Knitting Large

Irtfa'a is done!! And she's a beaut. (On Ravelry.)

It came out just as I'd hoped. The fabric is light, soft and yet warm. I did a full on wet-block, giving it a nice bath in some Soak and it seems to have lightened the color. It looks much whiter in these images than it did before.

I didn't have enough pins to pin out each point individually, so I pinned two together as you can see in the above photo. I don't think you'd notice it if I didn't point it out, so I'm okay with it.

The size of it is perfect. I'm tall, at 5'9" so many shawls come out short on me. Using the mohair/silk blend yarn allowed me to go up a few needle sizes from the recommended 3.5mm to a 4mm resulting in a larger shawl.


The pattern is perfect. I loved the flow of one lace stitch into the next. I didn't change a thing, except to fudge my boo-boos. It's going to be hard to find another project I enjoyed as much as this one.

Rediscovery

First, an update on the shawl. Thank you to everyone who weighed in with their opinions on fixing the color. I read all the comments, did further research on the internet, and I have come to the conclusion that it's not worth the effort to try and whiten this fiber. I don't want to ruin the lofty softness of the mohair and I believe that the yellow color is caused by a change in the fiber itself, not dirt or oil.

The point is moot because I have yet to finish the first half of the edging. The Irtfa'a pattern started off a bit tricksy, lulled me with peaceful knitting in the middle, and is now keeping me on the edge of my seat with the edging. But it's lovely to see it come off the needles. There's a generous wingspan and a fabric that floats on the breeze. This shawl is going to be a treasure.

And speaking of treasures, today I watched a video called The Story of the Coast Salish Knitters and it helped me rediscover one of Canada's national treasures. The movie let the native knitters tell their story in their own words, as they washed wool, carded, spun and knit. It was fascinating to watch these women work so swiftly with what seemed to me to be very chunky tools. For example, the spindle's whorl was the size of a dinner plate. Other juicy tidbits included an ancient carding machine, spinning machines made from an old treadle sewing-machine, and archive images of sweaters and knitters.


I tend to prefer fine gauge projects for their delicate details and in the past I had dismissed the Cowichan sweaters as being clumsy and kitschy, but this film has changed my mind. The women showed true artistry in their pattern placement, innovations and adaptability. I was astonished by the garments and moved by the stories of hardship. For many of these women, knitting was all that kept their families from starving. There is so much more to Cowichan sweaters than I had ever imagined!

In doing some research for writing this, I discovered there's been some talk about Canadian athletes wearing Cowichan sweaters at the winter Olympics. This gives me the idea that it might be fun to knit a Cowichan-inspired sweater during the Olympics. Here's a link for a free pattern written by a Salish native, Marjorie Peters, as a replica of the ones she knit for Charles and Diana when they were married. Or it would be pretty simple to knit a toque.

If you're in Canada, go borrow The Story of the Coast Salish Knitters from your local library.

Oh Boy!

This week our new neighbours moved in next door. They seem like nice people and Dexter has been very interested as they have two dogs. But the extremely curious thing about them is what they have done with the pool. Tuesday night we went to sleep to the sound of water splashing into the pool as it started to fill. Our bedroom window looks right over their backyard, so when I woke up I checked to see how much it had filled. Boy did I get a shock! There were fish in the pool! Huge Koi. I've counted more than 10. I really like them. I peek often to see them doing laps or flipping their fins.

Sorry the picture's not so great, but it was taken through the bedroom window.

I've no interesting knitting photos either. Lace on the needles always looks the same. I've been really enjoying this project, staying true to it all week.

Irtafa'a

As I near the end I'm beginning to get excited about the finished product. I'm curious about how big it will be, and how lofty the fabric will end up.

In natural light the yarn, which is a mohair and silk blend, is a yellowish cream, but I thought it was more of a white. I was thinking of trying to dew bleach it to whiten it after re-reading Anne's House of Dreams. But a little internet research has persuaded me not to. Apparently, it's the damp and sunlight that will cause the white wool to go yellow and damp and sunlight are the whole premise of dew bleaching.

