Monday... already?
Wow. How'd it get to be Monday again already? How'd I get through an entire week without posting?
I've been tired this week - no idea why, just tired. OK... I've been watching a lot of baseball.
First - I told my (not so, anymore) secret pal that I'd post about this last week... but I didn't post again last week. Here is my awesome final gift:
Its a Burt's Bees hand care gift, a book light (very, very handy!), a sheep pin (very cute), a bookmark/ruler with Carpe Yarn-em on it, some yummy-smelling almond soap, and...
These:
beautiful stitch markers. I love them! (Granted, I have to be much more careful with these than I usually am with stitch markers) and...
this
ADORABLE DUCKY! My secret pal tells me that he is a racing duck. I think he's just adorable, and he is sitting in pride of place in my duck collection.
Oh, who is my secret pal? Melissa from
Webheads. She is absolutely awesome. Go over and give her good recovery wishes on her just-completed surgery.
On the knitting front, I got a bit farther on my Kersti Ribby, and up to the body on Lara. This knit-a-long hostess is falling behind, though - I haven't yet started my Rogue. Soon. Very soon.
One last picture - the little girl I knitted the Panda sweater for came over on Saturday, and the sweater still fits. And is adorable! Her mom (one of my best friends) says she gets lots of complements on it, and that the little one wants to wear it all the time. More praise I do not need.
(On an aside, one of my other best friends had a baby this spring. Its her second - her oldest is 7. The first time we got together after the baby was born, the baby was wrapped in the blanket I made for the first child. Which happened to be the first knitted object I had ever finished, as well as the first of a long string of baby gifts. She also gets compliments on it often...I was so impressed)
Just a quick post...
First - Photography seminar in Maine? Amazing. Truly wonderful. However, since we started driving Monday at 7am, did 2 sunrise shoots (one of which involved a 1.5 hour drive to reach the location), and have a 8am flight tomorrow...I'm exausted. But, I learned much, and have inspiration to spare.
Secondly - no knitting was done. Except on the plane, where I knit through a ball of Angora Silk on Lara - I may have knit more, but I had packed the other balls away in my checked suitcase. Oops...
My usual semi-regular posting will resume on Monday.
And - the Blaze-along kicks off today! Blaze Blog is
here.
Here we go - the stars aligned for a photo shoot this morning.
Not the best picture of me, but a nice picture of the poncho (sorry for the smirk :-) )
Other stuffLara is progressing apace - I'm almost done with my first ball of yarn. I should get a good shot at more knitting tonight with the Twins game on. (Go Twins!)
I picked up
Knit Wit at the bookstore yesterday. Very nice book! I like the patterns - even if I can get a decent chunk from Knitty, I know a couple are sized further and such than were on the site. The layout is interesting... while difficult to page through, it should be very nice for knitting from. However, I have a tendancy to make copies and carry them with my project, so I'm not sure how practical this layout will end up being - but a cute gimmick, if nothing else.
Next week blogging will be limited if exisitant at all - I'm heading off to Maine Sunday night to attend a photography workshop centered on taking pictures of Fall Foliage. I'm greatly looking forward to it. I'm printing out a small number of pictures to take with as a portfolio today. But, as I don't know the state of internet access at the hotel, nor do I think I'll have a ton of free time (2 sunrise shoots... not good for this non-morning person)
And, Lara and Kersti are coming with, of course.
Soooo... I'll either pop in during the week with great stories of the Maine Foliage, or I'll be back next week!
I've been feeling guilty - I took this picture Tuesday, and haven't posted it yet. Hopefully I can get pics of it on soon.
Also, hopefully I can write a full post soon - but not today.
But, with no further ado... I present the finished Charlotte Poncho!!
Made from : 4 colors of Cherry Tree Hill superwash sock yarn
The only issue I have with the yarn is I should have washed it first... the reds ran terribly when I was washing it. I love it. Its nice and bright and cheery.
The length is perfect - from neck to short corner is about 24" I went up a needle size from my shawl ('cause I think my shawl ended up a touch smaller than called for), and am very happy I did.
Such a good weekend. Even a good Monday!
Saturday was spent doing family things - the Big One got her hair cut (and it looks so cute!) and we ran other errands. But Sunday was the weekend day with huge knit content!
