. It's 90 degress in the afternoon.

However, I'm easily distracted. As will be revealed.

This is my new "traveling" project, "Cove Creek" by "Just One More Row" from Brilla cotton/rayon purchased from Elann.com. I was hoping that the multi-color sections would be longer so that the colors striped instead of puddled. Even so, there is a lot of movement and it's shiny and drapey and fun.

But wait! There's more. I couldn't stop from starting this:

I joined the knit along hosted by the Wendy. This is cashmere/merino purchased from WEBs. The person who writes the description must have been up too late, as the yarn is described as sport weight. No way - this is about the same weight as shetland/lace wool. It's two tight strands, so one can split it easily, but the strands are so tight, it is a simple matter to set the yarn right again. It needs to be washed and will fluff into a light but crisp fabric. Just right for the mild winters here.

I bought way too much, and there is a pattern in a really old Knitters that I will do next for my poor cold husband. But that is after waterparks and after Henry.

Well, I think I would lose my head if it were not attached. I cleaned yesterday, and did not find two of the items I was expecting to find in the mess. One was the pattern pamphlet for a new project. The other was my camera. Well, I had dug out my desk, but didn't dig out the car. In the car, I did find the camera, which I knew was probably there, as I used it for the Girl Scout bridging on Saturday. <> I also found a copy of my pattern swimming around the passenger side. I know that pamphlet is around; I know I didn't take it out of the house. That it too high risk. I make copies to go into my traveling bag.

Is it a copyright violation to make several copies for personal use, because one is scatterbrained, then lose them in random places such as pizza parlors or school auditoriums?

Anyway, I now have a few more copies now to hide away in places where I won't find them in the future.

In the mean time, with all the confusion, I was holding out on the blog readers. (All four of you.) This will continue, as I have a busy week. Well, some will be revealed:


The finished lace shawl, and the background is my backyard, where the armidillos play by the way.

and some detail.

Two new projects making nice progress, but I've not photographed yet, so it will have to wait.

Oooooh, Gene, I feel so complemented!! Me confused with a Rowan designer? Heee heee heee.

Here's the scoop on the on the finished sweater. I saw Sara Peasleys work on her Hanne Falkenberg Tokyo. I thought, wow, that would make a fine manly sweater. It's a slip stitch pattern that can be found in Barbara Walkers third book, called "Ceasars Check". I had a very dear friend who has asked for a sweater, and worked the pattern as one of a group of swatches. He said he wanted "British racing green and tan". Well, I had what I thought was the correct green, and some nice tape from a Webs bag sale about thirteen years ago. Lana Borgesia Castle 30% mohair, 30%wool, 40% acrylic. That company must have been on a King Arthur kick, as the label has a sword in a stone graphic. The fuzzy mohair I'm using for the "dice blue" shawl is from the same stash, and it's called "Morgana", and has the same graphic. My friend liked the slip stitch swatch; the yarn makes a nice soft fabric and the mohair is not brushed and fuzzy. Then it was a matter of figuring gauge, and applying that "Grand Plan" sweater chart. Viola!

By the way, I previously used the same tape on my last personal design. I used a cable and lace design, and it looks amazingly like the one on the Elann.com splash page, but that one is done in a cotton.

I love those BW books. This is only the second sweater I've done this way. Well, if you count all the baby sweaters, maybe that's not really true. I can't really "see" what those little photos would look like on a finished sweater. I had passed over this little pattern many times, as it appeared awfully boring. Only a few of them speak to me. Now, I'll look at the magazines, and think, hey - that's just a BW stitch design on a plain shape. Or, I'll see it on one of the blogs out there. I think I've read this thought before, and the writer may have been slamming the magazine. I appreciate seeing the application of the stitch pattern on a garment. It helps me put a design together more confidently. For example, was sort of excited by all the sanquar check gloves this winter. Not that I'm much of a glove knitter, my brain sez: great pattern to apply to a sweater, or mens wear vest.

Now, in the mean time, I've finished the lace, but my little camera is waiting for the battery to charge. I've started two new projects. Only right, as I've finished three, don't you think? I still have a commitment to get Henry out and working this weekend. Want to guess what I've begun? There is a hint on the page for one, and I've mentioned a recent pattern purchase as well.

Happy Monday, again.

Look who's lounging on my sofa, waiting to be dry:

This little guy, or his friend has been hiding in the sweater during lapses in finishing progress.


Living in an urban rain forest, it's awfully hard to keep the critters out. We were disturbed when we first moved in by odd noises out the bedroom window at night. Turned out to be a good sized armadillo. I did some research, and found that the common approach is to leave them alone. The thought is that if you remove one, another just move in after it. I hear our neighbor a few doors down traps and destroys the ones that wander into her yard. I hope she enjoys the activity as there seems to be an endless supply of these guys. The other approach is to get a terrier, as they are bred to be rodent hunters, and will often aggressively go after them. Our bedroom 'dillo usually produces a brood of babies this time of year. I've not seem them yet, but I hear they've been about. One may have already met it's end by meeting the neighbor dogs.

I also found a yucky baby bunny with parts eating out of it on my back porch. Has Miss GingGong not been enjoying her meals?

Enough of the critters. Back to knitting. I was pulled over by the knitting police for knitting lace without a pattern. The sentence? About twenty rows. I'm just glad that I wasn't convicted for knitting under the influence.

In the mean time, here she is, waiting for a conference call.

Anticipation
I've not been blogging because I am so close to finishing two projects. I think if I could only finish, I could photo, and proudly display them. Stupid, huh?

Knitting and blogging thoughts on the passing of the 1 year anniversary of this blog. I started this for my own purposes. I reviewed the last year, and felt more satisfied than I had expected. While the purpose is knitting, live events weave their way into the text. I've never been able to maintain a diary, so this is an achievement, and I find I can not only review my knitting projects, but the events of life, and progression of feelings.

I do get caught into the external parts of the blog - I get soooo excited when I find a comment. I was delighted when Wendy added me to her list. I was disappointed when I found I had been removed. I re-established that this was my personal activity and continued on.

So, what's about to finish?

The "traveler" sweater - One side/underarm seam to go.
The "dice blue" shawl in light grey mohair, and just in time too.

My Father in Law announced Sunday that he was going to marry on June 12th. I'm going to have a new Mother in Law, and guess what? She's my age! I suspect my husband and his brother are still not sure what to make of this. She's made some poor decisions in her past.

We met the lady last year. My husband commented that his father seemed more like the happy father he remembers as a boy. My take is that if this woman makes the old guy happy more power to them.