I guess my choices are to live with the yellowed color, or try hydrogen peroxide. I'm not keen on either of those. Ideas, anyone?

Good Vacation

You know you've had a fun time when the back of the car looks like this coming home:

We took the boys to Bingemans for the day and it was great! Not too busy plus new slides equals tons of fun. I got to test drive my new Monteagle string bag:

I finished this project a few weeks back and it's much more fun to use than it is to knit. Stylish looking too. It's worth the process to get this product.

Also this week, we made sour cherry jam:

There's nothing better than homemade jam made from fruit you picked off the tree that day! I'll be enjoying a taste of summer all winter long.

I've declared these last two weekend days of my vacation to be time to wrap up a few chores, such as wash a stinky dog, relax, and knit. The only thing I finished knitting on vacation was some traveling socks for Luke. I think he likes them. I like the contrasting toes.

Busy Relaxing

I've been on vacation the past week. Or I should say, a STAYcation. It's been an incredibly busy week. We've had two family gatherings already, with another one today. Yesterday we had a family fun night at the Palasad, which I managed to get at half-price through coupons and deals. There's been trips to the library and video store, and so lots of books to read, games to play and movies to watch. There's been long dog walks, a bunch of baking and even some stewed cherries from my mom's sour cherry tree. Lucky me, I get to do it again next week!

I even took a break from the knitting at first. I struggled with finding a project to work on. Two different sock projects have been scrapped and abandoned. This Norwegian sock is too tight for Jim to pull on:

I had started with the recommended needle size, thought the result looked too loose and so I went down a needle. Stupid me! All that work and now it's time to frog.

Honestly, I don't think the Briggs and Little sport works well for color work. Too rustic. I have four skeins, in three shades of blue and a white, that I think might work better in a shawl or blanket.

Then there's the almost completed Cat Bordhi sock:

It fits, but it bugs me. I don't like the pattern, design style, stitch.... but I love the yarn. It deserves to be something better.

I bought New Pathways for Sock Knitters thinking it would broaden my sock horizons, but it just doesn't work for me. Something about the designs and the way they are presented to the knitter just goes against the grain for me. I know a lot of people really like Cat Bordhi's designs and so I think this book should go somewhere it would be appreciated, so it's up for trade. Anyone interested?

Eventually I did settle in on a knit project, Anne Hanson's Irtfa'a worked in a mohair silk blend. While the start was complicated, I'm already into the second lace motif and finding it to be a fun knit. Anne's Bee Fields Triangle shawl was much more difficult to work.

Kitten Report - Sad News

I phoned London Animal Care Center today to get an update on the kitten. There was much searching on the other end of the line which should have given me a clue. But I was still shocked to hear that the rescued kitten had been euthanized. Apparently, there were two puncture wounds in its neck and the veterinarian felt that the animal was suffering.

I'm sad. It's good that there's a place to take a rescued animal, but I wish they could have done more for the kitten.

A Tug on the Heartstrings

Monday morning I rose early and leashed up Dexter for a walk. We hadn't gone far when I spied an animal, huddled against a wall. It was a kitten, and I could tell right away that something was wrong. At first I thought it had an e-collar on. But when I looked closer I realized I was wrong.

I tied Dexter up tight to a metal rail and told him to stay while I went to scoop up the kitten. It didn't make a fuss or move a bit. The poor thing had a plastic lid around its neck from a McDonald's McFlurry. I wrapped the kitten in the bottom of my shirt, untied Dexter and took the poor beast home.

With Dexter in the crate, we took a closer look at the kitten. It was crawling with ants, had raw open wounds and feces matted its fur. But oh! It was still such a sweet little animal with lovely tortoiseshell coloring and a pretty little face. I took a couple of pictures which I will post at the bottom of this message. Please don't look if you are squeamish.

