Clue #3

I almost finished Clue #3 of the Mystery Shawl last night.

I wish that I had started on a different point of Taiyo (self-striping yarn). The top and now the bottom are mixing the purple Solemate with the darkest part of the Taiyo. Maybe this is a good thing that the top and bottom are dark??

 I think I have about seven rows to go and then the I-cord bind off.

Then I will pick up along the sides and work out. In Stephen's pattern the ends are tapered down and I think I might have to play with this. Having broad shoulders most shawls don't sit properly on me so I'm think of making the 'wings' longer.

Over the past week I have come down with bronchitis. I don't feel really sick but there hasn't been a lot of sleep. Yesterday I had to make a choice-blog or sleep. Sorry but I opted for a nap. Today I'm feeling okay but I have lost my voice. It was very hard ordering a tea at Tim's on my way to the store. Parcels have been shipped and now I'm going for another nap. Then I can get back to my knitting tonight.

Jubilee Throw

When I got to work this morning there was an email from Jane

Good morning. Had to sort of chuckle when you wrote that you had finished Bailey and sewn in all the end by yourself. Well..just finished this square and have sewn in ALL the ends by myself. There were 1000 's of them. Hate that job. So..this has been the most challenging square so far..that is the good news..the bad news is I have to do 2 more of them. The difference is that they are smaller..which is a good thing. Think this one looks pretty good. Hope you like it

Jane-the square looks great. I love the flowers. You win on the sewing in ends competition.

A newsletter came from Classic Elite earlier today which includes the pattern for a shawl knit in Sanibel.

Download the newsletter...

You don't need to get too fancy with Sanibel-it does the work for you.

Ms. UPS brought in a box from Rowan-6 new shades of Kidsilk Haze Stripe and Rowan Studio Issue 27.

Spring Retro designed by Amanda Crawford

A fun and fresh collection, 'spring retro' look reflects the current trend for 1950's inspired fashion. Knitted in Rowan's ever popular Wool Cotton.

The popular wool cotton has been in the Rowan range for many years. It owes its longevity to the high twist blend of wool and cotton which creates knitted designs with a beautiful drape and great stitch definition.

French Fancy

Knit this elegant cropped cardigan, with gorgeous lace stitch detail for an essential on trend piece for Summer. 

Angel

This simple yet classic sweater in the gorgeous wool cotton yarn, is the ideal pull on for a slightly cooler Spring afternoon.

Trifle

Knit this cute cropped sweater in the ever popular wool cotton, for a must have this season.

14 more rows and Clue #2 of the Mystery Shawl (which isn't a mystery anymore) is done. There is a lot of TV tonight-Master Chef, Storage Wars and Shipping Wars. There should be some knitting accomplished.

One Sleeve In-One To Go

I accomplished a lot on my sweater in the store today. Sleeve #1 was sewn in on the first try (sometimes you need to sew it more than once to get it in properly with no pulling or puckering) Tonight I need to sew in one sleeve and then one side seam. Oh, yeah. Then all the ends. It's 4pm and I should be heading home but I have to stay a few minutes to watch the men's 4x100 relay. Bailey is on a mannequin to take a picture outside when I leave. Unfortunately it has started raining pouring again.

When I walked outside there was a two second window of no rain and I got this picture.

My sweater is going to be done tonight so I am taking Rockefeller home to get back at it. Here it is half way through the second clue.

Stephen West (westknits) is offering a special on Ravelry for his patterns. Here is a link to the discussion in his Ravelry group. The sale ends Monday so act fast.

This is my Earth and Sky Shawl knit in tosh merino light. Stephen's patterns are well written and easy to follow. I have knit three of his patterns and highly recommend looking at what is available.

See all his patterns. There are many to choose from.

I waited with my post to see if I could do it and I did. Bailey is done. There are a few ends to sew in and I'm too tired to do them tonight.

The colour is off but what can you expect when you take a picture outside at dusk?

The Big Day

I'm up early today. The house is tidied (the cleaning ladies are coming today) and I thought I would get a jump on my blog post. There is a lot of knitting planned for this afternoon. Clue #3 to the Mystery Shawl arrived and Clue #2 isn't done. A few rows were done last night but not nearly enough. Some people have already posted pictures of Clue #3 on Ravelry. I want to get knitting!!

My family loves watching the Olympics. Thankfully this one is a somewhat reasonable time zone. Getting up at 3 in the morning to watch events live really messes with your sleep pattern. For the next two weeks the TV in the store will be tuned it to watch.

Namaste's Oh Snaps are coming in eggplant.

A divinely simple way to keep your stuff in its right place- the Oh Snap! pouches come in a set of 3 to bring the Zen back to your life (and your handbag). Whether you're a tidy two-shoes or a messy marvin, Oh Snap! keeps it all together for you. Customized Namaste snaps, carefully crafted mesh pouches, it's effortless organization- Oh Snap!

