This Weeks Yarn Haul...er...Binge!

First was the delivery of my yarn for the Mystery Shawl A Long 18. This is a Yahoo Group that I signed up for that begins on July 24th. There is still time to get signed up if you are interested. Hope that link works. Anyway, Renee from Goddess Knits has designed the shawl for it and I am so excited to start a new project. Shawls seem to be the thing for me this summer, so why fight it? I ordered the yarn from her shop, where you can also look at all her previous patterns and purchase them if you are so inclined. Beautiful work, so I am sure that this new one will be worth it! My yarn is beautiful, although I had to adjust my plan a bit. I ordered the Garnet colorway and thought it would be a red color, but it is this beautiful Chocolate Brown. She offered to exchange it for me, but I decided to keep it. Corinne suggested I use a turquoise color beads with it, and I think that will be beautiful.

I was in Flagstaff two times this week, and bought yarn at Purl in the Pines yarn shop there. Some beautiful Cascade Alpaca Laceweight Color #1410, a dusty rose, and also a hank of Cascade Heritage Handpainted Sock yarn in a wonderful grey colorway #9922.

As if that weren't enough, we went to downtown Prescott today, enjoying some rainy weather.


While we were down there I "had" to stop in to A Good Yarn, because I knew they had a sale on Laceweight and sock yarn. Just to make sure that I don't run out of lace projects (grin)....I bought some. OH MY Gosh! This is kind of scary when it is all put here for the world to see. Did I really buy More Yarn? Well, here is the last of it:

The purple color is Knit Picks Shadow in Foxtrot and the Crystal Palace Yarn Kid Merino in color #4680, a lovely lavender. The pink alpaca/ llama/sheep (can't figure out which it is) I bought to display on my yarn shelf at a pet store downtown called The Pet Depot. It is actually a dog toy complete with a "squeaky" inside! The Envirosax bag I found in a little boutique called Hop Sing. I have wanted one of these bags for a long time. They fold up to a teeny tiny thing that fits inside your purse. Love it! I would love to order one of their sets that come with a pouch that holds 5 bags. One of these days...although after buying so much yarn recently, I am definitely on a smaller budget for a good while.

I will be good.
I will be good.
I will be good.

Serendipity (Mystery Stole 4)

Way BackWhen, I began a stole with the Mystery Stole 4 group on Yahoo. I made the mistake of buying Malabrio laceweight to knit it with, and wasn't really happy with it. The yarn is soft as butter, and will probably feel great once it is knit up and around my neck, but in the meanwhile, it catches on my dry hands, and is simply too light to feel comfortable to knit with. This is MHO only, mind you. I am sure that lots of knitters love it.

Anyhow, after catching up and finishing all the UFO's in my knitting baskets, closets, bins and bags, there was the poor little wadded up thing, half knit and patiently waiting for me to pick it up again. I think I heard a slight wimper from the plastic bag it was in. (maybe it was simply gasping for air)

Long story short, it is a tribute to my talent at laying guilt trips on myself to say that I am nearly finished with the thing now.

I had nearly just thrown it out a few times, especially when I was cleaning out my craft closet in order to pack and move from Washington. But every time I came close to letting it go, something stopped me.

Now that it is nearly done (I have only chart #5 to go and then the big weaving session),I am glad to be finishing it. Of course, you will have to check back with me AFTER the weaving to see if I stick with that opinion. The stole, which is now available as a pattern by Georgina Bow Creations on the Pink Lemon Twist Blog, is knit inward from each end, meeting close to the middle and then the two sections are woven together. Georgina is sweet and the pattern is really well written. She was very helpful to the group, and I am pretty certain that she would give support for her patterns. It was the first lace shawl pattern I ever used beads with and her instructions for that were impeccable. The pattern, called Serendipity, is now sold together with a matching sock pattern.

According to Georginas' Websters New World Dictionary, Serendipity is an apparent aptitude for making accidental fortunate discoveries. Evidently my discovery is that finishing this Mystery stole is not only a "Mystery", it's a Miracle!! And in the end, one that I am glad of!

Four for the Fourth!

This was on the door at the first Knit Shop I ever went to in Phoenix yesterday. Not exactly a successful shopping experience! Danny planned a trip to Scottsdale for us, mapping out 4 yarn shops for me to browse in. Four Knit shops is a perfect way to celebrate the Fourth of July! Isn't he a sweetheart?

