I have been busy...

Barely any time to write lately, but I HAVE taken a few pictures to share.

The one below is a test swatch for an Aran commission. It's to be knitted up on size 4 needles, and the yarn is a gorgeous wool/silk blend. I haven't started the actual sweater yet, as I will be dyeing the yarn beforehand, and it has just been too darn HOT around here to fire up the outdoor dye stove.

The one above is a Shetland Lace Cockleshell scarf, pattern from Candace Eisner Strick's lovely book, "Beyond Wool." Her original pattern called for quiviut but, lacking the funds for that kind of expenditure, I decided to use Su's fabulous space-dyed kid mohair/silk yarn instead. Su started making these sorts of yarns in the last month or so, and it was so luxurious I had to have some. Of course, at the time I had no idea what it might become. Then, a serendipitous browse through Candace's book whilst in the "reading room" one morning got me thinking that this scarf might be a perfect, simple project. Well, sho 'nuff! This will be a gift for Daphne's classroom teacher, Miss Mahoney, who has put up with an awful lot from my girl. Miss Mahoney wears a lot of red, I've noticed, so this will be a perfect accessory.

I'm working on another for the classroom aide, Mrs. Beccia, who seems to volunteer so much time for kids' programs all over town. Phoebe had her as a teacher in her last year of the town's Vacation Bible School and loved her as much as Daphne does. She's one of the most enthusiastic and energetic senior citizens I have ever met. Daphne says her favorite color is purple, so I am making the scarf out of a beautiful, deep purple laceweight wool yarn I just happened to have on hand.

It was such a pleasant surprise to have the cockleshell pattern turn out to be so EASY. I was not expecting that. But it is sooooo easy, I have managed to memorize the entire 12 row repeat! This is a first! Memorization of anything lengthy has never been my forte, but I've noticed that I've been doing this more and more with choir music. It must have to do with the amount of repetition we do. Somehow it all gets into my brain, so many times on gig days I am holding the music for security's sake, but rarely do I even look at it. Evidently, this skill is beginning to translate to my knitting. Who'd-a thunk it???

Time to go scavenge through my inventory again, with an eye to possible new listings. I'd like to keep my weekend sales trend going. It wasn't huge, but it was steady, and I have a lot of nice little hosta plants coming in from Vermont soon...maybe tomorrow? I owe, I owe, so winding skeins I go...

Heat wave is due to break tomorrow, but does anyone believe that's REALLY gonna happen? Thank God for AC, is all I can say. Keith put the big one in the living room yesterday, so now I feel as if I can breathe and function semi-normally.

Stay cool! Think snow! Think knitting!