Cho-cho

We had to say goodbye to Cho-cho on the morning of New Year's Eve. She had terribly scarred lungs, and not so great kidneys, and she had pretty much stopped eating.
I found her on the street in front of my house about 15 years ago. She was adorable. She looked like a kitten up to the end. She slept on my arm almost every night, and nestled her head under my chin and stretched her paws out under my neck, and then she'd purr with a big smile on her face.
She was so agile and light, she'd jump up and hit the light switch on the wall. Her name was Japanese for butterfly, and that described her pretty well.



I am really going to miss her.

Gossamer Stars Scarf

I have finished T's scarf! Yay! My "Sweater Club" pals and I did a Knit-for-each-other-along, knitting Kat Coyle's Gossamer Stars scarf for each other. We bought our own yarn, and I knit T's, she is knitting B's, and B is knitting mine. We all chose different colors of Hempton, which was really very nice to knit with. It had a bit of give, unlike some cotton yarns, and when I wove in the ends, there was enough "stickiness" so that the ends didn't pop out the way they can with cotton. I ran it through the washing machine and dryer, and it was fine. The pattern will require blocking, though, otherwise it doesn't look very nice.



Maybe it's time for some wires?
I sprayed it with water and gave it some steam with the iron.



Rosey is checking it out, and making sure there is a flattering photo of her on the blog.



Tadaaaa!

The Camera Battery!

....was selected and placed in the nice internet shopping cart, and, uh, well, I didn't really order it when I thought I did. Now it's been ordered, and should be here sometime. Until then, ummm....

Here's a photo of Cupcake enjoying his catnip banana (from November).

Read this because there's still no camera battery.

Things I've Done (In Bold) (stolen from knittywhipped)
1. Started my own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower (on my friend's rooftop by the ocean in Japan)
6. Given more than I can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain (Mt. Fuji, once and never again)
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sung a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched lightning at sea
14. Taught myself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning (lobster)
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown my own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise (short harbor cruise in Yokohama - does that count?)
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught myself a new language (Japanese, and have also forgotten quite a bit of it.)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had my portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling (had to stop though, cause you can't snorkel and laugh at the same time - trust me on this)
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had my picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Rode an elephant

Grams, not yards. Grrrrrrrrrrr......

I bought a pattern for some felted slippers to make as gifts. I hadn't really planned on knitting any Christmas gifts, because I never finish in time. However, these are for my friend T's parents in Japan. I love them, they are so kind and generous and they have everything they need and they don't eat much Western food so it's difficult to figure out a good gift for them. I thought the slippers would be a perfect gift. I was going to make the Fiber trends pattern, but they don't really need the double sole. Then I found this lovely slipper on the Drops website. Great, lower yardage, and not too weird looking, or hard to put on - perfect!

I'm knitting away on slipper #1 for Papa, and I think, "Hmmm...I'm going through this yarn pretty quickly...." and then I re-checked the pattern. No, it's not 150 yards, it's 150 grams!!!!!

I know, I know, I should've known better.

Still no camera battery, c'mon Canon hurry up!

Hats

Just finished another Unoriginal Hat, for L this time. I messed up the row count, and I had already frogged this thing so many times, I just gave up and got it done. So there!



Next up, C#2 seems to have outgrown last year's hat, and requested a new one. The problem is C#2 is VERY picky about his clothing. So, his red hat has to have 2 rows of Argyle, not one but, two. Not too small, not too big either. I have started it, but I am not looking forward to it.

I also finished knitting a sock for my knitting guild "Secret Sock Swap". It's very clever, you put your sock yarn and a note with your shoe size in an opaque bag and someone chooses it. Then using the sock yarn in the bag you find a free knitting pattern and knit one sock, and at the December meeting socks and recipients are matched. I'm sworn to secrecy about the sock I knit, so I'll have to post later. I was pretty pleased with how it turned out.

I am dying to cast on and knit the Fairly Easy Fair Isle for myself, but Aunt G's mohair sweater must come first. I think. I know. I should.

