Allons-y...

Yay, it came!    What you see here is the perfect hot weather yarn for the incomparable "Bigger on the Inside" shawl.    After much hemming and hawing I abandoned my stash diving and ordered Claudia Hand Painted Yarns' Linen from Eat.Sleep.Knit.    This is the second time I have ordered from this lovely Georgia shop and so far they are two for two.  The yarn came quickly and is the perfect color for this project.    It probably would have been better if I had read the yardage requirements more carefully.    At first pass, I thought I needed 425yds.   Instead of twigging to the fact that, that is way too little, I thanked heaven that I would only have to order two hanks of this admittedly pricey yarn.    However, when I saw those hanks today, I knew that two hanks were not going to get the job done.     A careful recheck of the requirements revealed that I needed two 425yd hanks of the suggested yarn.   That would be 850yds of my yarn, oops.    I immediately ordered two more hanks (which I hope will be the same dye lot).   Happily I have enough on hand to get started.  Guess what I will be doing tomorrow morning?

P.S. "Allons-y", a favorite of the tenth Dr. Who,  is an old-fashioned way of saying "Let's go!" in French.

I can see clearly now the rain is gone...

Yesterday afternoon the boys & I took advantage of a break in the storms to soak up some sun at our local Starbucks.   I, of course, brought a WIP with me to work on while we talked (I love that I have two teenage boys who actually talk to me).

Most of the patterns that I write are for knitting because that is where my crafty heart lies.   However, this crochet pattern is my "go to" washcloth pattern and it is mine.  I came up with it a few years ago when my brother was first diagnosed with diabetes.   It is thick, absorbent, textured (good for diabetics), and works up really quickly.   Why then have I not shared the pattern on Ravelry?    Heaven knows I have talked enough about doing just that, but every time I start one, I forget to stop and take photos.   I find the pattern, not just comfortably mindless, but a bit compulsive.    This afternoon. T1 came up with an idea that just might work.   He suggested that I finish this one and take pictures.   Then, rip it back an inch at a time, taking  photos at each stop.   The only problem is that I work the first row in a non-traditional way but I can fix that by starting another in the same color with T1 at my side to snapping away.   This could work and if you see a new pattern in my sidebar, you will know that it did.

Well, I'm glad that is over...

Check it out.   This is a friend's dock earlier this morning.   Pretty scary, isn't it?  Luckily the worst is past and we are all alive and well.

Today has mostly been fine, weather wise.   T2 & I went out this morning to breakfast, Target and Publix.   When we left the weather was warm and breezy.   Predictably (or it should have been), a storm band came in while we were at Target.   Unfortunately, we had left the car at Publix and had to walk back in a gale.   We could have waited it out, but opted instead to double bag everything, including my handbag, and walk into the wind and rain.   We got soaked.  It was an adventure.

By the time we got home, the sun was back out.   We even ate dinner and played Scrabble out on the patio.   Apparently, we can expect storm bands to keep coming and going for the rest of the week.   I don't think I will be leaving my car anywhere for a few days.

Hanging with Beryl

Yes, it's true.  Tropical Storm Beryl has arrived in NE Florida.   I am not sure that this picture does it justice but we are getting gusts of up to 70mph!   The power has gone out and come back a couple of times already.  We have done all we can in terms putting up extra water and easy fix foods.   Our phones & Kindles are fully charged.   With those things taken care of, we can relax a bit and see this as an adventure.

The boys are taking advantage of electricity and internet to play video games.   Hubby and I are watching The Village.   I am knitting (and blogging).   We have lanterns and Scrabble for the next blackout.   All thing considered.   Life is good.

Right now I am working on a couple of basic knit & crochet dishcloths to use as class samples.   I have put my Bigger on the Inside Shawl on hold for a bit.    While I LOVE the color and feel of the yarn I originally picked out for it (Zitron's Unisono), this is FL and I just can't bring myself to work with wool in this heat.    So, I have treated myself to a couple of skeins of Claudia Handpainted Linen in a lovely dark Aurora blue.   I know that linen is not for everyone but I really like it, especially after it has been washed and worn a few times.

Did you know that the Shakers used to grow their own flax and spin it into linen?    They would weave it into  sheets.   At first, when they were a bit scratchy, the children would sleep on them.   Then, after a bit of wear and softening, the adults would use them.    After a long while, when the sheets were super soft from much wear and many washes, they would be put on the beds of the old and infirm.   I heard this story as a child at the Hancock Shaker Village (very near to my godparents home), and have loved linen every since.

Anyway, I am working on other things while I wait for the new yarn to come.    Dishcloths for class samples, my Simple Joys shawl on Sunday,  Toe-Up Socks  for hubby, and the Wingspan Shawl (in a lovely unidentified cotton that I found in my stash).  

Oh, oh, the lights are flickering again.   I had better say my goodbyes.

What are you knitting?

Simple Joys Shawl

5May12

Here it is, one of my newly begun knitting projects.   This is my own take on the simple double triangle shawl.   I was not completely pleased with how the cast on row looked on my last one so I began this one a little differently and I love how it looks. Check out the center, top of this photo.   See how is scoops just a bit?.  I am pleased.