Sunday after church and lunch we headed down to
Needlework Unlimited - the LYS I had bought the ill-fated 17 balls of Alpaca Silk. I decided to return the pretty green, and get another color - likely black if they had enough. However, as I walked into the store and up to the counter I noticed a ball of yarn sitting there. Green. Small, squat skein - in short, another ball of Alpaca Silk in the color I was missing. It had no tags or notes near it... so when the salesperson came up to help me, I pounced. The salesperson didn't think it was being held for anyone - but asked around anyways. No-one in the store knew anything about it... so I got my needed 18th ball! I figured that after I had called looking for another ball on Friday someone had found one and set it aside to wait for me. I was SO happy I was bouncing! (really). And, I bought more stuff... some yarn for the Big One, some stuff for my secret pal. (Hee!)
After the joyous union with the needed 18th ball of yarn, we headed for the Twin Cities knit-out - thanks to
Tipper who wrote about it on her blog. Located in Ridgedale Mall's center court, it was fun - local stores had tables with cool things - including Needlework Unlimited. I mentioned to the woman working the table (definitely an employee of NU - they have distinctive nametags) that I had just been in their store - she said yes, last week. I said yes, but also about a half hour before... and that I had amazingly enough found the last skein of yarn I had been looking for, sitting as if it was in wait for me. In an enormous coincidence it was the woman I had talked to on Friday - and someone had returned that skein of yarn, and she had put it aside for me hoping I would call back. I was effusive in my thanks - that ball had truly been waiting for me!
So - this means I must be meant to start Lara right now. Fortuantely, I can since I finished the Charlotte Poncho today! Hee Hee! Its beautiful. I have come to grips with the red, and the bright blue. Blocking did help - thanks everyone for your encouraging comments!!! I blocked it out last night - but my camera was out of battery this morning so no pics yet. I finished the neckline this evening while watching football. I'm wearing it right now -
But - back to the Knit Out story. My darling husband took the Little One around the mall for distraction while the Big One and I chatted and did some knitting - OK, she knitted, I was crocheting on the border to my poncho. We signed up for the drawing, and watched the fashion show. (very nice work shown off). I was almost convinced to come to some guild meetings.* My DH came back, and the Little One decided she had to use the bathroom** so DH, LO and I went to find a bathroom, leaving the Big One to sit and knit. (her choice). While we were gone they held the 3pm drawing - my name was drawn - the Big One jumped up and said "That's my mom!". Immediately after, her name was drawn - she got to exclaim "That's me!!". I won 3 skeins of Soy Silk. Beautiful stuff. (Pics later), and the Big One won the "Little Box of Sweaters". She's thrilled - and has already picked out 4 patterns from the box she'd like to try and make for herself. Oh, yes. She is truly a knitter!
I had a Great Knitting Day on Sunday. Pics for proof tomorrow! I have to go find needles to swatch Lara!
*Note - when we first moved here over 7 years ago I went to a guild meeting. I was invited by a Knit-lister when I mentioned on-list I was moving to MN and asked about knitters, etc in the area. I didn't quite hit it off with the woman, and never went back. I may have to try again...
**Note2 - When you have a 2.5 year old in the midst of potty training who says she has to use the bathroom, you go right away.
Dilemma...
I bought yarn to make Lara. Alpaca silk is gorgeous... however, I didn't get enough. Only 17 balls. The store's entire stock of color 5 - a lovely, soft teal green.
I sent off email to the Lara-along list asking for advice - whether I should play is risky and hope the yardage estimate is off, or return it/exchange it for another color. Then, I'd have to decide - and drive back, not a short drive. I'm still not sure whether I should just return it and order new from them (could be quite a wait...), exchange it for another color - when I rather like this green, or return it and order more from elsewhere (potentially embarrassing.)
And, I was hoping to swatch it imminently. Piffle.
The rest of the week has been spent finishing my Poncho - only 5 rows left. (long rows, but only 5).
I was first excited by my secret pal's comment - I love hearing from her, and having presents from someone who grows Lavendar is pretty cool. But, then I was bummed - she hasn't gotten anything from her secret pal. She's sent me such lovely things, and hasn't received anything. What a bummer... I frown on her Secret Pal. Frown hugely.
Thanks to all of you with your encouragement on the colors on my Poncho. I'm feeling better - a few more rounds of the red color make me feel better. Its not as pink as I'd feared.
Not much else up today. No pics - nothing has really changed. Hopefully I'll finish the poncho soon - then I'll have something to photograph!
