Blame It On Twitter

I know I've been silent lately. You can blame it on Twitter. If you want to find me there I'm here. It's been a little easier to find the time to type something simple there than find the time to take pictures and post here.

Believe it or not, I have been knitting. I am more than halfway through clue 4 of the Mandala shawl. If you remember, I had to rip it back because I had not read the pattern through. If you look at the picture I posted and compare it to this one, you can really see the difference the beginning of the round shifts make. I am really happy with the way this is working up and as for theyarn, well it's cashmere. Need I say more?

I took a break for a few days to make something for a friend. I can't blog about it yet but I will soon. They were quick knits but I have hardly touched the shawl much over the last week. It's a combination of being too tired at night and then the surprise gift I did knit on Friday and yesterday. Now to head back to the knitting before we leave for our weekly visit to the in-laws to get the laundry done.

I Think I'm Losing It

I think I'm losing it. As I posted last time, I started the Manada shawl. I got to clue 3 yesterday and hit a snag. When I received an email from Renee, I realized what the snag was. I don't know how to read. That's my problem. If I knew how to read I would have seen where the pattern states that shaded rounds are where the beginning of the round shifts. Instead, I just figured it was for beads and happily knit away. What you see here is the result. I frogged it to a spot where I could easily pick up the sts and am now in the middle of knitting chart 1 again. When will I ever learn to read a pattern through before I begin? The problem is, when I do that I usually just get confused so I don't bother. Here is a good example of why I need to change that habit.

After this disaster, I realized something else. On February 21st Shannon, and I went to Kimberly's for a spin in. I didn't get very far because I didn't like the way Lily was treadling. It felt ackward and I'd never had that experience before. Ok, I figured the wheel needed oiling so I oiled where the thing goes round and round under the treadles. It didn't help and when one of the singles of the yarn I was trying to ply broke I just gave up and chatted instead of trying to rejoin. Today (over a week later) it dawned on me that I NEVER OILED THE TREADLE HINGES!!!! Once again, I think I might have lost it. Once I get caught up on the shawl I am going to have to pull out Lily and see if oiling the hinges will solve the problem. I was really upset by the treadle trouble but silly me didn't say anything to anyone. The Little Gem has never given me this trouble before. Now I am pretty sure it was the hinges. As Esther on The Golden Girls said "Senility is a terrible thing." It sure is.

Back With Some Knitting Content

I finished clue 6a on the Vernal Equinox Spring Surprise and the second Regia Galaxy sock so I decided to knit Mandala next. So far I've knit clue 1A and 2C. I am currently working on 3A. The yarn is Ecco Cashmere that I bought at The Purple Purl when they had their pre-boxing day sale. The yarn is so soft and yummy to knit with I can't believe it. I've knit with alpaca and merino but I think this is the softest by far of anything I have ever had the pleasure to run through my fingers.