P.S. Camera battery has died, waiting for a new one. No photos until then.

Delusions of Knitwear

Look how delusional - I mean optimistic - I was !

I still got a lot of knitting done, but not what I had intended to knit off of my To Knit list.

Sunday, February 3, 2008

To Knit List for 2008

If I don't write this somewhere I will forget and then remember when I have a million other things to do. I suppose I could have done this at a more fitting time, like, oh, say, the start of the new year, but it didn't happen.

Here it goes:

Poetry mittens in brown for Ms. C Done

Scarf and fingerless mitts for Mrs. H Done

Mohair sweater for Aunt G HA!

Poetry mittens for T (1/2 way done...don't ask why....but these will be a Christmas gift, for 2008) HA!HA!
Socks, loads of socks, to fill my sock drawer and a couple pairs each for my family members HA!HA!HA!

Fairly Easy Fair Isle for me HA!HA!HA!HA!

Ribby cardi for me HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!

Salt Lake City Dale of Norway sweater for C#2 ( well, I'm going to start it this year) HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!

A couple of hats for JB, who needed them last year and still does need them HA!

Mittens for both A & L HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!

A hat for me HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!

Posted by Fujiyamamama at 6:04 PM


Maybe next year.

Okay, you can stop laughing now. Really.


Remember my photos of Ollie in the clementine box on the radiator? I said it was the primo cat spot in the winter. Here's proof.





Just like I think I can fit all that knitting in, Rosey thinks she can fit her big kitty body into that wee tiny clementine box. Delusional.

Nutkin

These are my punk rock/Xray Spex/Nutkin socks. I love them. They were a gift from my friend Joe, square dancer extraordinaire. They are warm and cushy, and the colors are so fabulous and they remind me of this great punk T-shirt I used to have for the band Xray Spex (I told you I used to be cool). I am a boring nerd these days and my cool (but warm) socks are a reminder of my past. Well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it, and I love my socks.




Here's Chocho, she loves me. She sleeps with me every night. She looks kind of grumpy here, but she wasn't.

Ollie likes these socks though. They must have had a very nice Eau de Canine when I received them and he dug one of them out of my bag and did a victory trot away with it. Now they must smell like my feet and he's not too interested.

I haven't taken the photos yet, but if I haven't waxed my legs yet, just ignore that, okay? Thanks. Besides, I entitled this post "Nutkin" not "Fujiyamamama's Hairy Legs" so let's stay focused on the important stuff here, please.

Purl Beret and more....

Another hat for L. Moving on to wool now since it is getting colder. I used Lorna's Laces Shepherd's Sock in Shadow which is not this color, but I thought the contrast was too harsh for what I wanted, so the hat took a bath in some Irish Breakfast tea. It was a little more orange than I had hoped, but I think a few washes will fade it out a bit. The pattern is the Purl Beret from Purl Bee and it is a quick and easy knit.

Here's Chocho, my sweet old kitty looking very disapproving. Okay, so some of my decrease stitches are wonky, I know!




A modelled shot, C#2 wanted to be today's model. Ignore the white cat hairs on his "I want to be cool so I refuse to wear a coat, and instead I will wear this stupid hooded sweatshirt as long as I possibly can" sweatshirt. I act like it doesn't bother me, but if he gets pneumonia my head will explode.




Some views of the top of the hat to show some interesting pooling...and Ollie just hamming it up for the camera...






wait.. Ollie...NOOooooooooo!



"Hey Franklin! I'z ready for next year's "Kittehs with Yarn" calendarz!"

I have been tagged.

Corinne aka Lucky PennyHandknits has tagged me! I have to reveal 7 little known things about me... boy this is hard!

1. I met Mick Jagger.

2. My oldest son is named after my Polish grandfather. I didn't even know his real first name until his funeral, all my cousins knew, but I didn't.

3. I met my husband in kindergarten, except I wasn't sure which one he was because he's an identical twin. Yes, I can tell the difference now.

