In keeping with my commitment to always be late finishing seasonal projects, here's a pic of the Peekaboo mittens, finally done.
They came out pretty good for my first try at mittens, and the thumbs actually look like thumbs and everything! They were actually finished while the weather was still in winter temperatures, but then sat on the table waiting to be kitchenered (is that a word..?) for a few weeks. Yes, I am lazy about finishing...big shock. But this also involved my realization at one point that there was only ONE mitten left on the table, and the ensuing hunt for the second mitten (thanks to the toe-cat!). Like a good little tiger-in-training, he had hunted it down and dragged it to his lair under the armoir for later licking and chewing enjoyment. Thankfully, he chose only yarn ends to kill--no harm done. Good kitty.
I recently joined ISE4. Here's the scarf in progress for my downstream pal. She lives in a hot weather climate, so I wanted to do something light and breathable. Thought I would try out this Mountain Colors merino ribbon in a little simple lace pattern.
The colors are actually a little richer and more saturated than shown by this picture. I haven't done much lace before, so I thought keeping it simple would go much better, especially with a deadline---I don't want to be late when it's for someone else! I hope she is going to like it. I'm thinking about doing the pattern only halfway through the scarf, and then doing another half in the same direction, and connecting the halves at the center. I noticed with this feather and fan pattern that the other end of the scarf will be shaped differently because of the pattern direction, and don't know if I like that. I thought it might look nicer if both ends looked the same. Anyone with experience with this type of pattern have an opinion on that?
Met Ms. X a couple of days ago for some shopping at Trader Joe's and of course, some sitting around and knitting. I am beginning to believe that she is a bad influence (she is the one, after all, who suggested going to a LYS in Kirkland, as long as we were over there....). As it turns out, the store is in the process of closing and everything was on sale. (I believe the name of the store is Kirkland Yarn & Stitchery, in case you live nearby.) Here is what somehow snuck it's way into my hands (at 20% off, so it was justified)...
It was so soft and pretty, I just couldn't resist. And in my favorite color combo of purples and greens, it could not be left on the shelf! I plan to make a beautiful shawl out of it when I get a little better with the lace-knitting. Also got a great pattern at 30% off to knit with this gorgeous Kid Merino. Good thing I got to the sale a couple of days late---all of the sock yarn was gone already. If you saw my previous post showing the size of my sock yarn stash, you will understand my relief that there was none left!
I'm excited about going to a lace design retreat weekend with Evelyn Clark at the beginning of May! It should be lots of fun, and help to increase my lace-knitting skills so I can get started on my first shawl soon. It's going to be held at a couple of cabins by a lake up near Mt. Vernon, so that should be scenic and fun. The retreat also includes receiving a copy of Evelyn Clark's new book about lace-knitting. I have knit several of her patterns in the past (Fiber Trends) and so am looking forward to seeing her book!
Happy Easter and Happy Spring! I'm going out to enjoy the sunny day :)
>^..^< >^oo^< >^00^<
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