In which I pause, and take a breath

I'll be honest with you lovely people. The last few weeks have been hard on me, on many levels. This is shaping up to be a very strenuous year as well, so I'm not out of the woods yet. There's been some doing and some thinking and some lord knows what the last few weeks, but this, this right here? This is what it's coming down to for the next few days: a brief reprieve before saddling back up.



And so with a new house, a new welcome as well: my door is always open, a drink is always around, and I hope to see some of you around these parts often enough.

In which I'm really tired

Underwent another (!) house move yesterday. Working on getting internet up and running. Working on getting through the yoke of my sweater (it's going along at a decent clip, I just need a few solid evenings to crank it out I think). Photos and excitement will ensue as soon as I unpack my camera (and everything else... it might be time for a big possession purge, I think).

In which there is body

About 7" into the body! (Aiming for 17", I think) I juuuuuuuust might get this done by the time classes start, if I can get the body done by the end of the week.

In which Ms H. is always right

So, this was a belated birthday knit for Ms H.
I loved knitting it, the yarn is a delight as always, and it was the perfect cool-down project after the long haul of Peacock Feathers. Best of all, it was very well received (always a relief, eh gift knitters?).

Didn't get the opportunity to get many photos of this one (I really want to rustle up a mannequin or dress form to help with FO photo shoots), but that's not always what matters.

Pattern: Silk Kerchief by Kate Gagnon (rav link)
Yarn: Fleece Artist Merino 2/6 (unknown colours)
Needles: Addi Lace 3.5mm
Start: July 14, 2009
End: August 7, 2009
Modifications: Madelinetosh inspired ruffle (rav link), but with an increase of 2 stitches per 3, instead of 1 per 2, just for that extra ruffle ;)
Verdict: Thumbs up across the board in every single department. No complaints. I kind of want one now for myself...





I couldn't resist this one. Whaddaya think, my colours?

In which sleeve!

Like I said, one down, one to go.

In which news of sorts abounds

So, bad news first?
It's overcast and gloomy and I can't get any good light for a photo of a finished sweater sleeve.

Good news?
There is a finished sleeve to not have photos taken of.
There is a second sleeve that has been started.
There is an FO to be washed, blocked, photographed and gifted in the near future. Y'all are going to have to wait for that one.

In which we plod along

Not too contrasty in the end, but I'm liking these two colourways together.

Next on Masterpiece Theatre: a sweater update.



P.S. Someone out there is being super brave and it looks amazing!

In which there is a new beginning

So, whatchall think - these yarns go well enough together?







More chit-chat later, peoples!

In which we have the reveal of the centuraaaaaaaah!

Pattern: Peacock Feathers Shawl by Dorothy Siemens (rav link)
Yarn: Fiddlesticks Zephyr Wool-Silk Laceweight in Juniper (discontinued)
Needles: Addi Lace 3.5mm
Start: April 1, 2009
End: July 7, 2009
Modifications: Omitted crochet bind-off, as it just wasn't doing it for me.
Verdict: Well, I love it a lot. It was a bit of a long haul knit, but totally worth it. The yarn is divine to work with, and the pattern is clear and well written (and of course, looks fab).





The colour, ohhh the colour. It's called Juniper, but to me it is nothing other than the real colour of the ocean. Tropical blue in some light, squally, stormy green in others, I had a heckuva time photographing it, and sadly I don't feel like any of my photos do justice to the colour.





It's light (an imprecise kitchen scale counted 95 grams) and airy and the 50/50 wool silk just is heavenly soft with the barest halo. It's big too. Stretched diagonally across a queen-sized bed it just reached past the corners, and to block it I had to run it over the edge of the mattress and pin it to the side!





Will I knit it again? Not for a long while. 30-minute rows, 495 stitch rows at the end made it crawl, but I don't regret that at all. I would definitely recommend this as a knit for someone else - the end result is just so satisfying of a final result.





Have a good weekend people. I'll be back soon, I promise.

In which we are almost there!

Knitting done as of 5pm tonight. Now I just need to figure out where the heck to block it! All the details will come when I can block and photograph. Sorry for the one last teaser!