09 June 2007

Home Stretch!

060807Shawl

I'm just over halfway through the edging on the shawl - 33 34 of 61 repeats completed - and it should block out to a very nice size once it's finished. You can see in this the border pattern I worked out. Very simple, as I've said before, but I think that it will work well to visually accentuate the draping of the shawl. And, of course, Ray's dye job is just gorgeous. This is my biggest lace project to date - my first really and truly proper lace project, actually - and I've been quite pleased at how it's gone. I expect I should have a finished and blocked shawl to share by next week sometime.

In other news, there was a package from Carol waiting for me when I got home. Because her Black Bunny Fibers shop is so popular and because I'm usually asleep when she updates her inventory, I pretty much never manage to get there before she's completely wiped out. I managed to be awake and remember her latest update about an hour after she posted it, though, so there were still a couple items left and I ordered a skein of sock yarn that I knew was going to push the envelope for me a bit colorwise but was too nice to pass up. She e-mailed me the other day and let me know she'd slipped a little something extra in the package. Turns out it was a lot of something extra!

060907BBF_haul

I know this is really out of focus, but it's late and I'm not up to doing any more retakes. The skein on the left is the one I ordered, in colorway "Margarita"; next is a skein in colorway "Selma-la-la" (Care to share the provenance of that name, Carol?); then a little bundle of merino roving that immediately made me think of fresh peaches and citrus. I'm calling the colorway "Fuzzy Navel". The colors are all really lovely, as is to be expected. Thanks, sweetie!

I'm not certain if they'll end up being for me, particularly since yellows and oranges generally make me look jaundiced if I wear them (This complexional feature, I think, is why people have asked me if I'm mixed race in the past), but I'm looking forward to playing with them and seeing what happens. The sock yarns may make a fun dubbelmössa type stocking cap, or maybe socks (or mittens, or hats) for my sister's girls, who are much fairer than their uncle. I may try spinning up the roving and test plying with some natural brown merino I've got, when I actually get around to sitting down and spinning again. I need to do some serious work on using up stash. My first order of business after finishing this shawl, though, is to finish those socks I started from the yarn I got from Scout.

Requiem

We got word from Brian last week that there had been an IED explosion near the base where he's stationed in Afghanistan. One guardsman stationed at the base, Sgt. Charles R Browning was killed in the explosion, and a few others were wounded.

7 comments:

Sheepish Annie said...

Great job on the lace!!! You more than deserve a nice yarny reward for your efforts!

I'm glad to hear that Brian is OK and wish speedy recoveries to the injured. My thoughts are with Sgt. Browning's family and loved ones.

knitnzu said...

LOVE the colors you got from Carol, esp the selma la la! Some blues and bluer greens do to me what yellows do to you! Terrible about Sgt Browning. You know, everybody thinks because your loved one is in Afghanistan versus Iraq that they are not in so much danger...false impression says I. When does Brian come home?

Anonymous said...

I'm really looking forward to seeing the finished shawl.

I'm glad to hear that Brian is okay, but saddened to hear of another casuality and more injured soldiers. My thoughts are with the family of Sgt. Browning and the injured. How much longer does Brian have to be there?

Carol said...

Glad you like 'em! I really enjoy your blog so I wanted to send you a little something extra. Next time I remember that you are pale like me -- maybe blues?

Very sorry about Sgt Browning.

Shawl is lovely!

Unknown said...

Another needless death. Glad that Brian is OK. But still, this is truly Nam deja vu.

My guess as to Carol's Selma-la-la nomenclature is that it is named after Selma Kaplan, aka Selma the Axe Murderess, a Wolvie of the first water, who adores all shades of green.

Elemmaciltur said...

Wow! The shawl's looking good!

Ann said...

Your post made my day today...I have my next sock knitting project ready to go on the needles and had long since lost the label. Like that is something new?

When I saw your mention of Black Bunny Fibers and Carol I had a rocket scientist moment. I purchased the yarn from her and by going into my Etsy account I was able to track down the info.

Thanks for the help!

Ann