Getting There

I took the boys to get retested for strep, and it turns out that Bran is clear, but Abe, the carrier, is still a carrier. They put him on Cleocin, which is a very strong antibiotic with scary contraindications. I hate having him on such a strong medication, but hopefully he won't have any bad side effects and it will get rid of the strep.

As far as knitting goes, I am still chugging along on Old Penny's sleeves. I always do two at once when they are not in the round, but it has been a while since I last did sleeves this way, and it sure seems to be taking a long time! I am looking forward to moving on to the front bands and collar, and seeing how it all comes together. The pattern calls for snaps, but I may add buttonholes instead. I have also thought of making i-cord loops and using toggle buttons.

Here's an FO which I finished a while ago, but didn't want to post photos until I gave it to the recipient. This is the ubiquitous Lace Ribbon Scarf, made with Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in a lovely purple mix colorway for my purple-loving friend Kim as part of our secret pal gift swap. I bought the yarn at Bliss Yarns when I was in Nashville for my gig with Orchestra Nashville this past June. I'd like to get a picture of Kim wearing it, but for now, here it is, sans model.

And a closeup

Bliss Yarns has a beautiful collection of yarns and was among the friendliest yarn shops I have ever been to. The only thing that bothered me about this shop is an issue I had with Nashville as a whole - so many people smoke! I had to repeatedly bite my self-righteous, vehemently anti-smoking tongue to keep from sharing my views on the topic. I am more understanding of people who started to smoke and got addicted before it was discovered how freaking bad it is for you, and everyone around you, and the environment. But when I see young people smoking I have a lot of trouble keeping my mouth shut. No one smoked inside the shop, of course, but two of the people who worked there, who were so nice that I wanted to talk to them even though they were smoking, sat outside on the rocking chair area in front of the shop. Rant over.

The latest issue of Interweave Knits came in the mail the other day, and I was happy to see that there are a few projects I would like to make, and I may actually have yarn in stash for some of them!

I have been craving some lace knitting lately, so I could easily see casting on for the Fountain Pen Shawl later this week.

And lastly, I can't forget to document this year's edible valentines, requested by Bran, who helped melt the candies and put in the sticks.

New Debbie Bliss Magazine

I stopped by my LYS the other day to pick up 32" size 3's for Old Penny's button band and collar. G gifted me the KnitPicks Options for the holidays, but they only include sizes 4-11. Am I the only one who often seems to have every size needle except for the one I need?

While I was there, I checked out the sale yarn, and the sock yarn. I am on a strict yarn diet, but after seeing all of the amazing knitted socks on Ravelry, and realizing how limited the store-bought sock selection is, I couldn't help but look and dream.

In the end I managed to behave, at least when it came to yarn. This ended up in my bag along with the needles.

Normally, I would be cheap, and wait to go to AC Moore or Michaels to buy a magazine like this with my 40% off coupon. But, with the economy being what it is, I decided to give the money to my LYS, since I would like it to stay open!

The magazine has 36 patterns, and there are quite a few sweaters that I think I would actually make. In an effort to share some of the issue with those who haven't seen it yet, and also to help me remember it when I am looking for my next project, here is a sampling of my favorite designs.

I'm not sure I could make it through all of that stockinette stitch, but there is something about the simplicity with a twist of this one that I like.

This one needs a better photograph, but from what I can make out, the textures and the tapered cut look interesting.

Simple and versatile.

If I made this this in a comfy yarn, I could live in it.

This is lovely, but as with many of Debbie Bliss' patterns, I would be tempted to work it in the round and leave out sewing the side seams.


















These next patterns look extremely familiar - probably recycled from other Debbie Bliss pattern books, but I like them nontheless.




There you have it. Hopefully I can find some yarn in my stash that will work for some of these.