Blue Curacao At Work

Ok, ok...the masses have spoken and who am I to say no? Here's some crappy pictures of the shawl on...I had to do it on the DL at my desk.

Pretending to work.

Looking around to make sure no one's coming.

And the back...the shawl pointing directly at my non existent butt.

So what do you all think? Should I frog the edge and add another repeat or leave it as is?


And for your viewing pleasure...

Christie's Angels...Marigold, Poppy and Violet.

Blue Curacao...And Other Delights

Backstory

Pattern: Blue Curacao Shawl from Amazing Lace Crochet
Yarn: RYC Cashsoft DK in Pecan
Hook: I
Exposition: I know you've all been begging for modeled shots, but that's just going to have to wait...the outfits I've been putting together have been lackluster and this needs something fabulous. Don't worry, they're coming. For now, you'll have to appreciate the Tragic Kindgom's well manicured grassy knoll as a backdrop.

Ok...on to the exposition about this pattern.

After figuring out how to start it, it was smooth sailing and problem free. I only had to frog back 1/2 a row once, people! And after Walking After Midnight, that's amazing.

The pattern says: "Gauge is not critical. Fabric will not grow excessively with blocking, so keep the work relaxed for the airiest effect and to obtain a reasonably sized shawl." Of course, I didn't read that part, so the shawl is a little smaller than I would have liked. Right now it hits me right above the elbow and [depending on how it's arranged] midback. I have a ball and 1/2 left over so I'm toying with the thought of frogging the edge and adding another repeat [or making a pair of Mrs. Beetons or Fetching]. Although I would like it to have been a little bigger, the Chrysanthemum Tea Shawl is very larger and having a smaller shawl might be nice.

If you've been reading the past day or so, you've read my feelings about the color [so I won't say any more about it!]. This yarn, however is wonderful! So worth the $10 a ball I didn't pay for it. It's so soft and was really lovely to work with [although the softness sometimes gave me no traction]. If I could afford it, I would buy this yarn again.

***********

Well, I got home last night and rather than cast on Patti, I finished up the Cropped Jacket's sleeve #2. Both sleeves are blocking and while I wait for them to dry, I will finish up the collar. I don't plan on mentioning this project again. That is, until it's 100% done. I'm tired of talking about it and you must be tired of endless posts saying "it's almost done, it's almost done".

So, what else do I have to say then? Hmmm...not much.

OH, there's THIS:

My blogging Oscar!

As it goes, schmoozing is the natural ability “to converse casually, especially in order to gain an advantage or make a social connection.” Good schmoozers effortlessly weave their way in and out of the blogosphere, leaving friendly trails and smiles, happily making new friends along the way. They don’t limit their visits to only the rich and successful, but spend some time to say hello to new blogs as well. They are the ones who engage others in meaningful conversations, refusing to let it end at a mere hello - all the while fostering a sense of closeness and friendship."

Jennifer, my co-hostess of the Fall Cable KAL I & II [and maybe III?] awarded me the Schmooze Award. I'm truly touched that she thought of me. It really started my weekend off with a bang!

I have over 100 blogs that I keep up with regularly, for so many different reasons. Some I've just started reading and others...well, I feel like I've know y'all for years. Narrowing the choice down to 5 is really hard, but here goes!

Gina at Life in LaLaLumay Land: I love Gina's blog. She's candid and funny; she has purple hair and she lead me to my new guru, Dan Ho! She fearlessly posts about dud patterns and has great taste in shoes [Oh, the green ones that got away!!!].

Karma at Goodkarmago: Karma is one of the sweetest, most beautiful people I've "met" in the blogisphere. She's encouraging, complimentary and has the sweetest baby! Of course, she'd have to have a good spirit, since she teaches the Children of America.

Kim at Yarnabuse: Kim cracks me up. Any blogger who makes a voodoo doll of their boss is A-O-K in my book. And she's has the best taglines ever: 'It will put the yarn in the basket' . Makes me laugh every time. I strive to be as clever as Kim.

