Did You Blog Yet?

Ever since I got back from NYC on August 25th Joseph has asked me "Mom, did you blog yet?" I've been so busy trying to get Joseph ready for grade 9 and when I went back to work on Tuesday the madness really began. I had tons of work waiting me for.

I don't have much time for blogging this morning either so I am going to leave it all to pictures. I've got a picture of some FOs. The second Flower Basket Shawl I did for the Ravelympics 2008. The first one is in NY with my daughter. Yarn used is 4 skeins of Malabrigo Merino Silk in colour Indiecita.

I also finished the knitting on the oval doily. There is a version of this doily in the Japanese book Knitted Lace Vol. 1. There is a version in Anna January 1998 and Muestros y Motivos Tricot Hogar 1 - the Spanish lace book I have. It still needs blocking but I haven't had the time. Hopefully that will get done this weekend. I used 2mm needles and 4 balls of DMC Cebelia No. 20 in red.

The rest of the pictures are what I was able to get of the grandchildren.

Oval Doily

Flower Basket Shawl

Liba

Shimon

Moe

Mati

Elisheva

All Done But The Blocking

Yesterday I went to the Purple Purl after work. I had to get some stuff for my daughter before I go to NY on Sunday. I ended up staying and knitting for quite awhile. They had a class after closing and I stuck around until the class was over. By the time I left I had one more repeat of chart 2 to do at home and then finish chart 3 and cast off. The second shawl is all done except for the blocking. Would you believe that the yarn you see here is all I had left of the skein when I finished casting off? I was so sure I was going to run out with only inches left to go. I bought an extra skein when I was at the Purl just in case. I'll exchange it for something else when I come back from my trip. I am going to try and get this blocked tomorrow but I have so much to do. I still have to pack and get ready. The flight out is very early Sunday morning so everything must be ready by the time I go to sleep tomorrow night. If I don't manage to get it blocked I'll do it when I come home. I will bring the blocked one to NY with me for Henny. She is going to be amazed at the softness.

The Purple Purl has the Malbrigo sock yarn. The colours are amazing and the yarn is just as soft as their other yarns. I see some skeins of this stuff in my future but it had to wait because I had other things to buy this time around.

Progress Is Slow

This is the flower basket shawl all done and open. The second picture shows the second one. I've gotten much further along now but I haven't had a chance to take more pictures. I just joined the 3rd skein of yarn this morning so I should, hopefully, have all the knitting done by Saturday morning. It's funny how the colour on the second one looks so much different than the first and it's the same yarn and same dyelot. I guess it's the lighting in the room.

See what happens when you have to work? The second shawl is not moving along as quickly as the first. By the time I actually get to sit down and knit at night I am so tired that not much knitting happens. I try and get some knitting time in before work but my fingers tend to go numb if I knit in the morning. I don't have that problem in the evening. I think it's because my fingers are all warmed up from all the typing I do at work.

Ravelympics 2008

My project for Ravelympics 2008 is the Evelyn Clark's Flower Basket Shawl. I finished it this afternoon. I am shocked that it knit up so quickly. I knit it with the Malabrigo Merino Silk in colour Indiecita and I started with 6mm needles and then went down to 5.5mm needles. It's blockin on my son's bed and that's why you see the hot wheels. I blocked it folded in half because that means less pinning and not as big a strain on my back as I bend over the bed.

Since I have enough yarn left over to knit a second shawl, I want to cast on and finish it as part of my Ravelympics 2008 goal. This one won't knit as fast because I have to work and I won't be able to put in the daily knitting time I did Friday, Saturday and today. The good thing is that now I know the patter in my head so I won't have to worry about following the charts. That should speed things up a bit.