So we cut off the nasty plastic lid, and I managed to get a bit of milk in the kitten. I had to dab the milk into its mouth until it swallowed. Once it got that first taste it licked the milk off my fingers and then took some from turkey baster. I was so pleased to hear that gulping sound of a baby drinking milk.

My heart just went out to the little critter and I would have loved nothing more than to keep it and nurse it back to health. But, as I wrote yesterday, we live in a loud and busy house which I didn't think would be a good environment for a convalescent kitten. Plus, there is the dog. Would you trust this face with a sick kitten?

I called up London Animal Care Center and Jim brought the kitten in first thing this morning. I'll be calling back in a few days to see how my little friend is doing. I have just two appeals. Please, if you are thinking of getting a pet, please consider if a rescued animal would be right for you. And second, please, please! dispose of your garbage. I'm seriously thinking of sending this kitten's pictures to McDonalds.

And now the kitten pictures. Don't go further if you don't like the sight of blood or open wounds.



************************************************************************************


This little one has such a sweet face.


My best guess is that the kitten stuck its head into the cup to lick up the ice cream, but couldn't get its head out again.

In an effort to remove the lid, the kitten scraped the inside of its neck raw. This picture was taken between milk feedings. Just look at those trusting eyes!

My Home is a Frat House

A dog, two teen-aged sons and their friends have turned my home into a haven of video games, thumps and yells, endless snacks and clutter. Patrolling this chaos is my husband Jim, who greatly deserved his modest Father's day celebrations. Jim has always done laundry and week day cooking, but since being out of work he has also taken on extra chores, he helps me with the grocery shopping and has even learned how to bake. This past week he made bagels! And they were very yummy.

I'm so proud of him: of the great role model he is, of how he has grown since I have known him and how he still can surprise me after almost twenty years together.

Happy Father's Day honey!

As a Father's day gift for both Jim and my dad, I knit the ubiquitous Fiber Trends felted clog:

Sort of looks like I was knitting for the dog...

Tag Team Works in Progress

The Kauni progresses. I'm now at 13 inches of body.

Dave, you were right, the color progressions are working out fine on their own. Though I'm seeing even more slip as I progress. This could be because I've found very subtle knots twice now. These knots matched up the colors, but changed the length of the color progression. Sneaky! I've decided to let it go. Call it an artistic feature and roll with it.

This is a very intense knit, having so many stitches and such bright colors. While I do have the pattern of the leaves memorized for the most part, I still have to pay attention or I'll pay the price in mistakes. Ripping is not fun, and don't relish trying to duplicate stitch with this yarn.

Plus, there is further intensity from the fact that I'm designing this on the needles. I'm getting to the point where I will have to decide where to put the steaks for the arm holes. I've pretty much decided to make this a pullover, even though I have no idea how I will finish the edgings for the neck, hem and cuffs. Did you see the provisional cast on in the picture? I couldn't decide when I started either.

To take a get away from all that intensity, I'm giving myself a break with this soothing, simpler knit:

The pattern is V is for Violet, from Knitter's Fall 2006. The design has really grown on me, I think the stitch patterns are perfectly executed. I have plans to modify the sleeves to a three-quarter length because I think it will look more stylish. The yarn is Rowan Cashcotton from last week's sale and it is just gorgeous. Together the pattern and yarn are a perfect match.

I want to savour this knit, so when it starts to feel like a slog, I just tag Kauni back into the ring.

The Story of a Yarn Sale

Whoo, boy! did I have fun this week. My mom and I went to the Needle Emporium's annual tent sale. Here's what we bought:

Three of those are mine and the one on the right is my moms. Hey! I stayed within my budget so it's all good.

There were lots of knitters there, but I didn't remember to take any pictures until we were checking out and my mom took this one:

Looks busy, right. Well, this is after it had calmed down. Here's a busier shot over on Flickr.

