Projects

My mom has gone back home and my husband is at work. The healing process is going smoothly, and so I am just knitting away at home and trying not to get sick of TV. Thanks again for your greetings back to blogland! It's good to be (mostly) back.

I have progress pics to share! First up, I have a hat that was made from a kit from Cloverleaf Yarns. It was purchased a loooong time ago, so I'm not sure about the colorway - but they still sell them here. It turned out beautifully:


The picture's a little overexposed; the colors are actually a smidge deeper. It was fun to knit, alternating between chunky boucle, mohair/wool blend and heavyweight mohair in light to dark shades. It's double-stranded, so I knit it in an afternoon. It fits me, and it's warm - but they aren't my colors. Must figure out a suitable recipient for the hat...

...and, the shawl is finished! This took about a week and a half of solid, monogamous knitting (the hat came after). I love the Dream in Color yarn, and Susan's pattern was a perfect start for this lace newbie. Check it out:



And a close up:

Obviously it's not blocked, but I'm not quite up to that yet. Since I had extra yarn, I added one pattern repeat. I'm so excited to see how big it will get! All in due time...

I'm still knitting on my gray and navy sweater, too. I'm well into the yoke and am figuring out what lace pattern I'm going to use for the neckline. The lace is going to be hot pink, I think. My husband thinks the sweater will be "busy." We'll see! There may be another FO soon...

Later, y'all!

Me again

Hi everyone! I'm on the other side of surgery and happy to say that everything went very well. Thank you all for your good thoughts and well wishes. I know they helped keep me safe.

I am at home and on the mend. The pain is manageable, and my mom and my husband have been taking good care of me. I'm spending about 98% of my time in bed, but so far I'm not too bored...I've watched a LOT of DIY, HGTV and TLC. I'm also totally hooked on Top Design! (Why didn't Ryan get kicked off this week instead of Elizabeth??) I'm also knitting, but the turnaround time for photo shoots has lengthened substantially. :) I'm working on the Forest Canopy Shawl in the Dream in Color yarn I showed last week. It's beautiful so far! It's my first lace piece, so I'm excited to see it come together.

Also, I couldn't have been more surprised to receive lots of flowers! And since it is February and snowy, I thought I'd share some happy flower photos. Looking forward to catching up with all of you since I am back home and online.

New LYS

Thanks, everyone, for your thoughtful comments and well wishes. I accept them gratefully and I trust that everything will be fine.

Just a brief post today, partly because I didn't want the surgery post to be the only thing up here for the next two weeks! I wanted to mention an AWESOME new knit shop here in Chicago. It's called Knitwerks, and it's run by Cherrl Harmon. She is just the kind of person you imagine should have her own knitting store. She's competent and creative, welcoming and funny...and the store is a reflection of that.

I wish I'd taken my camera the first time I visited Knitwerks, but her website's got some pics. And, my stash enhancement will give you some idea of the selection:



Top right is a basket from Lantern Moon. Beautiful silk lining and a drawstring closure. I thought this would be great for knitting while prone - so I don't have to worry about runaway balls of yarn. Bottom right: Noro Kureyon. She's got Kureyon! I'm planning a multidirectional scarf with Karen Baumer's free pattern. Left hand side: this yarn is new to me. It's called Dream in Color, and it comes from Aurora, IL. It's springy and soft, with subtle mottled color effects. I'm going to make a Forest Canopy shoulder shawl with the berry color, and socks with the blue color.

So, what didn't I buy?! Cherrl's also got Rowan, Debbie Bliss, Fiesta, Interlacements, Blue Heron, and more! Plenty for you if you visit.

Later, y'all. See you soon...

UPDATED TO ADD: In case you've been wondering whether to pick up one of the two new novels about knitting, here's a review of both from the Christian Science Monitor.