Anna at Annasyarnmansion: I've only been reading Anna for a little while now, but I'm a huge fan. She's funny and we seem to think a like. ;) I love that like me, she seems to have an endless cast of characters visiting her blog. Besides that, we're practically related, since our fibery wards are cousins!

and Christine at Talullah's World: Christine is amazing. She's a caring mother of two, generous to a fault and is an amazingly strong woman. Two years ago She organized a contest to benefit a cancer walk I participated in and seems to find the beauty in everything.

I just wanted to say thank you ladies, those mentioned above and all my friends here in the knit-blog community. You are amazing. You inspire, entertain and encourage me...from the smallest creepy Poppy-head ornament to the complexity of cables to knit/crochet lace to the second-coming of socks.

I wish you a great weekend! As for me, it's party weekend. But, check back Sunday, I'm putting the finishing touches on my first contest, so be prepared!

Stick A Fork....

The Poppy-head sits in the Lap of RYC Cashsoft luxury.

Well, I finished the Blue Curacao Shawl last night. I washed it and did a very poor blocking job. I thought maybe I could take a cool picture here at work, but it's just not going to happen.

With that done, I picked up the Rebecca Cropped Jacket sleeve #2 that has been darkening my doorstep. I want it done, but I don't want to work on it. Go figure. Right now, I'm 1/2 way done with the sleeve cap and would work on it at lunch if I hadn't forgotten to pack extra yarn...bonehead! Regardless, it should be done this weekend.

You know what that means...

Say it with me...What do we cast on for next?

I, like Jody, have been feeling the Call of Fall. And with the arrival of the new IK in my mailbox, the call is even stronger! Sure it's still 80 degrees outside but I want to knit something snuggly and warm! Let's see what I might could be starting on next week...


Rowan Patti

I really love this sweater. I have the yarn, I have the motivation, I just need the weather to cool down. It's merino/alpaca, how hot can it be?

I really want to wear this as soon as it turns cooler [in December], so I could wait a few [or many] months to start this project. Or I could start now and keep it as one of those 'I need a break from lace projects' sort of thing. What if I start with the sleeves? Then move on to the collar. Then the little bitty fronts? Before I know it, it will be so cool I will be ready for the first sign of semi-cloudy 65 degree weather!

Don't be surprised if I cast on for this soon...very soon....like tonight soon.

Lady Eleanor: 2030


Gf has be wanting me to make her a sweater for the longest, and I have a pattern in mind, but no yarn. I also thought about revisiting Ariann, since I have the yarn that the style would suit her.

Then there's Lady Eleanor. She spied my scarf and wanted one of her own. I bought some Silk Garden Lite 2030 on the eBay and am looking forward to working with this colorway. It should be lovely, dontchathink?

That Which The Superstarra Never Knits

Yesterday I was blogging around and I noticed a comment in which Michelle said that it was her birthday. So, being a part of the Leo pride, I went over to her blog to wish her a happy birthday. Lo and behold, she was having a contest and guess what? I won a prize! [Whoo HOO!] Now the prize is two skeins of Wildfoote sock yarn, a cookie cutter, pancake mold [I have a star pancake mold too!] and a sheep tape measure. Now for those of you new to Superstarra-ville, I'm not really a sock knitter. I tried it once, and it wasn't so good. But, in honor of this prize and birthdays and starting something new, I'm going to give it another go. I'm going to knit a pair of socks, people. Now, I need some proper suggestions. I love Beth's Spiral Boot socks, but I think that the Wildfoote is a smaller gauge. So, I'm putting it out there, sock knitters of Superstarra-ville, what socks would you suggest? Now there are obvious choices, like Jaywalkers, which might be the pattern of choice, but I want to know what you guys have to bring to the table. And any tips are welcome, as always.

Time to go to lunch...maybe I can find a nice patch of grass on which I can lay the shawl...

What Was That Clever Title Again?

Oh, it will come to me.