This year the pricing scheme was new. In past years you paid by the bag and stuffed it as full as you could. This year, the prices were $3 for a 50g ball of yarn, $6 for 100g and there was a section of $1 odd balls.

Going into such a huge sale, a knitter has to have a strategy. Mine is to grab everything I like, and then cull. Oh, and I warned my mother before we arrived, every woman for herself. She was totally on board with that (love ya mom!). Things I culled were some alpaca in a sport weight because it's so warm and almost too drapey and some manos that I thought I'd make into a scarf. I also culled a couple skiens of Rowan Chunky Tweed because they were 100g skiens and I only wanted them for a hat.

What I bought was (with links to Ravelry):

20 skeins of Baruffa Merinos Otto
14 skiens of Rowan RYC Cashcotton DK
6 skeins of Regia Silk

The culled alpaca was replaced by these beauties:

5 huge skeins of JJ's Specialty Yarns montage collection. Should be enough for a sweater for Jim.

At this point, my mom started asking me if I wanted to leave. I think the long lines were making her nervous. Or maybe she was scared she'd buy more yarn if she stayed too long. But I said I waited all year for this I wasn't leaving yet! I wandered over to the $1 section and found a great collection of odd balls. Can't go wrong for a buck!

You had to stand in one line to be counted and then in another line to pay debit or Visa. What do you think knitters do, standing in line at a yarn sale? Grab more yarn! I found a beauty of a skein of laceweight while I was waiting:

The white is another $1 oddball and it's Kauni laceweight. I also checked out what the knitters were wearing while in line. There was a great lace cardigan made from Noro Silk Garden sock yarn. And a totally unique design of Kauni. You can glipse another cool design in this pic. I wish I'd taken pictures! But no, I was totally focused on the sale.

Mom caught a snap of me during the moment of purchase.


And after all that, you know what we did? Head over to the Needle Emporium yarn shop! I'd stayed well under budget and had enough money to buy another ball of Kauni for my sweater in progress.

So happy.... Can you tell I had fun? Oh good. Cause I did. Loads.

Always Coming Back to Socks

I'm always returning to socks because I have a heavy rotation of loved ones who love their hand knit socks.

There's my mother-in-law who likes socks in bright colors with just a touch of ribbing in them to help them stay up. She just got a pair for Mother's day. Now Luke started wearing my socks just this past winter because he found them warm and comfortable. He likes plain patterns and green or muted colors. These two types of sock aren't terribly exciting to knit, but I do it for love. I get great satisfaction out of knowing that my loved ones' feet feel great because I found scraps of time in which to knit a sock.

Here's one such traveling sock, so-called because it travels with me every where:

The yarn is ONline Supersocke, knit in my standard 72 stitch pattern, but on a smaller needle than usual, a 2mm. I used about an inch of k1 p1 rib at the top and then did the rest of the leg and foot in k5 p1. I like the look of the wide ribs, it works in this type of yarn.

Remember a while back, I was asking about what sort of ease you knit into your socks? Most of you said you prefer to knit your socks with negative ease because they bag out with wear. Well this pair was my first attempt at tightening things up. It didn't work too well, because the smaller needle size made a sock that's a bit too snug. I wanted to give them to Luke, but he had difficulty getting them on and declared he wouldn't wear them. Jim was willing to tug, so he gets this pair.

Jim is one of my favourite people to knit socks for because he's willing to wear just about anything. Like lace and bright colors...

This is Nancy Bush's Gentleman's Socks for Evening wear, knit out of Kataish's handpainted yarn. Aren't the color's gorgeous? I love that they didn't pool and that all the shades and tones are so beautiful. She used KnitPicks Gloss Bare as a base, so these socks feel quite decadent too.

Next to Jim, I am my favourite person to knit socks for, because I can knit myself whatever I like! Plus, I save all the best sock yarn for myself. But my sock drawer is pretty full, but Luke and MIL only have a few pair, so I predict it will be a summer of dull-colored and plainly knit socks for me.

