Stashed!

How was Rhinebeck you lucky ducks? I am green with envy. I can hear your giggles at my indignity, so please stop. Anyway, above is my new pet. Isn't it a beauty?It's Scrumptious Lace by Fyberspates, in colorway 'Cherry'. I have big plans, but I'm not sure what they are yet for this pretty, pretty, pretty yarn. I was at the Shabby Sheep, my new LYS (but never replacing my old one, back in the 'burgh...you know who you are!) and this yarn just...spoke to me. It whispered, then when I put it back down, it became insistent and as I turned around, it screamed: "TURN AROUND, PUT THOSE OTHER MISERABLE SKEINS DOWN AND COME BACK!!!!!!!" It was so right, I didn't want those other skeins, they didn't glow like this one did. I just love red lace yarn. I love how it makes you feel, to wear a red scarf.

Oh, and BTW, I am in love with the beads too. I know, most of you have heard my feelings on bead knitting, but I didn't quite realize that beads come in sizes. I have been sticking big ol' size 6's on all of my lace projects, and that has led to my displeasure with the final project. These are size 8's, which when held up to the yarn, actually seem to fit the yarn. I need to find a mini crochet hook that fit through the holes though, the one they told me to buy in Arlington, TX was too big...

I'm thinking of doing Aphrodite with this yarn, but can't decide, what do you think?

New Interweave Knits Magazine!!!

Interweave Knits is one of my favorite knitting magazines and I just got the new one!!! I got an email from Shabby Sheep, here in Dallas and checked the patterns out online. I fell head over heels in love with Carol Feller's Leitmotif cardigan and couldn't click on 'bonus pictures' fast enough!!! I feel like I have been searching for exactly this pattern for a long time and now I need to find the perfect yarn. Other patterns I like in this issue are the Bavarian Tulip mittens (which I think I have yarn for, back in PA), Leyfi pullover, Peavey cardigan (who doesn't love all the color combination possibilities that the plaid offers? and, I love Mercedes Tarasovich-Clark's Girl Friday cardigan from Knitty, so I'm biased.) and last but not least I like Hoarfrost Mobius (because who can deny the urge to knit with wire and have it look that beautiful?). Another thing I really like about this issue is how pretty some of the non-knitted clothes are, the blouse shown with the Williamsburg cardigan is really pretty, the dress shown with the Sea and Sky shrug is adorable and I like the shirt shown with the Running-Stitch skirt. I give this issue an A+.

My current Artichaut shawl is going really well, I am extremely happy with the marriage between pattern and yarn, the fuzzy cashmere with the uber lacy-ness is making it come out very, very girly, but in a very, very good way. I am on the 3rd repeat and believe I will have plenty of yarn to finish 6 repeats! Almost half way there, then!

Love Poem to Cashmere

Love poems can be
full of sappiness
but this one's for
cashmere,
and happiness.

Soft as a bunny,
lighter than air
stitch definition
so clear,
there is no compare.

Cashmere, you beauty,
you fiber queen,
I love you so much,
though you make
my wallet lean!

That is the worst poem you've ever read, right? Well, it comes from the heart, so remember that as you laugh. Most love poems are a bit painful to read anyway...I can't spend too much time being a poet, I must knit! The inspiration came from my lovely Jojoland Cashmere 2 ply, which I am using to make Juneberry Triangle, by the talented Jared Flood. So far I have only got to row 8 of chart 1, because I had to spill forth the truth my heart yearned to have the world know about my feeling for cashmere in (horrible) poem form. I am very pleased so far, but that was a somewhat obvious statement, eh?

Anticipation!

Okay, I am on the LAST wedge of my beautiful Lilia! I pinned a section out to see what it will look like blocked because I am impatient and I am terrifically excited about this one! It is the biggest piece of lace knitting I have done, and I am excited, excited, excited and can't wait to post some lovely pictures here, check back soon!

Sweet Lily Obsession

I have 8 more wedges to do on my Sweet Lily Shawl (Interweave Knits, Spring 2009)and I am super excited about this one! I am calling in 'Lilia', Russian for lily of the valley, because of the lace edging which repeats across the bottom of the shawl. The shawl is knit in wedges, using short rows, which were very confusing until I finished the 3rd wedge and wrote down how many sts remained unworked at the end of each row. After that, this project graduated from 'no talking while I count' to 'watch tv/chitter chatter' knitting.

The yarn, Madelinetosh Lace, came from my stash, it was bought in Vermont, at Kaleidoscope Yarns in Essex Junction. The shop is literally a house of yarn, with each room devoted to a different weight/fiber. I would really like to have a reason to get back there. Vermont is really far away from Plano, Texas though...Try 1 day and 5 hours away, through 8 states!

I love Mad Tosh. I love love love the colors! They are like colors straight out of a dream and they make me very happy whenever I see them at my LYS. The color I am using for Lilia is 'Thyme', though it reminded me more of parsley, like in Rapunzel. Not to brag at all, but it's the same color as my eyes! The fabric that the lace weight yarn knit on size US8s is delicate and feathery, almost like mousse. It feels delicious against my skin...sigh...

All of this writing has made me really want to get back to knitting, so I'll catch you later!

Oh, and Happy 4th!