I'm ready for my Close-up

I've never been good at diets and that includes yarn diets. Even though I've got way too much on the needles and waaaaaaay too much yarn, I was forced to buy some more. Really - there was a knitting needle to my head and I had absolutely no choice. Frankly I blame my pusher Hollis. I walked in to my LYS not too long ago - just to look around - really - and there she was knitting with this amazing yarn. Curious Creek in the most incredible purple colorway. The yarn was soft, luxurious and come on - it was PURPLE! So I fell for it and had to buy some. I think I'll make a yummy wrap. Now I just have to find the time to start it (oh yeah and finish it!) And a special treat for Bonnie who loves K's little Saphira so much - here's a recent close-up. Our little dragon is growing up!

ISE IV Scarf

I finished my scarf for the International Scarf Exchange awhile ago but I didn't want to post it unitl my pal had received it. The ISE II was the first exchange I ever participated in and so it holds a special place in my heart. This is now my third time participating in ISE and I have really enjoyed it. The first time I made a clapotis, the second time a Mathew's scarf and then this time I was gearing up to make something lace when I got Randy as my pal! Well the lace patterns went out the window and I searched and searched. I had landed on the cable pattern from OneSkein (there is even a guy wearing it in the photo in the book) and I bought the yarn for that. Then when Jennifer and I were shopping in Boston I saw this scarf and decided it was perfect. It was fun to knit and I'm happy with how it turned out. Horsey Girl kept asking how I was coming on my "Man Scarf!" Gee now that I type this I'm wondering what I did with the yarn I bought for the other one . . . . Anyway, the scarf went all the way to Japan and here is Randy wearing it - I think it looks great on him! It was fun to get to know Randy - he seems like a really great guy. I can't wait to get my scarf from my upstream pal. I'll show you all when it arrives!

My Hundredth Post!!!

On this auspicious occasion of my 100th blog post I want to talk about giving back to this great knitting community which I am so happy to have become a part of. Next month Mom and I will be participating in the Relay for Life. Relay for Life is a major fund raiser for the Amerian Cancer Society. Relay events occur all over the country and the one for our town is coming in June. Basically people walk for 24 hours to raise money for the American Cancer Society. Often people form teams and take turns walking to cover the entire 24 hours. Well my LYS Full Thread Ahead, has created a Team Knit Around. Instead of walking you knit chemo caps. She sets up a tent alongside the track and folks come and go and knit for 24 hours. Mom and I plan to be there from about 10 p.m. until midnight. It's a fabulous idea and a whole lot of fun. So I'd like to invite all of you to join in the fun. If you are so willing/interested, please knit chemo caps and send them to Hollis at Full Thread Ahead. Be sure to send them so they arrive by June 24th and put a note in the package that you sent them based on this post. If you don't have time to knit a cap you can go to the FTA site and donate to Team Knit Around. Also please send me an e-mail at lahamltAgmailDOTcom to let me know you sent a hat or made a donation. Everyone who sends a hat or makes a donation will be entered in to a prize drawing. You will get one entry per hat (or per $10 contriution). The winner will get lots of cool knitterly stuff (be sure I have your address!) Maybe Hollis will even donate something from the store for the prize package (hint, hint)! If any of you are in the Bay Area and wish to join us in person I hope you will! My heartfelt thanks to all of you for making my first 100 posts so much fun!

Gifts Galore

First and foremost I want to belatedly publicly thank my wonderful SP 10 Pal Clara for the really cool gift she sent to me. It's a felting kit where you actually use roving rather than yarn. The instructions are fairly complicated but you place the roving over the form you want for your purse and then you go through a number of steps including washing and agitating by hand and doing something with bubble wrap. I've never seen anything like it and I'm excited to give it a try. I've had a lot of fun in the SP 10 exchange. Then of course to continue the shawl theme here are the shawls my Mom made for my sister and I for mother's day. Aren't they great? Mine of course is the purple one and it's done in a seafoam stitch pattern. Better yet - it's totally yummy Cherry Tree Hill in a silk blend. THANKS MOM - you're the greatest!

Shawls Galore

We'll I cast on (and cast on and cast on and cast on) for the Elann Pacific Waves shawl in the Sonata print in the Rose Garden colorway. It requires that you cast on 541 stitches!!! It took me FOREVER! Then you only reduce the equivalent of about 1 stitch per row for around 60 rows so I'll be knitting over 500 stitches on most of the rows! It is a major accomplishment just to knit one row! I think I will like it though and it's a very easy pattern to follow. I also started this crazy shawl based on a kit I got at a yarn store shawl kit sale. They put a mix of colors that basically go together in to a plastic zipped bag and then you make whatever shawl you want. There are some patterns that come with it and also my Mom and I bought some additional shawl patterns. I go back and forth between loving this color combination and thinking it's just too wild. I guess we'll have to see how it looks when it's done!

Crossing The Finish Line

They say the two best parts of a project are starting it and finishing it. In between things can get a little tedious. Well that was certainly the case for this cozy wrap. I made this wrap for Horsey Girl and I started it oh so long ago. It is made out of pink Homespun and it is wonderfully soft and squishy. My Mom had made one out of blue and every time my daughter saw it she would take it from my Mom and wear it herself. So I decided to make one for her. I bought 3 skeins and got to work. The first skein went fairly quickly and I was excited. Then I started to get bored and I put the project away. I'd forget about it for awhile and then I'd work on it every now and again. Now those skeins of Homespun are evil. They are like Willy Wonka's every lasting gobstoppers. THEY JUST NEVER END! Even when you look like you are close to the end they just go on and on and on and on! But alas - I FINALLY finished it and now she won't have to steal my Mom's. I really love it and would like to make more of them but for now I just can't face another skein of Homespun! Also this week I received two wonderful surprises. First, as a prize for the contest to name Bonnie's "dummy" Lola, I received four adorable stitch markers. Thanks Bonnie! Then I also received a surprise package from Jennifer. She was out shopping and knows I love dragonflys so sent me this beautiful business card holder. It was such a wonderful surprise. Thanks so much Jennifer - I love it!