The second shop was open, but closing! It is called Knitting In Scottsdale, and they are going out of business! So I snagged (sorry for using the "s" word) some great deals there, including this pretty yarn for Corinne to make a scarf from:



They had a "free stuff" pile in a back room, so I added to my bouquet of needles that I have on my knitting book bookshelf!

Next on the list of Four Shops was Knit Happens, a shop I know I will return to. Here's Danny holding the door for me.
The look on his face looks very relaxed, considering I he was entering:

Which usually means he needs to cover his ears once I get to the "checkout"! The folks there at the store made him feel welcome and set him down on the sofa they have in the book room and let him watch tv while I was busy shopping! Much as I liked everything there and will probably go back and spend significantly in the future, I didn't buy anything yesterday.


On to the last stop on our trip, Arizona Knitting and Needlepoint. This one was a bit harder for us to find, but is an adorable little shop just crammed to the rafters with yarn.
That ended the whole tour for the day...and in the famous words of Aaaahnold, "Aaaahl be back!"

Another Shawl

Here is the finished Clothilde!

What an easy and enjoyable knit! I want to keep her for myself, but we will see.
This one took 8 days, I think. What? Do I have nothing but knitting time on my hands? Seems like it right now, I guess. I'll enjoy it while I can.

It's raining here this afternoon. As much as I miss, miss, miss the rain that we had in the Northwest, this rain is very different. Desert rain is a lonely thing, pouring down desperately upon the dry land in torrents.

In Washington the rain clouds comfort and surround. They settle over the hills and over the lakes creating an ethereal mist. The rain is patient and calming. It has all the time in the world and is in no hurry. The showers are gentle even when it pours. Here the rain seems to be rushed as if the clouds can't empty themselves fast enough. The clouds stay high in the sky and thunder impatiently.





It is exciting and exhilarating...can't help miss Washington, though. The difference in this rain reminds me of the differences in my life. The newness of coming here and leaving the familiar behind. I have longed for rain lately, watching every cloud for signs of moisture, feeling dry. I am enjoying this rain, but not in the same way that I thought I would. The only thing that stays the same, really, is change.

A Cozy Spot

My hubby worked to make me a cozy spot to knit this summer and I love it so much. Our apartment has a small patio balcony off of the Master bedroom. Danny and I put down outdoor carpeting and cute patio chairs and created a little place for me to enjoy. It has the morning sun so the hot afternoons are sheltered from the sunshine and so makes this little nook a bit more comfortable! Just perfect for sitting back, knitting and putting in my ear buds to listen to a book or podcast.

Not really a spectacular view...just the complex, but pleasant enough. The little angel in the shadow there is a gift from my Mom and Mike, her hubby. I have dubbed her The Knitting Angel and she is there to help me with any dropped stitches, etc.

Here she is with Clothilde, which I have nearly completed. I am on the 3rd repeat of the Spearhead lace chart, which was really only to be repeated twice. I just wanted the shawl to be a bit larger and lacier. (Is "lacier" a word?)

In my ears today is the Audibles download I got this month: Watership Down written by British author Richard Adams back in the day. I read it when I was a teen and am enjoying it now. It is about the adventures of a little group of rabbits. Not exactly Beatrix Potter, though!

Started to make another Multnomah with some yarn from the stash, but as I got started it seemed to bore me. I instead found this pattern that I had favorited on Ravelry. It is called Clotilde and is a pattern designed by Kristen Hanley Cardozo. It uses the ever famous Gull Stitch that I used ages ago on my first Pi shawl. So it is very easy, but interesting enough to keep me going.

The yarn is Pagewood Farms Yukon sock yarn in Navajo colorway. I have two hanks of it, which means that I have two dyelots since Pagewood Farms doesn't have dyelots. I emailed them once and they said that if I ever want matching dyelot hanks, they can special order that for me. But regardless, I believe that if I just switch to the darker hank when I get through the lighter one, it will kind of "line up" at the bottom of the shawl and look like I planned it...kinda...sorta? Well, we will see. I do love this yarn and the colorway.

My computer makes this turquoise color look more blue than it is. It is a very nearly green turquoise that I love. The top photo shows it more true.

Saw this yesterday:
Momma Bird there is hatching a second batch of eggs, evidently. Her and Poppa Bird built this nest in the car port here at my apartment this spring and have already raised one family in it. Now they are back for more fun. I say this would make a wonderful Reality Show...2 parents with a whole lot of kids. Seems to be the formula, right?

Fun to Finish

It is so fun to finish a project in only one week, right? Here is the finished Multnomah Shawl!

Daughter Corinne graciously modeled it for me this afternoon. I really like the way this little shawl looks. And so simple to knit.