Happy Mardi Gras!

Our first official Mardi Gras in Louisiana left me with the realization that our new neighbors love to party and have parades.









We made our way to the Children's Parade where FYS made a huge bead haul. I just stood back and took the leftovers. At 6'5" and with arms twice as long as mine, he could reach everything better.







There were constant parades going but we waited until this morning to wander back to the route. Many more people showed up to compete for beads, but we still made a pretty good haul.







All in, our first experience with Mardi Gras was fun and we are anxious for next year. I have some ideas on how we can get more beads...

Hub's Almost Valentine Socks

Thank goodness I've finished something. Although it was a few days late, my wonderful husband has focused on the fact that he has a new pair of handknit socks to wear.

Knit with Rowan Felted Tweed on size 2.25 and 2.5 needles, these finished up pretty quickly.





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They fit like a dream which is always good when you have the person you are knitting for right there to size along the way.

Knitting with Felted Tweed was so pleasing that there is a green color waiting to become a pair of socks for me.

Those socks will have to wait. My new friend Angella and I are beginning our shawl-a-long today. We've decided to knit Anne's Rivolo.

My thought is to increase the width of the scarf sized design to make it wrap sized. It is an incredible pattern and I can't wait to cast on.

That 60's Sweater

An everyday pullover accentuated with an interesting yoke. This design is knit in one piece from the neck down resulting in minimal finishing.

Two different colorways of Briar Rose Charity made this sweater a hit with Bugg and it was quickly carried off to school.

Shades of bright teal and milk chocolate brown in the yoke bring attention upward and soft brown and greens in the body compliment with subtle differences.

Many thanks to Chris for nudging me to write this down, Holly and Debbi for test knitting, and Eloise and Jason for testing gauge.

This pattern is now available on Ravelry.

Shawl to go with my new friend

After visiting Louisiana and what was to become my new LYS, Angella and I connected through Ravelry. It was so exciting to be able to meet her in person this week and I felt an immediate connection. It could have been the Malabrigo Sock yarn that she chose in my favorite colorway, but I tend to believe it is just 'one of those things'.

The Malabrigo Sock had already caught my eye and the colorway Velvet Grapes was to be mine. A quick agreement was made and I'm searching for the perfect shawl pattern for Angella and I to knit out of our lovely yarn.

On a different note, have you seen Penny Lane? This is a new yarn from Briar Rose Fibers - 100% Tussah Silk.

Oh my, it is incredible and is completely satisfied being the work of art that it is. Good thing, because I have no idea what could be created with it that would be loved as much as this skein of yarn.

Thorns and Little Thorns

Mom's birthday rolled around last year and I knew she would love handknit socks. Everything she sees me knitting makes her ask if the item is for her and when it will be finished.

After fiddling around with some stitch ideas, I came up with Thorns.

Everyone who saw this pattern seemed to love it and Chris encouraged me to write it up. The socks were long gone by then (to mom) but I dug out my notes and made another pair out of Briar Rose Sonoma.

These socks are very comfortable and are perfect with boots or just lounging around the house. At 5 stitches/inch on size 5 needles, you can have a pair finished in no time.

With some adjustment of the pattern and stitch placement, it was possible to get the same effect with a thinner yarn resulting in Little Thorns. Little Thorns is slightly varied from Thorns and Briar Rose Fibers 4th of July was perfect for this sock. They fit right into my Danskos!

I love the way that Chris' hand dyed yarn blends in so naturally throughout the sock and with some encouragement, these patterns have been listed for sale and download through Ravelry.

Little Thorns
Thorns

I finished some bulky lace

When the Winter VK arrived with patterns in bulky weight yarn, I saw an opportunity to finish something. Long, long ago I had acquired a lot of Tibet yarn by Naturally with the intention of making a sweater...bear with me - it was just one of 'those' purchases.

The sweater front, back, and most of one sleeve were complete before my sanity returned and I admitted that ever actually wearing the sweater was unlikely. The discarded UFO has sat in a bag for years, probably 5 or 6.

With this VK issue, I saw possibilities of things that could be and frogged all of the knit up sweater.

Two strands of Tibet held together and 19 needles made this project go quickly. My version is quite a bit smaller than the model. I don't know anyone in real life that can pull off 140" of super bulky anything so mine is 87" long and 14" wide.

This will be going into a Valentine's Day box and shipped off to Bugg at school. Kentucky has been very cold this winter and I can see her snuggled up in it while thinking of me enjoying 70 degree weather.

The vest that languished

How difficult should it be to nail this home?

I just dove into this pattern, ass-u-ming that it would be designed with steeks. It was not.

The knitting continued even as I bound off for the armholes and realized the pattern was not centered. A check, check, re-check, check occurred and everything seemed to be in order. What did I do? I ignored the voice inside my head nagging that it would be most unpleasing to have a garment 'off-center' then continue knitting. All of the purling in colorwork is most distressing, but I've finished the front shoulders and rejoined the yarn for the back.

The nagging voice tells me there is a better way and I've gotten to the place and am ready to rip to the armhole and re-design a better beast. Not to trash the designer - it might just be a better beast for me.

Two things are certain...the pattern will be centered and I won't be purling.

Delilah at 5 months

There have been many times I've wanted to take photos of Delilah, but something always gets in the way. This morning I groomed her and finally took some pictures.

Soon it will be time to trim her coat again. She won't be looking this fluffy for Easter and I hear there are a few kids who want to see these bunnies. I'm hoping her fur will grow back out quickly enough for them to get an idea of how fluffy she can be

She is so compliant once you fish her out of her cage. She is easy to handle and loves being touched - much different from Edward and Bella.

She has grown quite a bit which is easy to forget until you look at her baby photos.