COLORS:
Charcoal Gray, Eggplant (Available August 2012), Light Pink

MATERIAL:
Mesh

SIZES:
Sold in set of 3:
Small: 6.5"L x 1" W x 4" H
Medium: 9" L x 1.25" W x 7" H
Large: 10" L x 2" W x 8" H

Also Sold in set of 2:
XL: 14" L x 2" W x 10" H
XXL: 15.5" L x 2" W x 13" H

We have grey in the store and eggplant should be arriving with the new bags sometime in the next two weeks.

Before leaving for work I took a picture of the Mystery Shawl. This one shows the pattern much better than yesterday's post.

Just an hour until cast on time. I have a bad feeling about starting. I have been known to start a sweater on a Friday night and knit all night. It makes for a long Saturday in the store. If I'm looking tired tomorrow you will know why.

Let's redo last night

Yesterday was a great day in the store. Lots of chores were accomplished including updates to the website. Then on the way home I started to get a headache. The weather was changing. I had a nap and when I woke up Beth had dinner ready. Who can complain about that? Then we moved upstairs to watch TV. This is where things started to go downhill.

Three rows of Clue #2 were done but I wasn't happy. The pattern said to pick up 162 stitches and I only got 161. I figured I could fudge it later but it was bothering me so last night while watching Big Brother I ripped it back and started picking up stitches again. All picked up and 161. Now I was mad and frustrated. I took a look on Ravelry and saw that I wasn't picking up the stitches correctly. Let's rip out and try again. The next time I got 162 stitches. It looks better and I am happy. Row 10 is complete. 46 rows to go before tomorrow morning. :)

It was raining as I was taking this so I couldn't
make it lay out nicely.

Something woke me at 2:30 and then I heard a thud. Melo jumped off Beth's bed and came down to see me. Thunder and lightening. He gets so upset. I was good company for about half an hour and then he went and got Beth. She sat up with him (with the TV blaring so he couldn't hear the thunder) for an hour. There wasn't much sleep for me last night.

Mr. Canada Post brought more yarn today. Lace from Freia Fibers.

This is a blend of 75% wool from Colorado spun with 25% nylon for added strength. Our lightweight, soft lace yarn is a super wash but we recommend hand washing for longevity.

75 gram ball
589 m/645 yards

The colours are bright and cheerful.

One ball will make the Sonoma Lace Scarf.

Don't forget that tomorrow is the big day. I had the time wrong for opening ceremonies. It is 4pm in Ancaster.

My needles and yarn are sitting on the table waiting to start.

Wow did we miss a lot on Big Brother. Willie being booted from the house. What a shocker. I'm not sure that I like the team thing going on this season. I hope they mix it up soon. I have some errands to run tonight and then home to watch TV and knit. There is a lot of knitting that needs to be done over the next two weeks. Am I really going to get my shawl and a sweater finished?

Reconsidering

Monday afternoon

It is hot in Canada. The weather in Myrtle Beach was definitely cooler than this. It doesn't help that the front and back doors are propped open to let the paint dry. We turned the air conditioning off and our house is really, really hot.

I ran to the store earlier. I couldn't wait until tomorrow to see the work that Cathy had done and to pick up the new Rowan magazine.

Cathy is a bit of a neat freak. Behind the cash desk was a nightmare. She spent a couple of days and totally cleaned it out. You can walk back there. You can find things. Everything is neatly arranged. I'm thinking of having her come to my house and do my closet. She is amazing!!

The new magazine isn't that nice. :) It is amazing. There are many garments that I need.

Two new colours of Felted Tweed. The purple/fuchsia on the right is a big colour in Rowan's line this fall. It is available in almost every yarn. I'm not complaining-what a beautiful colour.

There are three new colours of Drift including the purple/fuchsia.

I'm started to rethink my Olympic knitting. There is no way that I can finish Tiree in two weeks. I don't think Wannietta could get it done in that time. Maybe a sweater in Drift might be a better option. 

Bailey might be it. The pattern is in the magazine in men's and women's sizes or you can download it from Rowan's website.

Knit this women's cable sweater from Rowan Knitting & Crochet Magazine 52, a design by Marie Wallin using the ever popular yarns Big Wool and Drift (merino wool). With a drop shoulder, straight cast-off sleeves and colour block detail, this knitting pattern is for the intermediate knitter.

I'm not sure I would use the Big Wool in my sweater but would make it totally out of Drift. Leaving out the intarsia will make the knitting go faster and I think the sweater will look great in one colour.

Knit this men's cable sweater from Rowan Knitting & Crochet Magazine 52 online, a design by Marie Wallin using the ever popular yarns Big Wool and Drift (merino wool). With a drop shoulder, straight cast-off sleeves and colour block detail, this knitting pattern is for the intermediate knitter and is a free pattern to download.