4. I never go out without makeup. My mom used to do makeup for the Miss America pageant, so it will not do to go out barefaced. That doesn't mean I plaster it on, but it's there. Which leads me to...

5. I hate mascara. It always ends up under my eyes. I wear false eyelashes instead (only on special occasions - I'm not a drag queen!)

6. Snakes scare the daylights out of me, and I can't touch reptiles unless they are dead and made into shoes. Sorry, I do love animals, but reptiles, no, no, no. Certain little critters give me the heebeejeebees, too. Too rodent like. Ew. Yes, I know I am a wimp.

7. I was named after Joan of Arc, because my mother wanted me to be a strong independent woman. I think she made the right choice, well, unless it's reptiles or little critters you're talking about.


I'm tagging mittentime, Brenda, JP, and Roxy. You're it!

Go Vote!

It's a little late, but I hope you have voted. I did.

What was I thinking?!

I have decided for various reasons (shhh, mittenfarce!) against knitting gifts for teachers this year and I thought I was home free, no big deadlines, no frantic late night knitting...and then I remembered...the Christmas stockings!
C#1 and C#2 have some very ratty and moth eaten stockings that were inherited from my husband D. and his twin brother T. Well, last year after some of the contents were spilling out the moth holes I asked if they would like new stockings. Grandma usually knits the stockings, but if she was busy I could knit them. Then they saw these. (Okay, okay, it's not like they were trolling the internet looking for some fancy shmancy stockings for me to knit, I showed them a photo. I know, I know, what was I thinking? But it was a long time ago! Spring? I think. Okay, whatever!)
Well, Grandma is quite a good knitter, but I don't think she's in the mood to tackle Norwegian knitting. There go my leisure knitting plans (right...like that ever really happens).

Then there is the other Poetry mitten for T.
I was thinking of felted clogs for T's family in Japan, then 4 more pairs for the K family in Japan, and then digging through my stash to find the long forgotten stocking pattern I came across many other "forgotten" projects.
What? What mohair sweater?
Wish me luck and tell me to get off the computer because I have a lot of knitting to do...after I make C#1's Halloween costume. What! It's only the 28th!

Chemo caps

I have been making a few chemo caps this year, and I'm finding them very rewarding projects. They're small, which makes for quick knitting, yet not mindless and can be quite complex.
More importantly, is that the recipients know that I made each and every one of those stitches with them in mind, and my hope that one day soon they'll be able to stick those hats in a drawer and not need them again. I'm sure this sentiment has been expressed on a million blogs by now, but humor me, and understand that I am being quite sincere.

I don't think the camera is charged yet, so I'll post photos (multiple bad ones at that) tomorrow, maybe.



Oh, look another crummy photo of the reluctant model. More wonky knitting, too.

Today

Thought I'd show you what I was involved in today. Fujima Ryu of Chicago had their annual recital and I helped (and ate Japanese food back stage). Of course I don't have a complete set of photos, and these photos were from the summer...okay, whatever. Here's what I've got and it's the same stuff and it's a blog post, so there.



Here are some of the wigs. As beautiful as they are they hurt like h*ll sometimes. They are made of human hair on a metal base and the wig making process is rather secretive.



Prepping for the white make-up. You have to apply a layer of a special wax in order to have an even coat of white, if you miss a spot the white gets blotchy and soaks in - then you have to start all over again. Not fun. White boogers for a couple of days. Ew.



Fujima Sensei getting the kimono ready. The dance kimono can be quite heavy and have many layers.

That's all I've got....

Turn a Square Already!

Turn a Square by Jared Flood.

An excellent pattern, a simple hat out of some soft yarn. I made it for L. I had to rip this sucker out at least 3 times. Gauge problems, misreading the pattern, and general carelessness. It looks wonky here but it's really not. Now it's done, washed, blocked and modeled by C#1 (it's too big for him). None of the photos are that great, but there are 3 of them since I couldn't decide which one was the best and C#1 was tired of modeling since there were games awaiting him on the computer.











That's all folks.

