There's going to be a Charlotte!

My Charlotte's Web shawl is growing and not causing me any grief at all. If I had it to do over, I would probably not have picked some of the colorways in it, but I still think I'll like it.



When I first purchased the yarn for the shawl, the store I went to had a very limited stock and I was just too eager to get going on it to want to order the yarn. I did not like it at all from the beginning. The yarn was pretty but not exactly what I wanted. The whole project came to a halt shortly after and I just decided to wait until I could find a few more colorways to add to it.


When I went to Stitch n Pitch, I did buy a two more colorways. Then I got the chance to visit Village Yarn and Tea in Shoreline and I found another. I had to stop myself because I really could have purchased enough yarn to make another shawl completely and my budget just couldn't take it.


While on vacation, I just decided to put the colors together and go for it. I'm now halfway through the 4th colorway. I know if I stop now, I'll forget the pattern that is just flowing so easily. I'm excited because I just LOVE the last color coming up. I'm hoping it pulls the rest of it together but I'm not really unhappy with the way it all looks.

When I get this one done, I'm going to have to go back to the "have to" knitting. Hmmmm, I wonder how long I can make this last!

Vacation knitting and a wedding

I have no idea where my post about my vacation knitting went...and it was long.

On vacation, I didn't do any of the "have to" knitting I brought with me...instead, I pulled out my Charlotte's Web shawl and started over. I didn't frog the first attempt, I just pulled the yarn out of the bag...ha ha. I was never happy with the colors of the first one and have been collecting a few new colors to add to it. This time around, it is just knitting up so easily. I've been putting in a lifeline faithfully after almost every pattern repeat and happily pulling them out after I get several past it. The way the colors have been coming out amazes me. Sometimes they pool even when I am using alternating colors through part of it. It's kind of cool how you move through the colors. One gets to shine in all it's glory, then you start mixing in the next color, so one fades out, one starts to bloom. Then it gets to shine in all it's glory until the next one gets a turn. I love watching it happen!

We came home a bit early from vacation so we could go to a wedding. The wedding was great, just like I expected it would be knowing the bride!

Since I'm not sure she wants her picture linked to her blog, I am just going to leave it at this, but is sure was fun and I thought she looked so beautiful in the sweater her mom crocheted her!

Vacation pt 2

This is at the foot of our campsite...we had the only site that had privacy. Once in awhile, little kids would be in front of our site throwing rocks into the river, but never for long and it didn't really feel like intrusion anyway.

This is looking up towards the front of our site. The kids are playing frisbee alongside the RV. See the little corner bench there under the trees? I never sat there, but it was a cute spot.



This is standing near the end of the RV looking out towards the river. We had a lot of room!


One little picture of downtown Leavenworth. If you are ever in Washington state and get a chance to visit, do. It is so quaint. Our family always enjoys it. I just don't like how hot it gets, but love the little shops there. This is where we were on Sept. 11, that fateful day. It was our first time there and it was so strange to be where this happy music was playing on the streets and in some of the shops, the people are in costume. We love going there, though...have been many times since 2001.



Back to work next week, though. :(

Home from vacation

We got in last night....and our wireless connection is all messed up so the only way I can get online is through our desktop, which dear little son has totally messed up. As soon as I can, I will post a picture of my vacation knitting!

Ohhhhh my gosh......

I am working on Cat Bordhi's new toe-up sock in the current issue of Vogue Knitting. When I looked at the picture, I thought she had matched up the yarn so I spent about an hour Tuesday getting it matched up and wound it all together into one. I was well into the foot of the sock and honestly was hating it more and more the farther I got. I kept looking at the picture thinking something was different. Well, I finally looked closer and I notice...her yarn is not matched at all. Hers has kind of a mottled look and mine is just cheap looking. Way too much pink and blue. Soooooo....Bunni and I decide we can rewind it. We started on it yesterday and ran out of time so we decided today we would take a different approach. We would pull the yarn all the way down the hallway at the shop and separate the two strands, and rewind it. Doesn't that sound like it would work? Well.....you would not even believe the mess we ended up with. That yarn was twisting and plying on itself like crazy. Customers were coming in to my family's business which is in the front part of the building my little shop is in. We just invited them to step over the mess. After an hour of this craziness ... and the yarn was so twisted, I realized that there is no way this is going to work. So, I don't know what will become of the sad yarn, but I know it's not going to become any socks that *I* knit! Sorry to say I never thought of taking a picture of it all.

My camera has a dead battery

I finished knitting my Marit bag by KnitWhits (the stripes in the previous post) and took it and all the bobbles outside to take their picture and my camera is dead! I just have the triangle band to make around the top and I'm ready to sew it together and felt it. The instructions say to felt it first, then make all the pieces work together...when they felt at different rates. I don't want to mess with that so I'm going to sew most of it together first. I'll do the mattress stitch around the bottom after felting and sew on all the bobbles after also. I'm loving the bag and it knit up so fast! I'm showing you the picture from the knitwhit website until I can get my own on here.



I've also been practicing the new toe-up cast on I learned in the class with Cat Bordhi. I really like it. I haven't been so successful at the toe-up socks I've made previously, can't get the fit right, but I'm going to keep trying. If you ever get a chance to take a class from Cat....DO! She is so incredibly encouraging and you learn so much. I will take one every time I get a chance whether I have already had the class or not! She has a new method and it works great. I want to make an adult size sock, though, to see how the new techniques work. We can't share what we learned until her new book comes out next Spring, but it gives me lots of time to practice and perfect it. She has a great pattern in this month's Vogue Knitting.



I just bought my issue today. I'm going to go look at it now and figure out whether to do her new sock pattern or Nancy's Bush's. It's a great issue!