Still here, slogging along!
The Feather and Fan shawl is growing at a very, very slow pace, but it’s growing. I am about to start the final increase row, which will put me at 1320 stitches per round.
No wonder it takes me all night to do a round!
I gave in to distraction though, and did the second clue of the Mystery Shawl 2.

It’s a miserable, cloudy day today, so the pic isn’t the best, but it’s clue 2 all done. I haven’t touched the gloves, I really am trying to finishe the feather and fan.
The postman came, and he brought good things 🙂

My friend Jill sent me magazines and the new Knitting Pattern A Day calendar. Thank you, Jill!

And a new friend, Joan sent me a new circ when she heard I was having difficulties with my shawl. Thanks, Joan! 🙂
Now I can’t stay here blogging, I have knitting to do!

New project alert!

It’s the Vanalinn Gloves from “A Gathering of Lace”. I seriously love this book! Here are the gloves from the book.

I’m making mine from some Peruvian Collection Baby Cashmere from Elann. (60% Baby Alpaca, 30% Merino, 10% Cashmere) I picked this up a while back with the intention of making some lacy gloves, but I hadn’t found a pattern I liked. I started these last week, while the shawl was uncomfortable to work because of the lack of space on the needles. Since I got the longer needle for the shawl, the gloves have been neglected.
I’m still slogging away at the Feather and Fan shawl. I’ve started the last hank of Alpaca Cloud, and I’m up to round 173, 1272 stitches. There’s only 17 rounds to go, but I don’t think I’ll have enough yarn. I’m guessing that I’ll get up to round 186 or so (out of 190). I don’t think 4 rows short will make a huge difference.
I have been wasting inordinate amounts of time watching webcams. No, not those ones!!
Pete’s Pond is a man made pond in Botswana, and there is a 24 hour cam on the pond. It’s fantastic!! There are elephants, zebras, giraffes, gazelles, all sorts of animals coming to the pond each morning.
The other one is Pandacam! Mei Xiang, a giant panda at the Smithsonian National Zoo gave birth to a gorgeous male panda cub around 3 months ago. It is so sweet to watch the mother and baby panda interact. Although lately, as the cub is getting older, Mei Xiang is leaving him alone a lot more. He is starting to get his legs under him now, and he’ll be walking before too much longer.
Our broadband plan gives us a 12gb download limit a month, and we have never come close to using it up. Until now! Apparently if I keep going at this rate, we’ll go over the limit this month 🙂
I finally got around to trying to cut out a few more costumes that I’m supposed to be sewing. Twinkie likes to help.

Not the best kind of help, but the cutest!

It’s school holidays here, so I’m just not getting anything done. No housework (who cares? ;), little knitting, little blogging.
School goes back on Monday, and life may get a little more “normal”.
A lovely friend sent me a gift of a 3.5mm Addi bamboo needle in a 150cm length. So last night I sat down and started to knit the shawl with it. When I got halfway or so around, I spread it out on the bed to get an idea of how it was looking.

I’m very much looking forward to getting it off the needles! But it will take longer than I’d like, because it took an hour to do just one round last night. Things are far more comfortable on the longer needle.

This second picture is more accurate, colour-wise. I love my Addi Turbos, but this is my first time using an Addi Bamboo, and I love it!
We were out at a dancing event all day yesterday, then back there again late yesterday afternoon. Em tried to take a picture of the sunset.

I just liked the bit with Em reflected in the mirror. And ignore the filthy windows, please! We’re in a drought over here, and under strict water restrictions, so I haven’t been washing the car. That’s my excuse, and I’m sticking to it like glue!
So here is a better picture of the sunset.

I started something else, too. But I’ll save that for next time 🙂

Resistance is futile!

Well, it is for me. Mystery Shawl 2, Clue 1 is done. A few people have asked about the Mystery Shawl. It’s a knitalong, which can be found here. We have no idea what the finished shawl will look like, and the clues are posted each Friday. The first one was just posted on September 30. Each “clue” is actually a chart for a section of the shawl.
This clue only took 45 minutes or so, so it gave me a nice little break from the Other Shawl.
I’m using Knit Picks Shimmer, in the “Morning Mist” colourway, that I overdyed with Landscapes “Opal” a couple of weeks ago.
Now I can go back to the Feather and Fan shawl, until Clue 2 next week, when I will try to resist again, and probably fail again 🙂
And for Sandy, todays sky.

It is a gorgeous day in Sydney today, and tomorrow is a Public Holiday, so a long weekend to boot. Hope your weekend is good, too!

So, guess what?

I finished the back of the cardi. That’s precisely how much time I spend in school halls, waiting for my kid to dance. I cast on for this on Monday night, worked on it at the comp on Tuesday, and finished it at the comp last night.
No more on the shawl yet, I’m trying to track down an Inox grey 3.5mm needle in a 120cm length. I found one on a Canadian site, but they want $US22 to ship it to me. Not likely! I guess I’ll keep going with the 100cm one that I have.
I can tell I’m getting bored with it, as I keep finding new things to do. The first clue for the Mystery Shawl 2 came out last night, and my fingers are itching to cast on for that.
I bought two 2mm circs, and I went to the Socknitters site, and I want to learn to do two socks on two circs. Mind you, I haven’t finished Em’s Lorna’s Laces socks yet!
I’m trying to resist, really I am!