Ollie

Ollie has found the best spot in the house. It is the clementine box on top of the kitchen radiator. In the summer it's a great spot to keep watch for any squirrels or birds that may enter the territory, but in winter...mmmmmm...nice and warm and cozy.
I just love those paws!

A Hat for L.

Good luck to my friend L. who starts chemotherapy soon.

It's been a blue summer.

Somehow all of my current projects are in the blue family.
There's the sweater for Aunt G, and yes, I did make a mistake, but if you can't find it I'm not telling. Heh, heh, I love mohair! This pattern is a cabled tunic from Vogue Knitting designed by John Brinegar. It's a great pattern and has been an enjoyable knit. I think I need one of these after I finish G's. Yes, hers MUST come first since she's been waiting for so long. This was a gift for her major milestone birthday. Now the next major milestone birthday is coming up and she still doesn't have her mohair sweater. Oh, well. I'm hoping to suprise her for Christmas.



Then there's this. I fell in love with the colors at the Lorna's Laces warehouse sale and decided that a sweater was needed. I had one pattern, but not enough yarn, then I saw Roam by Laura Chau and I thought I'd give it a try. I don't know though, I hope I don't develop project driven blindness where I'm making something so godforsakenly hideous and fugly but that I can't tell becuase I have my head in the pattern. So what do you think? Be brutally honest, or I'll wear it when I see you in public and brag very loudly about how I made it myself and YOU were such great support because you love it, too!



Should I keep going or frog it?

Then there's this. The scarf for Tammy. At our knit night at Arcadia Knitting we all decided we liked Gossamer Stars by Kat Coyle, so we decided to do a knit-a-long, but we would knit another person's scarf. We had a lovely cast on party, hosted by the impeccable and talented B. and S. the knitting that night was ridiculous becuase we hadn't bothered to pre-read the pattern and we were all flustered because it's not easy to start a chart when you're having fun, and a giant schnauzer wants either your yarn, attention, love, or gallbladder. This is for my best friend T. Poor B. she's making mine and it's black, sorry.



Sadly, I have to go to the LYS to get some very, very, soft yarn for my friend L. who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. I'm going to make her a sleep cap, because I've heard that your head can be very cold at night. Her chemo starts on the 27th, so her hat comes first.

Argyle Fiber Mill

Brenda, Lisa and I had to check out the Argyle Fiber Mill in Argyle, WI. Thankfully Brenda blogged about her yarn and reminded me that I wanted to blog about Argyle Fiber Mill.

Every 4th of July brings us into Wisconsin, and C#1 and C#2 almost always require a trip to The Toy Train Barn so I knew that Argyle was right there. It's a cute little town, and the fiber mill is really cool! The mill is in the back, and in front is a really cozy yarn shop with some Cascade and some other commercial yarns, and then the gorgeous Fifty Mile Fiber. They also have some really wonderful in house patterns available.

This is my Fifty Mile Fiber House Blend, and I think it is just begging for some cables. I have to find a worthy pattern, but I'm kind of thinking about the Urban Aran Cardigan by Jared Flood (he is so talented). What do you think?

Just check out this yarny goodness. Mmmmmm.
It's even better in person.



Mmmmmm....Icelandic wool, alpaca, and llama...
and the color is a yummy shade of cocoa with just the right amount of milk.



It was pretty serendipitous finding out about the Argyle Fiber Mill. I met Elizabeth at our high school reunion (it was a huge school, the graduating class had 980 people in it). I didn't know her in high school so I had no idea she was such a talented knitter/designer/fiber gal.

Summertime

The Water Warriors preparing for battle. Secretly stashing the water balloons, readying their weapons. They fought valiantly, until J. filled buckets of water and doused them. There were some tears, and a change of clothes and the promise of revenge for next year.

Knitting? Oh, just a bit. Knit a scarf in summer? Well, I didn't have a scarf until my friend B. took pity on poor scarfless me and knit me a beauty out of Louet MerLin. Okay, long story, but this is the scarf I am making myself, really, yes, I am really making it for ME. It's fairly easy to knit in the car without making me carsick. Okay, THAT was too much information!

