I Love Knitting Lace!

Now that I am a whiz at the yarn over and psso stitches, the basics of knitting a lacy pattern, I am anxious for more. I googled "sheep shawl", because I had to know what the shawl in the book, Yarn Harlot looked like that Stephanie knitted. I found it: The Sheep Shawl, designed by Evelyn A. Clark. She is obviously the queen of lace. I think so.

While searching for the shawl, I found this wonderful blog containing reviews of knitting blogs, Sheeptoshawl.com Blogs.It is fascinating to hop around to various knitting blogs and see what is being knitted. The first item in Sheeptoshawl is about the new Evelyn Clark book, Knitting Lace Triangles. I think I must have that book. The search is on for the perfect shawl pattern!

The Annabelle Sweater, below.



As you can see above, the Annabelle sweater is being knitted at lightspeed. I call it the Annabelle sweater because I am knitting it for little Annabelle. I showed the picture from the Filatura di Crosa, Baby Too pattern book in my last post. I have the front finished and over half of the back. It looks crumpled now, but I assure you, after the pieces have been washed and blocked, it will be beautiful. I should have the back finished by tonight or tomorrow. It has a picot hem (yo, k2tog) around the sleeves, bottom, and neck that will be tucked up and slip stitched after I sew the seams. I pinned up part of it to show the effect, but it did not photograph well.

I am looking forward to my next baby sweater project. This baby is due in November and the rumor is, he's a boy. The pattern is another Filatura di Crosa baby pattern and I am using the prescribed yarns, but not in the orange color that they had used. Two of the yarns are cotton, which I know to be painful to my joints. I will have to pace myself on this one, but I have plenty of time to finish it. That is going to be a cute sweater!

Confetti Baby Boy "M" Sweater, below.



My book of the day is a recent find. I have an analytical mind and the Knitter's Book of Finishing Techniques by Nancie M. Wiseman is perfection for analytical perfectionists. I have a deep need to know the best way to do something and have it explained well. The book really isn't just about finnishing techniques, she goes into various cast on methods and which one is best for each particular project. Casting on is beginning, not finishing, I know, but it is good stuff to know. Most patterns will tell you to make a buttonhole, this book will tell you how to make all of the different types of buttonholes and of course tell you which is the best for your project.

Another Tragedy

Pooh-bah was our seal-point Siamese, who's kingdom consisted of a culdesac with nine houses. He strayed outside of his domain when presumably a younger cat chased him into a busy street, two blocks away. He died instantly when struck by a car and lied beside the curb. Sunday morning he was missing from his usual place at the foot of our bed, I looked around the house for him. I waited, expecting him to burst through the cat door any moment, loudly announcing his entrance. We began to get concerned and started the first of several searches around the the neighborhood.


By that afternoon, I was frantic. My husband and I started knocking on doors to ask if he had been seen that day. It wasn't long until a neighbor reported that Pooh-bah had been seen on the busy street, in front of the bank. I knew instantly what that meant and I broke down in anguish. We quickly headed down two streets until we saw him lying by the side of the road, peacefully as if asleep. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Could he just be asleep? The crazy things that were going through my head. We carried him back home to bury. Pooh-bah wasn't just a cat, he was an intelligent, amazing, majestic feline with whom we shared our lives with. We loved him so very, very much!



Two weeks later, we are doing alright. Chloe beginning adjusting and although she is missing his love and companionship, we are making sure she gets more than her usual amount of love from us.



I know I have been a bad blogger, but I am back. I promise I will be more consistent. I have made great progress with my knitting. I will be back soon with an update on the pink baby sweater with the lace pattern I have ever knitted. Yes, photos soon. This is the pattern from the Filatura di Crosa Baby too book. I am knitting with Cashsoft Baby DK Pixie.