Mystery Stole clue 1

So I just finished the Mystery stole clue 1. It took me one day to get this far. I didn't work on it nonstop so I feel that it wasn't too hard. I don't want to post the picture here in case you don't want to see it and have it not be a surprise. If you do want to see what it looks like then follow the link. I am using black Zypher on size 4's.


Link to Mystery Stole Clue 1

Fessing up

I went on a knitting retreat last week. It was at "Sleeping Lady" which is a beautiful retreat place up in the Cascade mountains in Washington. It was put on by Karen at "Acorn Street Yarns". I had a great time with my friends. We may have made a couple of stops on the way up there. We went to Tricoter and another shop (sorry can't remember the name). Tricoter was having a "sale" which means that their prices were in the normal range. I might have gone a bit overboard. I also bought most of my yarn at the retreat itself.

So here is the loot that I brought back



What we have here is "Socks that Rock" in colorway Lagoon (shut up I fell for the overpriced sock yarn because of the color).
I also bought some Cashmere because it was on SALE. It is Cashmere Silk by Jade Sapphire in colorway Cashoflouge. I actually bought 2 skeins of the stuff. The ball of yarn with those two is a yarn that Gail gave me because she knows I love those colors.

WAIT! There is more



I bought LOTS of Zephyr because it was there and I love it. I bought black and white for the Mystery Shawl and also for the Hanami shawl that I am going to do. I bought this other laceweight yarn because the pink was so light that it was almost white but I think that it has Lolly's name written all over it. This yarn is "Baruffa" by Lane Borgosesia. The green in there was perhaps an impulse buy.

WAIT....a little more



More Zephyr and Silky tweed. I got started on the Gypsy Shawl by Evelyn Clark. She was at the retreat and I had the honor of meeting and talking with her for 3 days. What an incredibly talented and sweet woman.

and last but not least...



Required reading. Now that I don't have the shop I don't want to miss out on patterns.

So, that is it. I had a great time and may have gone a little wild in the yarn department but I considered it therapy.

Bad blogger...bad!

Not much to be talking about or showing so the blog fodder has been slim.

Here is a picture that Evan took out the window at Annie and Tim's wedding.




TA DA! Here is Morrigan AGAIN. I redid it on size 1 needles and I hope this post doesn't jinx it and I have to start over the 4th time.



So I am off until Monday to a knitting retreat up in the Cascade mountains. Sleeping Lady. it is put on by Acorn Street Yarns. Drinking and knitting for 3 days sound help my head.

Meet Ricky!

This is Ricky. He is our Granddog. We are babysitting while Annie and Tim are on their Honeymoon in Brazil. I think that someone may not be as happy about that as we are



So...on the moving to another country front... We aren't going to Scotland. The nice people who told Mr. Yarn that he all but had the job and to send his formal application (Fedex'd it no less) never emailed or called or anything. When Mr. Yarn emailed them to see if they got the application came back with an email that they were done with interviewing and they were sorry to inform him but...yadda yadda yadda.

This sucks. So new places to wonder about is an interview he has in San Diego (bleck, I am not a big fan of SD) or an answer to see if he is going to go interview in a place in Lexington, Mass. (he had a 2 hour phone interview yesterday).

This more than sucks...

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I have to start....oh is this hard to say.....
I have to start Morrigan over. I totally lost track of where I was on the 45 charts (ok, it isn't 45 but it feels like it) and there is no going back. I messed up big time. So, I will chalk it up to having to pay better attention and I won't give up. I will start over. 3 weeks of work down the drain.

Just tried it on when I took it off the needles. The smallest size is too too big. Good thing I found out. Have to go down a needle size!

Morrigan Sweater

I have been slaving away (because there isn't anything else I should be doing and it is a perfect escape) on the Morrigan Sweater that is in "No Sheep for You" It is a beautiful sweater by Jenna Wilson. Not for people that don't like to concentrate on a pattern until their brain is almost to the exploding point. I have ripped, I have cussed, I have thrown the thing across the room. Still with all that being said I always have been picking it up again determined to finishing it. It is beautiful. Not a fast knit but well worth the blood, sweat, and tears.

What have I been doing?

We have been trying to get our backyard ready for a brunch that is going to be here the day after Annie and Tim's wedding. So, we felt we ought to pretty it up in the backyard. We had to strip all the old gunk off of the Teak furniture. We then oiled it all to make it look like new. Landscaper coming to prune and clean didn't hurt either.




Besides being caught up in wedding stuff and feeling nervous because I feel like there should be stuff I am doing to help, I have knit my sister a shawl because I love her. Not only that but she has made me all my jewlery for the wedding (it is beautiful).

So, the countdown begins this weekend. The wedding is one week away. When it is done and Annie and Tim are safely sipping exotic drinks, I will start to think about all the stuff I want to get rid of in this house in case we move to Scotland. Oh, and think about getting the house ready to sell.

Thank god for Viognier.