Noro Silk Garden

Other knitting (that I have photos of...) D.'s sock. Yes, I said sock. The other one will be knit sometime soon-ish.

Diamond Waffle from Knitty.com

Lorna's Laces yarn in a one of a kind color from the warehouse sale.

I knit this as a surprise Father's day gift for D. I wasn't sure if it would fit, but luckily his identical twin brother was in town and tried it on for me and I got to measure his foot to make sure.
D. isn't sure he likes them. He asked, "What will I wear them with? Jeans?" Oh, well.

Oh, and one last thing, Ollie, just because.

The Swallowtail Shawl is finished!

I finished the Swallowtail Shawl. It took 2 months, and I ignored it quite a bit, but it's done and given away. I liked knitting the edging better than the center, and yes, I even liked doing the nupps. Knitting this was pretty magical, if it hadn't been for an excellent chart by Eunny Jang, I could not have wrapped my head around how this work out. It's pretty amazing.



Blocking this was fun. I had this blob of alpaca, got it wet, then with some kite string and pins - voila! Look what happened! I used kite string for the top edge, and I got some quilt pins (with birght yellow balls on the ends - hard to miss if you forget one) that were nickel plated and 1 3/4" long. I made sure they were rust proof by letting one sit one the sink all day in a bit of water. I put a thick beach towel on the bed and stretched the shawl and pinned it out. The alpaca dried very quickly, and blocking it wasn't the dreadful chore I imagined it would be.



Swallowtail Shawl from Interweave Knits
Misti Alpaca 2 ply lace, less than 1 skein, 38 gm used
Size 4 Addi Lace needles



Cupcake and Ollie.

No, I'm not done yet.

The Swallowtail Shawl. Still. It's not going as slowly, except that now there are double the stitches from when I was whining about it originally.
This has been a learning experience, and I'm just now starting to enjoy it. I fudge some of my knitting sometimes, but not with lace. Lace demands perfection. Everything shows and you can't say "Oh, yeah those stitches kind of line up" or "Yeah, that YO is just very small." No. You have to rip the sucker back or the lace looks stupid.
I started making stupid lace, and then I realized that I had to frog it and get it right. No wonder it's taking so long!

After this I'm working on Aunt G's sweater (don't ask me how long she's been waiting, well, let's just say it was for a milestone birthday and another one is around the corner) and the most beautiful thing is that it's in fluffy and fudge-able MOHAIR!

Ollie's Baths

No. No, it's not a typo. Ollie had two baths. Unfortunately, my camera batteries were completely dead but if you've ever seen a wet cat...well...then you know how it looks. Rat with a wider face and chunkier paws.

I was in the kitchen, and heard a quick splash. I went into the bathroom to investigate, and found that my BIL (visiting from out of town) left the lid to the toilet open. Ollie has had a pretty keen interest in the toilet, and he found out that there is water in there! He was sitting on the window sill, wet from the chest down and dripping all over the place. He was looking very confused.

He then had a quick wash in the sink with some shampoo. Good thing that fluffy kitten fur dries super fast! He was completely dry in less that 1/2 an hour.

Knitting? What knitting? What lace shawl? Oh! That one, well....oh, gotta go....!

Work in progress

The Swallowtail is going slowly. I'm nearly done with the Budding Lace portion, but I'm dreading the rest of it. I have to finish by June, do you think I'll make it? Probably not, if I don't get going soon!




Fetching. The second pair I've made. These were in Dream in Color Smooshy. It's lovely yarn, but I was shocked the ombre pooled! I think they look fine, and will give them as planned. I modified the pattern - I added a repeat to the wrist and the end.
Having made them twice, I'm a bit tired of these now. They are quick and easy gift, so perhaps the fall will have me digging up the pattern again.


I always thought that fingerless mitts/gloves were pretty useless, but since making them I have learned otherwise. They are very cozy. I probably won't knit them for myself, I didn't even have a scarf for myself this year and my hat was machine made. Oh, well. I like to share the joy of my handknitting even if that means I don't get to wear it!

