Craftivity (for want of a better title)

Hi all! Thanks so much for your encouraging comments on my little project. It gives me so much energy to try something new, and an even bigger boost since it's going well. Hopefully I can finish it this weekend.

In other project news: I'm still working on my Edie sweater. I need to finish the shoulder and neck shaping, and then I'll starting blocking. It seemed like a good idea to wait to block until all the pieces are finished, in case there are some minor sizing issues. I'm also working on the Pompom Tie Cardi I posted about a while ago. The Shelridge Farms is great to knit with, but the dyeing is a little inconsistent. I've looked around on Ravelry and on the Shelridge website, and no one else seems to have this problem, so maybe I just got a bad dyelot. I ripped out one piece because the tones were just too different than the back piece I already finished. Sigh.

All of that to say...I needed a quick project! I just finished a Montego Bay Scarf, featured in the Summer Interweave Knits:


The yarn is Blue Heron Rayon Metallic, and aside from the fact that it's so dang hard to photograph, I have NOTHING but good things to say about this yarn. It's really soft, but also sturdy (I tugged on it a lot to block it). The metallic thread running through it makes it gorgeous and shimmery - not gaudy. All the colors work together and there was no pooling. It has great yardage, too.

This scarf is going to someone close to me who could use a little pick-me-up. I hope it will remind her that *she* has a sparkle all her own, no matter what she wears.

Hope to see some of you at knitting tonight!

Random Post for a Random Day

Hello all! I got a little sidetracked last week, but let me be sure to say a huge THANK YOU for all the compliments on my gold 'n' leafy sweater. Thanks for applauding my first riff on a pattern...maybe one day there will be a full-fledged sturdygirl design effort. Who knows?

Things have been crazy, though mostly in a good way. Wednesday, I went on a business trip to D.C. (well, Alexandria), which was great because I got to see my best friend A. My boss and I were supposed to leave on Friday, but got snowed out. I say snowed out because DC was a lovely 70 degrees - while Chicago was getting buried with snow and ice. So I got to hang with A. not once, but twice in three days! I also got some goodies at Stitch DC - no pic yet, but I will share soon, because the yarn I picked up is cool.

As far as knitting goes, I somehow find myself sucked into the vortex of holiday knitting. I did my best to avoid it, but it happened anyway. Right now I'm working on some dishcloths which will probably be gifts for my co-workers. It's never good to be caught empty-handed when a colleague gives you a gift! Here's a really bad pic from my cell phone:


(knitting at work - sshhh!)
The other thing I wanted to share is more knitting news. Have you ever heard of Colorsong Yarns? They have the best selection of Fleece Artist and Handmaiden yarns I've ever seen, which is great in and of itself - but now they've launched NatureSong, an online shop of natural yarns. Did you know Habu makes cashmere yarn? Check it, friends.

Anyway. That's pretty much all I have to say, except for this:


A stealthy shot of Benetton's yarn tree decoration. Kinda cool, but shouldn't someone be knitting with that stuff?!?