Wednesday. Payday. Not so bad. Unfortunately, the rent is due, so the payday part of it seems a little lackluster.

Here is the bright spot. I think this is the last picture I'll post of the Blue Curacao Shawl in it's work in progress state.Those pineapples are ready for pickin'! I finished up my last pineapple on the bus this morning and now all I have 3 lace rows to complete and one ball of yarn to do it in!

I really love this shawl pattern [you may see another one soon] and I love the feel of this yarn, but the color...it's so odd. It's called Pecan and that's a perfect description of it, honestly. It's gold at times, it's green-tinged others, then it looks brown. It's gorgeous in certain light and other times sallow. It concerns me that it's the color my skin would take on if I weren't feeling very well. I guess that's why I decided to make a shawl and not a top, huh?

Oh well, sickly hues aside, I'm planning on finishing this up tonight! Off the hook and blocked! I'm so excited!

How I Spent My Weekend

Boy am I tired! GF and I had a action packed weekend. We fought crime, saved the city from certain peril and rescued innocent children from boredom at Grandma and Grandpa's.

Okay, so only the third thing is true. This weekend, my brother and his family at my parent's house in OC, so we decided to treat my nieces to a fun day with us [and give bro and sil a few hours break]. While the car was being loaded with little kiddie seats, I took the opportunity to ask my mom for some assistance with starting the Blue Curacao Shawl. Last month in Virginia I was having trouble getting this baby started. Then again, I couldn't remember how to SSK. Go figure. Mom was a godsend and with her assistance, I was off and running. We had a busy day, so later when the girls settled down for a nap, I worked on the shawl.

Here's where I was this morning. This is one ball's worth...and it is about 1/2 way done. I originially wanted to have it done for a cousin's wedding, but I now want it to be done by Sunday...my birfday! Won't this be lovely with my crown birfday shoes?

No, I won't be wearing just these two items with my birfday suit.

Speaking of birfdays, I'm concoting up an idea for a birfday gift for all of you. Yes, it's my birfday, but you might could win something. It may or may not have to do with you winning the stuff to make your very own Rebecca doll [just like Poppy!]. Details to come!

And speaking of Poppy Sassypants, she just wanted to say a few words...
Hey everyone! I just wanted to share some really happy news with you all. I have a brand new cousin! Her name is Holly McKnotty and she lives in Anna's Yarn Mansion. Yeah, pretty swanky...all I have is a shared one bedroom apartment. Anywho, she's a doll, is as cute as a button and I know y'all make her feel as welcome around the blogisphere as you have made me over the past year. I'm too excited! We I might have to do a little interview for the next episode of Poppy's Seeds Around Town! While we work out the details, won't you go on over and say hello?..Tell them Poppy sent-cha!

Vacation Packing...

As knitters, we all know what vacation packing entails. What project do I take with me? And that's usually decided long before we decide what we'll actually wear.

With the tunic completed, my first thought was to finish the Cropped Sweater. Right now, I'm about 1/3 of the way through the final sleeve, so I think that I'll just do what I can and finish it up once I get home. I think that I'm leaning more toward compact projects for this trip [and don't really want to be bother with seaming].

First in the suitcase will be 5 skeins of RYC Cashsoft DK. I got this on ubersale at a LYS. The color is kinda brown, kinda gold and even takes on a subtle green in certain lights. I plan on using this to crochet...
The Blue Curacao Shawl from Amazing Crochet Lace. From the few I've seen made, this shawl is a pretty quick hook. I may even be able to wear it before the vacation is over! The ultimate goal is to make it for my cousin's wedding in mid-August.


I also thought another even more portable project would be good to bring along. I've been wanting to make the Perdita bracelets from Knitty for a while now...I even bought the DMC floss something like 6 months ago. That should be enough to keep my busy and leave a lot of room in my bag for souvenirs and sunblock. It's only a 4 day trip, afterall.

As you can see, I've made significant progress morning on packing.


Ah, that's better.