I'd better go stock up on some more podcasts....

Minor Adventure

Yes Saturday was lovely, and it seems like many others around blogland enjoyed their Saturday too. Sunday, wasn't too shabby either. While walking Dexter through the ravine in our neighbourhood we came across a big snapping turtle! We hurried home for my camera and I snapped the snapper:

I've never seen such a big turtle out and about like this. I've only ever seen them in zoos. I knew enough to keep Dexter well away. The turtle pulled its head in when Dexter and I came along, so we stood back a bit and the turtle started walking. Using the zoom on my camera, I shot this video:

I'm such a nature geek. I find it very exciting. I only hope the turtle got safely home again.

A Beautiful Day

It's lovely in southern Ontario at this time of year. Everything is so green and fresh and it's not too hot yet. Lovely weather to sit outside and knit. Doesn't this look inviting?

What you see here is the bridal wreath bush in bloom, a nice cup of tea, a cute ceramic sheep that was a gift from my mom, Cast On and Sticks and String on the i-Pod, two cushions on the chair, and yes! my Kauni is back in progress.

I procrastinated on returning to it all week, knitting some very boring socks instead. I'm glad I waited because when I picked it up again, I decided I like it. The hiatus did me some good. I believe I've been over thinking this thing. Today, I decided to just knit it. And a very enjoyable knit it was too.

Here's what was going on just behind my back at the other half of the yard:

Jim is re-laying the patio stones so they'll be level and to take out all the dirt that was supporting a good crop of weeds. Dexter is gnawing a fresh marrow bone we picked up for him as part of our Saturday errands. Luke is reading in the chair and Alex is lazing in the hammock.

What a great Saturday!

Day Dreaming of Lilacs

In the deepest dark of January I started knitting this floral shawl in a lovely shade of fuzzy purple that reminded me of lilacs. It was a cozy project, the fuzzy yarn warmed my lap through the blustery weather but as spring returned I realized I would have to get the project done before it was too warm to work on it. And now, in bright spring sun, with the scent of lilacs in the air, I have finished the project.

The Dayflower Daydream by Eugen Beugler was a deceptively big project. I used almost five hanks of my mystery yarn, of which I had six. There is over one hank of yarn in the border alone. I thought it would be a quick dash to the finish, once the main body of the shawl was done, but that border was like crossing a desert. Every time I thought I must be getting close to done, I would assess and find that I'd hardly moved at all. It took me two full weeks to knit the border alone.

But wasn't it worth it? I think this shawl pattern is just perfect. There's not a thing you could take away or add to it. I love a design where all the pieces fit perfectly together.

This shawl is over 5 feet in diameter. The brushed acrylic yarn let me use a large needle (5mm). The result is a full-sized blanket that is lofty and light. Ravelry details.

Mistaken Identity

I don't have any knitting to show you though I've been working hard on my Dayflower Daydream shawl. Last weekend I finished up the body of the shawl and was excited to start working on the border. The shawl had been swelling on the needles like a flower bud and it felt just ready to burst into bloom. So excited, that I took it with me on Monday for the Ravelry group meet-up at Coffee Culture (first Monday of the month, at 7:00, at the Dundas and Wellington location).

I'd been telling everyone that the yarn was silk and mohair. But Mary Jane took a careful look and said quietly, "I think that's acrylic." She pointed out that the fuzzy fibers were rather kinky and that mohair fibers are straight. I couldn't remember if I'd done a burn test. I was so excited by the color, quantity and source of the yarn, it was quite possible I hadn't.

So guess what I did when I got home?

And in case you'd like to watch it flare up, I posted a little video on YouTube. This yarn actually burns with a bright little flare for a bit and leaves behind a melted blob of plastic.