Simple Joys Shawl

6May12

I  like to have a simple, not work, project to work on at church, but as my life has gotten a little crazy, I have expanded that.     Now I work on my Sunday knitting all day.   I try to make my Sunday project  not only simple but also intended for someone else.   My last one went to a friend who is going through a particularly nasty divorce.    This one will likely go to one of our church's chaplains who is interested in starting a knitting group with a focus on comfort shawls for sick and/or needy parishioners.   I have volunteered to coordinate this effort.   I thought I would write this pattern up and share it with the group (and post it here, of course).

Jack

This last weekend was a bit traumatic for me.   Our youngest went away on a church trip.  This is the first time he has gone away without me (I have gone away without him but that is different).    I was a bundle of nerves all weekend.   He, on the other hand, was fine.   He had a wonderful time, made wise choices, and took good care of himself (he has asthma and is recovering from bronchitis).    He did so well, in fact, that I may have to let him do it again.   Sigh.

Projects finished, projects begun...

Masters Prayer Shawl

Patons Pure Organic Cotton Yarn

Hey, look what I finished.   This is the Masters Prayer Shawl by Barbara Szabrowicz.   I found it while searching Ravelry for something fast, easy, & pretty to make for a friend in need.   It was simply a dream to knit.  The directions were very clear.   The body of the shawl was easy enough to knit at church or in the movies.  The trim required attention but not so much that I could not work on it in the car.  I am very happy with the results.   I loved, loved, loved the Patons Pure Organic Yarn and am so sorry that it has been discontinued.

I also finished two of the four samples for my classes at Michaels.   I decided to do three washcloths and a scrubby.   My plan is to make a simple garter stitch cloth for my beginner knitting class, an easy single crochet cloth (of my own design) for my beginning crochet class, the Folly Beach Washcloth for a texture knitting class, and a crochet rosette/flower, made with that new Scrubby yarn from Sugar & Cream, for my next step crochet class.   It seems to me that most people will be happy to have something to make that they can finish right in class.

New to my needles is the Bigger on the Inside shawl using Zitron's Unisono in blues.   We are HUGE Dr.  Who fans so when this pattern hit Knitty last week, it was absolutely necessary that I drop everything and cast on.    There is even a special colorway (also called Bigger on the Inside) in Lornas Laces Solemate just for this shawl.  I am not using the recommended yarn in part because I like to be just a little bit different, and in part because I prefer variegated yarns.   So far I have wound the yarn and knit a swatch.   The pattern has only charts for the Time Vortex & Tardis lace which is a problem for me, so my next step will be to translate the charts into words.   Then I will be good to go.

Also recently cast on is a simple side to side shawl using some left over Jitterbug from my stash.   This will be my church/movie knitting since it requires so little attention.   I keep changing my mind about whether to knit it all  in garter stitch or stockinette with a garter border.   I have cast-on and knit a bit of both.   When I make up my mind, I will rip one out and continue on with the other.

So that's it folks.  That the news in knitting from Chez Serenity.

Say it isn't so....

Sadly, due to  a last minute snafu, Hubby and I did not make it to Atlanta last week.   That means that I did not make it to Stitches South, nor did I get to take the two classes I was scheduled for.    I feel like I should be more upset about this than I am.   Not with Hubby, whose work issues were unavoidable (Thank heavens for both of us that I used to be a systems mgr and understand how these things work), but with the situation.    The thing is that I am not terribly upset at all.  In part, because, I do understand how these things happen (I cancelled three trips to Ireland in one year when I was married to the ex), and in part because I am just too tired lately to get overly upset about anything.  

In an effort to cheer me up, T2 took me to Medieval Times on Friday.    This kid is so laid back that he drives me nuts.   This kid is so laid back that he is incredibly relaxing to be around (just call me "schizo mommy").    What a joy it was to not rush.   So not rushed were we that it took us five hours to get to Orlando (it usually takes two).    We stopped for coffee (Starbucks), lunch (Panera), and to visit a favorite yarn shop (Sew & Quilt Shop, Bunnell, FL).    By the time we got to IKEA, we had only  an hour to shop before we had to leave for Medieval Times.   We had a wonderful time and I got to knit while my darling drove home.   The day was slow, easy, and just what the doctor ordered.

This morning, before heading to Jax to run errands, I finally soaked and blocked my project from Stefanie Japel's Design Your Own Shawl class.   I hope to have the pattern written and up on Ravelry soon.  T2 is canvasing his female friends to see who would like to model this baby for me.   Also, I have to come up with a name for it.  

I read somewhere that lace blocking goes better on flannel because the material "grabs" the lace and holds it in place.   This is the first time I tried it and I really liked how easily the blocking went.  I did use pins but not nearly as many as I have in the past.    The only thing is that I always take blocking photos and I don't like the patterned sheet behind my project.    I am going to see if I can find black flannel at Joanne's in the hopes that it would make for a better picture.