Bupkus in Progress to Report

Sorry, but the shawl has sort of stalled out for the past two days. I do have section #5 over half finished, but it's not worth posting a picture of just yet. Maybe after this wedge is completed, or maybe not until all of the knitting is done.

We've been busy beavers the last two days, so I've not been able to knit on the shawl. Monday was our monthly sock group, so I started yet another project, this time a toe up sock a la Wendy, featuring her short-row toe featured in her Knitty article last winter. It's an awesome pattern that I really enjoy, and the yarn has turned out to be surprisingly nice knitted up. Pix later, especially if I rip and reknit the thing, but I may not.

Tuesday night found us in Columbus, IN, which is where we're moving to in a month. This twice-monthly knitting group has turned out to be a really active, fun, energetic bunch of knitters ranging from a sixth grader to a woman who is well into her 80s and a darned prolific knitter, and everything in between. They typically keep us hopping from about 6:30 until after 9, so I didn't have much knitting time there tonight. I worked on the shawl in the car on the way over while Matt drove, but it was dark on the way back, so I knit on a felted bag that didn't need my attention (and I can knit them in the dark---stockinette, baby). And we got a large box of "flashy trashy" yarns today, with a variety of things sparkly and fluffy and fuzzy. Pics to follow, I swear.

Wednesday is an "off day" for traveling and knitting, but since this week is Third Thursday, I've got planning and cooking and baking to do. Dinner this month centers around family favorites and reunion foods, so if you're in the area around 6 or so on Thursday, bring your knitting and your appetite. Dinner's around seven, and we're expecting a fun group from the St. Louis area (HI CHARLOTTE, HI NINI!). Come join the fun of the last Third Thursday in Bloomington...........or be with us on August 21st, when we start the tradition in our new digs in Columbus. No clue on the menu theme, so suggestions are welcomed. As are you!

And the Wedges Continue to Appear

True confession time....this is the third shawl I’ve started in lace-weight yarn, yet it will be the first one finished (the other two languish on the needles, and two others were ripped out before they became much of anything). That said, you can see how its progress is a testament to the yarn and the pattern. This knitting seems to just flow off of my needles. Check it out

The shawl is being knitted with Helen's Lace, a lace-weight yarn that's 50% merino wool and 50% tussah silk and hand-dyed by the experts at Lorna's Laces. It's not enough that the colors she puts together are amazing and enticing, but the yarn itself is sheer heaven to knit with. And the finished fabric of the shawl is lighter than air--seriously. It’s now officially over 2/3 completed, and I’m rolling off a wedge a day, when I have time to knit on it (the weekend was spotty knitting, due to some workshops and other things that needed my attention and needles; plus, we had a little bit of yarn to stock after Thursday and Friday’s absolute BOMBING of wool, spinning fiber, and other yarns).

We have about a half-dozen colorways in Helen's Lace available and more headed this way to be delivered later this week (Wednesday will bring us Valentine, Ravenswood, Clay, Mineshaft, Iris Garden, Seaside, and Blackberry, on top of the ones we have in River, Gold Hill, Pink Blossom, Tuscany–the one I’m using, Purple Iris, and Purple Club). The project takes just one hank of this amazing yarn and the pattern is free and found under the label of the yarn--just add a 5mm needle, circular preferred. It is a very basic pattern completed with nothing but knit stitches and a simple yarn over now and then. It is relatively straight forward with one little caveat--when you see the pattern and I explain it, it makes sense. But it had me thrown for a small loop at first (I was reading it too literally).

In other news, the washer is dead again. Or at least on life support. I was felting a bag for someone that was knitted with yarn of unknown progeny (she’s a regular customer of ThreadBear but strayed and bought some different yarn while on vacation in North Carolina, which is no big deal to us at all–even we buy yarn elsewhere....come on’, good fiber is good fiber!). The bag didn’t completely felt (it’s WAY wide and you can still see stitches) and it left a ton of little balls in the water after I pulled it out. So, during the spin cycle the water wouldn’t drain, so I turned around the machine, laid out the towels, and performed a wharf-rat-ectomy on the old Admiral Heavy Duty....but I could still see more, deeper in the water pump. So I hooked up the hose and ran the spin cycle. Loud noises and a HUGE clump of something dislodged.......and the rest is history. I have a wad of gack stuck in the middle of the pump and it won’t come loose and it isn’t where I can reach it. I tried my trick of a gallon of bleach down the hatch (bleach melts 100% wool and other animal hair) but it didn’t fully dissolve and it may be wrapped around the innerds. We have a service call out, but they can’t come until Thursday. So tonight, after Sock Night at Barnes & Noble, I’ll be back with another gallon of bleach and try to dissolve some additional blockage. One appliance repair guy suggested adding Drano to the mix, but I’m leery about mixing bleach and Drano–not up for a noxious cloud, thanks. But I can call a chemical hotline and see if there’s a problem, so it might be a good idea!

Oh, and all of the new Koigu is online.