Alison's Sweater

I guess it's ok for me to put Alison's sweater on here, since she doesn't read her mother-in-law's blog. The sweater is on the cover of the current Creative Knitting. It was made from Dive Perrinca yarn. This yarn is 50% cotton, 38% Acrylic and 12% Viscose. It is very soft and cool -- and I think it will be perfect to wear in Florida. It should be beautiful with her pretty blue eyes, which is why I chose this color.

The sweater took me 6 days to knit ... and about four days to put together, crochet around the armholes and neck, and with some extra yarn I made a scarf to match the lace on the bottom of the garment. Looking at the photo I see I should block this thing before shipping it out. I will do that tomorrow -- and take another photo of it then. Also the color isn't very good in this photo -- and I will try to improve that as well.

Will someone tell me why I hate putting the finishing touches on these things? I would be much more productive if it weren't for this failing.

Hope everyone is having a marvelous Memorial Day Weekend. Mine has been, and will remain quiet -- with lots of knitting time. Now that Ali's sweater is finished, I will be working on my homework for the Judy Pascale class I'll be taking with the BAKG next weekend.

Karen III's Socks

About a year ago Karen III gave me sock yarn enough to make a pair.

Last night I gave her the socks. BOY ... what a response! She absolutely loved them, and said she would be wearing them today. We'll see -- I'm going to sneak into her office and check things out! If she's not wearing them ... I'm going to have to think of a suitable punishment.

And now I have to get back to work on my other OTK projects ...

Remember ... SABLE ... Stash Accumulations Beyond Life Expectancy.

(Acronym supplied by Karen III)

Butterfly Shawl, Swirl Shawl, and Order of Projects

Well ... after exactly three weeks ... I finally finished the shawl -- well, all but the beads, which are to be crocheted onto the lower 2 sides of the triangle. I will be doing that, but decided to postpone that final work for a while. I have to do some charity work, and also want to finish one, if not both, of the blankets the Panera Group is doing for the "guys".

Last night's meeting of the Long Island Knitting & Crochet Guild was great. Carla from Vogue Knitting was there, and as usual, we had a fantastic program. The knitted pieces she brought were awe-inspiring. I can't wait for the fall issue of KnitSimple so can make the triple cable shawl.

I purchased the Swirl Shawl pattern from JoJoLand and practiced knitting the first two medallions with some yarn I had around, so I could see if I could manage that pattern (not an easy one) before investing in yarn for it. I had decided not to buy the kit since I wasn't familiar with the yarn. However, seeing the yarn (from the women who went to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival) I realize it is absolutely perfect for the pattern, and will be getting it ASAP. Can't decide which color, but that's the least of it.

So I think it's like this: First -- I will work on the socks I currently have on my needle (yup -- one 40" circ -- Magic Loop), and then some charity project(s), the beads for the butterfly shawl -- and then I'll work on the Swirl Shawl, if I can wait, that is.

Spot -- in his new wardrobe!

Well, Jeanmarie decided that I was a cruel person, showing Spot absolutely naked. So last night I decided I had to cloth him ... and so here he is -- in his new coat. Since he doesn't care for animal products, the coat is made of Bamboo, and he seems quite pleased.

I had few plans for today -- so I decided I'd work on my butterfly -- and I am so happy. No -- it's not finished yet, but I did finished the "butterfly" part, and only the tippy-top of the antennae aren't finished as yet -- and the top border.

I received the beads I ordered (from www.artbeads.com) and they are a great match. This means that after I finish the few rows I have left on the shawl, I will be threading on all those pretty beads ... and we'll see then if I still think they are pretty. I also have to check the blocking pins I have to make sure they will not rust before I block this baby. Any suggestions as to whether I should block it before or after the beads are added? Thanks, in advance.

Sunday morning I am going to Atlantic City -- and will be returning sometime Monday afternoon. Hopefully I will win, since now that I have Spot to support (and clothe) I need all the cash I can get. I will let you know on Tuesday.

Meet my Sheep -- SPOT

Here is a photo of SPOT. This is a Sheep that was given to me as a Birthday gift from Angela (http://www.angies-thisandthat.blogspot.com/) who is probably one of the nicest people on earth.

I have found that since I have a real, almost live, sweet Sheep hanging with me while I knit and crochet, I am working better and faster ... and happier. Thanks again Angela.

And don't bother telling me that SPOT doesn't seem to have any spots. Sometimes a name just comes to you ... and it sticks. Therefore, he is SPOT, and he seems quite happy with his name.

At least he hasn't complained yet!

Work on the Viceroy Butterfly Shawl is "getting there". I think I have about 15-20 rows to finish up to the point where I have to attach the beads. I am not looking forward to that part (and am still asking for ideas on how to keep the yarn from tangling while holding the beads). I received notification that I should be receiving the beads in a day or two ... and hope to have the shawl completed to that point when they arrive.

Remember: Each row is progressively wider ... so 20 rows are quickly becoming an enormous undertaking.

PLEASE think of some way to keep those beads once on the hairy mohair (duh -- you think this is why it has that name?) from becoming so snarled that it will be unusable.

I CAN POST PIX (and details of my OTK shawl)

Well, finally I have a new router, or router-network thing ... or whatever it's called. All I know is: I can now upload JPGs without crashing! AND ... everything seems to be faster.

It wasn't a birthday gift (Birthday just past) but I'm accepting it as such. And now all interference seems to be gone, and there are no reasons I can't post on my blog. With no excuses, I guess I should get moving. Oh ... and I should show you my OTK (or is that OTH?) shawl. I'm crocheting it and am around the half-way point. After the shawl itself is finished, I will have to crochet around the outside with almost 3,000 beads. Yeah, I know. Anyway I ordered the beads yesterday, and they should be arriving within the week. I figure it should take me about a week to thread all those beads on my yarn. (If anyone has a suggestion about how to keep those beads, once on the yarn, from tangling beyond repair, please let me know.)

The shawl called for size 10 crochet cotton, but I decided I'd use some mohair I received as a gift from Matty (from the gang at Panera's), so it will be a little larger than stated. That's good though ... since *I* am a little larger as well!

Information about the shawl: Viceroy Butterfly Shawl, Created and Designed by Kathryn A. White. www.crochetnbeads.com. The pattern is really easy to follow, done in filet crochet, and when I e-mailed her a question, her answer arrived in under a half hour. Now how's that for service? I saw the shawl for the first time on Ravelry, and purchased it from her on Etsy.

Gift Blanket and Computer Bag for my Daughter

Hi everyone. And first of all, I must thank (1) Angela for helping me upload my photos, and (2) Panera's WiFi ... because something is wrong with my home router. All I have to do is say the word "j-peg" and it crashes. So ... I went to Panera's with my laptop -- connected -- and Angela helped me upload these photos. Hope you enjoy them.



I finally finished the blanket I want to give to Barbara's new son, Jaxon. Problem is ... don't know how to get it to her ... but I will. It's crocheted in a really soft baby yarn, and edged with something I had in my stash.



THANKS JUDY! I finished knitting this felted bag around a year ago, but for some unknown reason, was petrified about felting it. I mentioned this to a few people and one day I get a call ... "Alice ... if you would like, I will be felting next week and if you bring your bag to Panera's, I'll felt your bag along with mine." How could I resist? And look! She did a fantastic job. Again ... Thanks Judy.



Looks like lips, doesn't it? It's the inside of the bag. There is a "floor" of foam-board and I love the way it turned out.



This is a view of the bottom. I decided to put feet on it ... and even though I don't think they are very functional, I like the way they look, and the idea of them.