Just another Day in the Mine

To cap off yesterday? I managed to continue today. I checked out of the hotel and left my suitcase upstairs in the room. Pure genius I tell you! Fortunately, I remembered that before I pulled out of the parking lot.

The car does not need antifreeze. Drat. Pulled into the restaurant for breakfast and saw a very busy service station right next door. So I talked to them and they said they'd fit my car right in. Turns out to not be good. I have two fans cooling my radiator. One of them has died. The repair will be about $500. I wonder if I can leave my car sitting for the summer and only drive it during the winter??? In the meantime, no air conditioner for me. Keep in mind that it is mid-June. And I am in Virginia. It could be so much worse though - it is still driveable!

And I've been knitting. Swallowtail is progressing into the nupps. I am using a crochet hook for the purl 5 together bits. And this is the third skein. I have to get at least partway through the second nupp border before breaking into the fourth skein. If I'm into the fourth sooner than that, it will involve a frantic call to Knit Picks.



And I'm working on a felted bag. I really love my little orange bag. But I'm trying to make this one a bit bigger. But just a bit.



I was getting a bit worried about how much yarn I had available. I only bought two skeins. And see that little tail? That is where I ran out.



So I measured again. And I was a lot bigger than my math expected me to be. So I ripped it all out. I got a lot done while waiting for my car to not be fixed this morning. I'm hoping that the swatch isn't telling me a lie. Because this time I'm pretty sure I'll have enough yarn.

What a Day!

The Universe is out to get me. But in a slow way so I won't notice and just think I'm having a very long streak of very bad luck.

I had a decent start to the day. Headed out the door to visit quilt shops in York, PA, parts of MD and on into VA. My car over heated. Three times. My mp3 player died. And I didn't sell a single thing.

Finally, I found a car parts store and bought anti-freeze. I bought a new mp3 player. Another Sandisk Sansa View. I think the problems I had with mine were equal to a lemon car and will be handling that return with the appropriate receipt. And saw the most stunning double rainbow I have ever seen. Usually one is rather faded. Not this time. Both rainbows were bright and bold. And I could see the entire arc of both of them. Truly stunning. This is a crappy photo of such beauty - but it is through the car windshield while stopped at a red light.

Amazing Storms

I am very very thankful that I do not live in the mid-west. These types of storms would only bring tears - or at least the thought of tears. Actual crying in a flooded area seems cruel in an odd sort of way. But here. Well, here it is just amazing. Sunny skies to amazing thunderstorms in minutes flat. Complete with hail.

Swallowtail Shawl

In my Ravelry queue, I have the flower basket shawl earmarked for my four skeins of Knit Picks Andean Treasure yarn. So I'm a genius. I started the Swallowtail. Evelyn Clark's website says you need 600-something yards. Of course, I have 400-something. I am going to live dangerously and knit until it looks like I'd better get on the horn asap to Knit Picks.

My blog so far looks like this:



That's the second ball remains you see there!

WWKIP and Ravelry

I have (finally) decided to start taking advantage of more of the goodness that is Ravelry. I haven't ever uploaded any pictures of my (small) stash. I'm probably going to be surprised at the amount of yarn I have hiding away in that small stash. I am new to Flickr, but if you want to upload pictures of your stash onto Ravelry, you need to put them on flickr. This is a bigger undertaking than I expected. I have gotten no where in the last hour. So I am writing a blog post, doing some knitting and heading to bed. I've uploaded the yarn pictures I took earlier, but flickr isn't cooperating. Blasted Flickr!

But yesterday! Yesterday was a different story. Linda (a new friend from Ravelry) and I carpooled up to Narrowsburg, NY to visit 4 Corners of Artful Living for WWKIP day. The yarn section a small back room of a long narrow, cozy gift shop. Very eclectic and fun place. There isn't a huge selection, but I have a feeling as the yarns sell, more variety will be added.



Chris had been posting lots of wonderful comments on ravelry about the goings-on. And finally Linda and I were able to carpool our way up there. They had free drinks, enough snacks for an army, doorprizes, gifts, and some lovely people. And of course, I bought some yummy yarn. I've decided to make another felted bag - even though I haven't posted anything about the new felted bag I made last week! There was a lovely class sample in the store. I am going to use the same pattern as before, just modified this time. But Chris's sample has this stunning felted flower. So we'll see what I can get into!

In Which I am a Dunce

WWKIP pics coming tomorrow - the whole ONE pic I managed to remember to take. But the short version here is that a great time was had by all.

Several months ago, I was given four skeins of Knit Picks Andean Treasure yarn. Mohair makes me itch, so I didn't have much hope for the alpaca. Boy, was I wrong. Now I've never worn the yarn. But the Patent Pending technique of snuggling the yarn under your chin/on your neck was successful! So I commenced finding out what I can make with four skeins of Andean Treasure. And lo, the goodness of Ravelry told me that four skeins would be more than enough to knit the Flower Basket shawl.

So what did I cast on earlier this week??? Flower Basket? Why, no, why do you ask? Did you maybe think that I had a working brain cell that would take advantage of the useful information that magically appeared? Nope. I cast on a Swallowtail shawl. It works up so very fast and the yarn is a treat to work with. But according to the information that Evelyn Clark put on her webpage, four skeins will not be enough. But in fact, I will need six. In my totally intelligent manner, I have continued knitting. Two more skeins have not magically appeared at my home. Or in my car. Or in the knitting bag. So I really think I need to call Knit Picks and see if I can get two more balls in the same dye lot. Or I'm screwed.

Or maybe not. Cause here's the thing....in the swallowtail shawl, you knit 14 repeats of the body of the shawl. I have just finished the eighth section and still have a few yards left in the first skein. This is a triangular shawl with each row growing successfully longer. But will it really take me 1 skein to knit the beginning and the first 8 sections and 3 more to knit 6 sections, the border sections, and the bindoff?

I'm already planning my next Swallowtail shawl. Four ply/sock weight yarn with beads.

I'll have to edit this post tomorrow to add the pictures. Can't seem to find them on the computer, and I'm sure not trying to take decent pictures now!

Summer of Shawls?

Recently, I signed up for Summer of Socks. And haven't knit a sock. Now, I know that SOS hasn't started yet, but I usually have a sock on the needles all the time. So, what have I been knitting? Lace. This is turning into the Summer of Shawls. And then I saw the Seasons of Lace Ravelry group. And of course...the rest is history!

I just finished a Diamond Fantasy shawl (by Sivia Harding). And just started on a Swallowtail. I was given several skeins of KP Andean Treasure and I'm using that for Swallowtail. But I think I have to call KP and see about ordering more. According to Evelyn Clark's download, I don't have enough yarn. So I have no idea where I got the idea that this yarn would be perfect for this shawl. I've been drooling over the beaded Swallowtails posted in the Evelyn Clark group. So while this one isn't near being finished, I am sure this Swallowtail is only the first.



This is my unblocked Diamond Fantasty Shawl. I've been wearing it, but haven't taken a blocked picture. Details to follow.

94. Re-entry

Wow. When I fall off the wagon, I do a really huge belly flp (not to mix my metaphors or anything). I've been to Chicago and New Hampshire. Actually, I was home about 30 hours between those two stops. Worked a bunch and then headed off to Salt Lake City. Went to Portland, visited my family in California and finally headed home. I have pictures, a couple of fo's, new yarn, and I've started menopause (constant heat flashes anyone?) to share. All to come next. For now, I
leave you with a horrid self portrait (tonsils anyone??) taken from an observation spot along the way to SLC.