I'm very grateful to have found this out now, before I went through all the effort of pinning it out for a full blocking. I AM going to finish this shawl. I still think the color and fuzz of the yarn is beautiful and now I understand why it seems to sparkle a bit. Actually, knowing that it's acrylic opens it up as a gift option because I don't have to worry about a muggle trying to care for the lace.

London Artists' Studio Tour

The London Artists' Studio Tour was on this weekend. Jim and I and our friend Laurie B managed to visit 9 studios all in one afternoon. It was a whirlwind of gorgeousness.

If you want to take the tour, you just get the map from the brochure, and drive to the house of the artists that interest you. No fee, no schedule. The artists must apply to be part of the tour and are selected for quality of their work as well as their studios being able to accomodate visitors. The artists benefit from exposure and a chance to sell their work. I heard they had a great turn out today, probably because the weather was just perfect for driving.

As much as I enjoyed looking at the art, I enjoyed seeing the artist's creative spaces even more. They reminded me of my knitting room so much, I felt an urge to nurture my space more than I do now.

I was also surprised at what fired me up. While I do enjoy visual media, the work that spoke to me the loudest was by a metalsmith who wasn't even part of the tour. I was so enthralled with his pieces, I just wanted to dive right into them. The artist (Richard Sturgeon) described them as experiments in negative space and that made me think of knitting lace.


It reminds me of a ball of yarn, or a mobius and I want to touch it, trace it, and warm it in my hands. Think of the colors it could reflect and the shadows it would throw. What a fun piece! His other pieces were trees, figures, and flowers, but the tangles thrilled me the most.

The tangle is sitting on a coffee table that I seriously lusted after, made of spalted maple by an different artist. (I didn't get the name, and I'd be ashamed if it weren't because I was so enthusiastic about the work.)

And that's the only picture that I have to show. I couldn't do the art justice with my photography skills. But I highly recommend checking out the Studio Tour website which has links to the artist's websites. There's a lot of talent in London.

Spring Love

The weather has gotten much warmer which has started everything popping up spring. The forsythia is in bloom, the birdies are chirping and the frog chorus has started again. It's so soothing to drift off to sleep to the sound of their music, wave upon wave of amphibian love song.

Yesterday morning a pair of ducks landed again in our neighbour's pool. Mama duck was giving short sharp quacks. Five quacks, pause, more quacks, pause... And when she'd start in on it, papa duck would bob his head, as if to say "yes dear". I think she was telling him off about the crummy accommodation he'd brought her to. Her quacking worked, because the pair of them were gone today. No doubt to find a better honeymoon suite.

Things are looking up. Jim won a bid on a job, which is very encouraging. Plus, we'll be getting a little bit of money back from filing our income taxes, and that has been designated as mad money which makes me very happy. I miss having disposable income, ya know? :-)

I've been working my lace, but it's not photogenic. It's going slower too as it takes me over half an hour to complete one row. But I've been working on socks. Of course! Here's a completed pair.

Paton's Kroy, Moss colorway, on 2.25mm needles, 64 stitches round. It's amazing how much faster the socks knit up with 8 less stitches in the round. This pair took me a week. They're just a titch small on my feet.

When you wear hand knit socks, do you prefer them to be a bit tight (have negative ease) or to fit just perfect? I usually make mine to fit just perfect, but find that at the end of the day they're all baggy on my feet. So I've been experimenting with socks that are a bit tighter, but some people (ok, it was Luke) complain on the initial try on that the sock is too small. I've yet to try wearing one of my snugger socks all day to see what I think.

Even though it was a pretty warm weekend I did manage to bake a bit. Luke's only fourteen, so spring love for him is a double batch of Chewy Cherry Coconut Tarts.

Life goes on..

With very small variations but no great excitement, life goes on. After the obsession, and Easter, I reverted back to a purple lace piece I started back in... February! Whew, it's been a while. I had to splice in a second ball of yarn and I'm almost finished the third repeat.

Debbie over at Live and Let Learn! sent me some new stitch markers to try out and I've been using them on this project. They're glass rings. This is the largest size to fit over my 5mm needle.