Ollie

Well, after a surprisingly calm and tear less discussion, in which we nixed all Star Wars names as well as any overly cute or sweet names. We have decided that he is an Ollie, named after the character in this book.

Our new little grey kitten

Here he is, all cute and fluffy. He's been tearing through the apartment today attempting to play with Cupcake, and annoying the other 2 cats a great deal. He's been running around so much that when I do pick him up it doesn't take long for him to fall asleep in my arms. Which isn't cute at all....

He doesn't have a name yet. We voted for Sparky, but C2 was not at all happy about that, and C1 was hoping for an Ewok name.

Voting resumes tomorrow, after a good night's sleep and breakfast.

Road Trip #2

A little road trip out to see the Yarn Harlot in Oak Lawn. Traffic was an absolute nightmare. We made up some good stories about some of the other people stuck in traffic and also played "spot the knitter". The event started at 7:00pm, and we just made it! Only to discover that the event had been cancelled because the Yarn Harlot was stuck in Toronto. We headed to the bar just as a horrendous thunderstorm hit, so we stayed for a bit.

T & I have decided our road trips are doomed to require a great deal more effort and inconvenience than imaginable. Nothing catastrophic, but just kind of aggravating.

On a much happier note, we got a new kitty. A wee little kitten. I know, I know, it's evil to mention without some photographs of the cuteness...tomorrow, probably.

Road Trip!

Friday night T & I drove up to Freeport, IL to go to the Stephenson County Fibre Art Fair (Cedarville, IL). There was not too much traffic, but after about a 1/2 hour of driving my tire pressure light went on. I got off the highway, and checked the pressure. Added a bit of air, re-set the button, and drove for another 1/2 hour and the light went on again. We drove all the way back home, switched cars, and finally after 2 hours were really on our way. I had great maps, and phone numbers and all the info I could possibly need, and because I'm pretty organized it was all in a handy blue folder...which was left behind in the other car. Everything turned out okay, we got where we were going, and the beds at the hotel were good, and we had excellent road snacks thanks to T.

The fair was small, and everyone was friendly and wonderful. I am absolutely resisting spinning. I have too large a stash, and no place for a spinning wheel...yet.

The yarn above is by Sandy's Palette, it is so soft! I just could not resist. I resisted buying yarn with a picture and the name of the sheep it came from (see mention of large stash above) since I had no specific project in mind.

On the way home we got lost on our way to The Fold we spent a good 1/2 hour trying to figure out how to get there, but oh, it was worth it! What a lovely shop! We spent at least an hour browsing, and showing remarkable restraint, I only bought an Addi lace needle for my Swallowtail Shawl. As we were finishing up a whole busload from the Madison Knitters' Guild arrived, just as I was about to succumb to Socks that Rock (Algae, if you must know). Thanks ladies!

If you don't use lifelines...

There I was sitting at that lovely little cafe with best friend T, chatting and enjoying the lovely afternoon, knitting this lace, confident that I could fudge through any incorrect counts or whatever...whatever.

Not quite. I was so lost I frogged the whole darn thing, and started over. Correctly. WITH lifelines.

Will I finish by June? Will I still be sane?

Leftovers

I had enough brown yarn after all. Out of a 50g skein I had 2 1/2 grams left. The white lettering leftovers were 30g, and the green shapes had 40g left over.

One of the mittens has not yet been steamed, so one is still wrinkly and the other is nice and smooth and even.

Finished!

Last night, I finished the brown poetry mittens. Phew! I have the ends woven in, they are just in need of some steaming and then they are totally done!

Photos will come sooner or later. I'm too tired today.

Just a thumb

I'm nearly finished. I only have one thumb to go, and this is how much is left in the skein...will it be enough?

It's not even a quarter of an ounce! How much does a thumb weigh?

Not really an emergency, I do have another skein. I don't really want to have to start a new skein on a thumb, but it's a challenge. Hmmm. What do you think? Will I make it?