The Wearin' o' the Shawl!

It's Saturday, so it's time for a husband-enabled photo shoot! I couldn't seem to get good pics of the shawl by myself (no eyes in the back of my head), but today I got some help. See if this works - I'm just putting the thumbnails so you can click to see the big images.








I'm so happy with the way this turned out. I'm thinking about making another shawl for spring/summer, maybe out of silk. I bought Lace Style for some ideas and techniques, and I have a few other patterns stashed away as well. I particularly like Ella, Lace Leaf Shawl, Polly's Kiri shawl, and this lace shawl pattern by Meg Swanson (scroll down).

Next topic: St. Patrick's Day in Chicago! I'm not really up for braving the crowds downtown, but I'm celebrating in my own way:

Just regular coffee, folks! There will be actual Guinness later...

Have a great St. Patty's Day and a great weekend, everyone!

Blocking is Hard!

I decided to block my first-ever lace project today. It was hard! Even though the shawl was damp, it was really difficult to get the top edge to be straight and totally perpendicular to the center stitch column. Sigh. Oh well! For my first effort, I'll take it! It was really fun to knit lace, and even better to see it stretch out. The Dream in Color yarn did very well, I think. I see another shawl in my future, even though I'm not crazy about the pointy parts at the bottom edges.

I also want to say a huge shout-out and THANK YOU to my knitting buddies who sent me the sweetest get-well card! It was such a suprise! (and I heard my hubby was in on it too - sneaky!) I really miss getting together to knit. But it won't be much longer before I can rove the city in search of knitters and more yarn, as usual!

Another fun thing: I sold some yarn on the Destash blog! It was my first time de-stashing and I have to admit, it was kind of thrilling. Plus - stuff really moves on this site! I sold each lot I posted in less than 24 hours. Apparently I have good taste, if an overactive buying habit!

And one more fun thing before I go: my friend has started a new blog with an awesome name: Knit Crit. The focus of her blog is knitting pattern reviews, and with your input, it will turn into a real resource for us to "look before we knit." So, check her out!

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Another FO

I got an awesome get-well gift from my dad: yarn! His wife's sister runs a yarn shop, so he had a little help with the selections. He sent a sweater's worth of Froehlich Wolle Bergschaff - a very soft, chunky, slubby and yet machine washable yarn - and a skein of Trekking for some socks. I wanted to hurry up and knit up a sweater to show Dad that I really appreciated his gift. So here's what I made:


It's a top-down raglan with a stand up garter stitch collar, garter stitch trim and three-quarter sleeves. Here's a close-up of the fabric:


All in all, a quick knit from a great yarn.

I'm also working on finishing a few languishing projects: 1) the two-color felted purse; 2) a pink cardigan that needs buttonbands; 3) the Norah Gaughan lace hoodie; and 4) the grey-navy raglan.

I've been watching many, many episodes of my favorite daytime shows, including Clean House, Get Color, How Do I Look?, and What not to Wear. Although some of these shows are about fashion and some are about the home, a common theme is CLUTTER. Although I am not in need of Clean House's services - our clutter is manageable and you can walk in our apartment - I have been thinking a lot about how I could better organize and use my things, get rid of things that are not working for me, and generally have a more harmonious life. So, I think getting rid of my knitting clutter by finishing projects is a good way to start that while I am resting. We shall see!