I think it's gorgeous. The glass is thicker than most stitch markers, but it's fine for a lace project like this since there are so many holes anyway. I like it better than a bead on a ring, which is what I was using before.

Debbie's husband is the beadmaker and he does some incredible things with glass. Look at this adorable thing.

You should check out their Etsy shop. They've got buttons and earrings and more cute sheepies and piggies. Wonderful stuff! The prices are very reasonable.

Kauni is on hold for a while. I had sort of decided to try carrying on to see what the yarn did with the color changes. But I believe that I'll need more yarn to do the sweater the way I want to and I just can't afford that right now. Still, I'm hopeful that Jim will be working again soon so I've tucked it away for the time being. Fortunately, wool doesn't spoil.

I've been thinking about how having less disposable income can be a good thing. Certainly it's an opportunity to knit through the stash. There are some projects I have yarn for that I've longed to do for a while that I've just never got around to. As much as I love blogs and Ravelry, sometimes I think they contribute to a sort of knitting ADD that leads to startitis.

A Bright and Happy Easter

Happy Easter everyone!! It's going to be a lovely one. The sun is shining, friends and family are coming over and I have emerged from my knitting obsession. And here it is folks, the Ten Stitch Twist!!

Honestly, it doesn't look this bright in the house. I've used up almost all my Noro leftovers for this project. I eagerly ripped back my failed Lizard Ridge squares.

When I started with this obsession, and I was thrilled and excited and had so much energy for this project. In the middle I struggled with doubt and insecurity but I pushed on. Towards the end, I was tired, but I had started to regain that old thrill. Now that it's done, I feel slightly drained. Like I need a good break from knitting for a while. After all, I knit up approximately 13 skeins of Noro in 8 days. Also, I think that by not sharing this project with the blog I learned to deal with my own self-doubts a bit better.

I really enjoyed watching the colors play in this project. Certain sections of color play together and jump out at you. And when you fold the blanket on itself, you can put new color combinations together. Very fun. I was aiming to start with the deeper tones, move to the greyer ones and end with the brights. But I don't think this progression shows up very well. Another thing I learned is that Noro uses a fair hunk of neutrals in their yarns, which is very good because it helps to make the other shades pop.

I failed to measure this when it was finished, though I did during the knitting. It should be over 40 inches, though a good wet blocking may stretch it out. I'm kind of hoping it does. In the mean time, strictly for perspective's sake, here's how big it is on a medium-large dog:

Dexter loved wearing it!! His little stumpy was wagging so fast, but that could have been because we were all laughing so hard.

I hope you all enjoy a bright and Happy Easter, with load of color and lots of giggles.

A New Obssession

This is so exciting: I got bitten by a pattern bug. I saw the pattern on Thursday and Friday morning I woke up with the irresistible impulse to cast on. So I did. I'm about 6 balls into the project with 8 more to go. No guilt, no worries, the other projects will still be there for me when I get done with this. It's thrilling to have the creative pull come over me so strongly.

But I can't show it to you. I can't even tell you the details. I know, I'm a horrible tease, but I've been wondering lately if blogging helps or hurts my creative projects. I really do appreciate the encouragement and advice, but sometimes my own creative impulses get mixed up by the input. So I'm trying an experiment here, by not blogging about my latest obsession. Also, I have a vision of what this will look like and right now, the work in progress doesn't look anything like what I envision the end to be.

So for now I'll show you socks. Again. Good thing we love socks!!

Pattern: Cachoeira
Yarn: Wild Fire Fibres BFL Sock
Needles: 2.25mm and 2mm

It took me two weeks to knit these. The pattern is interesting, but I never managed to memorize the center lace panel, which is odd for me. The yarn was lovely to work with, soft with just a little variation is texture. The color is very nice for spring, but I found that it rubbed off on my fingers. I'll wash these in plain water before wearing.