Mom has been having problems with the TV in her sewing room. Beth went to pick up the dogs and mom asked her to see if she can make it work. Mom had called the cable company and the guy who came out was less than helpful. Beth thinks she has it going but has to wait 45 minutes for the box to reset. I was going to nap but there is no sense laying down when the dogs will be coming home-I will have two of them standing on top of me. I did some updating of the website getting some of the new Rowan yarns up and then decided to start on tomorrow's post. There wasn't much knitting content while I was away and I'm going to do better this week.

Tuesday

I have studied the Rowan Drift and Bailey will be the Olympic sweater in 913 Vintage Rose. My fingers are itching to cast on but I can't until 2pm on Friday.

I had a bit of a scare when I came to work this morning-the TV wasn't working. If all else fails unplug everything and try again. This didn't work. I was freaking out. The Olympics are starting and I wouldn't be able to watch on TV. Finally I tried hitting the power button on the dish converter. IT WORKS! I am so happy.

Last night I got some knitting done on the Mystery Shawl. Clue #1 is almost done. 29 repeats-3 to go.

A newsletter just went out and should be in your In Box very soon. Now it's time to unpack the box that Mr. Canada Post just brought from Prism.

Golfing cuts into the knitting time

We slept in this morning until 8 which is great for being in Myrtle Beach. Beth wanted to go golfing so we got ready and headed to the clubhouse here at the Legends. We couldn't get out for a few hours so we decided to go to the Barefoot Resorts and play the Fazio course. I haven't played it in years and we had fun. The only bad part of the day was that the course was busy and our round was very slow. Thank goodness for the wind (which was in our face for the whole back nine). Beth won. Not surprising.

I had a small mishap on the second hole. I was getting into the golf cart not paying any attention and smashed my head on the roof. Beth was across the fairway from me and heard it. There is a bump on my head and I have a bit of a headache but it didn't stop me from finishing the round.

There was a lot of water on the course. Luckily we mostly played beside it and not over it.

Lots of trees too which were good for sitting under when we were waiting to play our next shot.

My knitting isn't growing. It would help if Lynda and Jess would pick it up and work on it while I'm on the course. :)

Beth, Lynda and Jess are out picking up dinner at the deli so I better hit Publish and get the table set. Maybe some knitting tonight during Big Brother.

Rockefeller

I said that I would show you my Mystery Shawl (Rockefeller) tomorrow but I changed my mind. Here it is so far. I really like how the colours are coming along.

I'm into the fifth repeat and need to finish thirty two by Friday. Knitting with Noro always inspires you to knit more-you want to see the colour that is coming next.

We have a brand new yarn coming from Rowan and hopefully it is in the boxes that Mr. UPS is delivering on Tuesday. Kidsilk Haze Trio.

70% Superkid Mohair
30% Silk

There will be a magazine as well.

I haven't mentioned Big Brother yet-are you watching? Russell's brother. Seriously? I'm not sure how the coaches are going to work either. I think tonight will tell us a bit more about the house guests-Thursday didn't reveal too much. Thank goodness we have DVR on our TV in Myrtle Beach so we don't have to wait until we get home to watch.

Mystery KAL

Last night mom and dad came with Beth and I to get the clock. My dad does not pass up an opportunity for 5 Guys. After dinner dad came over to help me move my bedroom furniture and to take down our pictures. Beth and dad decided they needed a beer so we went home with dad and then I could get mom online for half an hour. Mom had a surprise for us-Beth told her about my dream. $120 US each. Nice!!

This morning has been productive. The cleaning ladies are coming today. Perfect timing. We moved furniture so that they could get all the dust bunnies. It doesn't matter how often you clean when there are two golden retrievers in the house. My bedding has been washed and the bed remade. Shoes and yarn are where they belong. Pictures taken downstairs.

Beth went to the bank and post office this morning. I think that is all our chores taken care of.

The most important thing is that yarn is wound. The first clue for the Stephen West Mystery KAL came this morning. I'm starting when I get to work.

Lorna's Laces Solemate in Kerfuffle
Noro Taiyo Sock in colour 25

Sign ups for the KAL are closed but the pattern will be released in August if you decide that it is something you want to knit.

Introducing the new colours coming from Lorna's Laces. These are coming in Sock, Lace and Solemate. Unfortunately hand dying yarn takes time so it will be a few more weeks before our shipment arrives.

It's later in the day and the Mystery Shawl has been started. I have a problem-do I show you pictures or not? Some people don't want to see what it looks like until they start their own. I think I will wait until Monday and by then most of you should have started and will know what the first clue looks like. I can tell you that I like how my colours look.

I just got off the phone with the ladies at madelinetosh. We have another HUGE shipment coming. They will be dying it next week and then it will be trucked here-it's too big for Post.
dk
merino dk
sock
lace
merino light (46 colours)
prairie

There are still a few chores to get done in the store so I better hit Publish and get to work.