Current WIP Progress

Since being knocked out of the running for Sock Madness, I've been working on WIPs, rather than starting another something new. I am coming along! Yesterday, I finished the back for the Autumn Camp Shirt and am almost to the top of the slit on the right front. Its looking good and I've found new motivation for working on this sweater with tiny little needles. Earlier this week, I sat to knit, and actually felt more like working on socks than the sweater, so I pulled out a sock that was already started. I finished that one and needed another needle to cast on for the second one. Rather than going to get said needles, I picked up the stole that I started just before Easter. (It was in the same basket with the sock that I finished.) I made about an inch or so of progress on the stole before it was time to put it away for the night. I'm hoping to have a set of finished projects before too long. However, Sock Wars starts in a little over a week, so it may be June before the others are finished.

More Progress!

Last night, we went to the home of some friends to have dinner. While there, we dyed Easter eggs. I haven't done that in a few years, and its always more fun with smaller children in the mix. We all dyed a few. Its too bad I didn't have my camera with me as they were all so pretty. After the clean up, which didn't take long, their kids were off to bed and we sat and played some Trivial Pursuit. I didn't get many right, but as we were playing guys against gals, we still won! (We only played until one side had 2 wedges because it was getting late.) While playing the game, we were knitting. I finished chart 4 on the stole and am now on to work the part that looks striped. This part will knit up more quickly. I stretched the finished part out, this morning and measured it: almost 18 inches per half! It looks so small in its pre-blocked state that I was starting to wonder if it would ever grow. I have a renewed sense of accomplishment after seeing the measurement.

Stole is coming along

I've been working exclusively on the Juno Regina stole since finishing my socks. Its coming along. I'm almost done with chart 4. (This is the last of the 8 charts that I will be knitting as I am working the shawl in the symmetrical variation.) I've been working both halves at the same time and it is going very well. By the end of today, I'll no longer need to carry the instructions with me, as every right side row will be the same, and every wrong side row is already the same. It won't be as interesting, but it will be quicker to knit. I'm still not confident that I'll finish it by Sunday, but I'm still trying! :)
I bought some fabric, last night, to sew myself another dress and a white shirt. I already own the pattern that I want to use. Last night I put the fabric in the wash, so I might get a little time to cut out the top, tonight. I still need to take some pictures of the last dress that I sewed and the new fabrics. Hopefully, I'll do it tonight, so that you can see them all tomorrow.

New Shawl Pattern Chosen

I spent some time looking around on Ravelry for a different pattern to knit a lace shawl for Easter. I was having a difficult time finding anything that I liked. I want something not too difficult to knit, but not too easy, either. I finally decided that I may need to change yarns and started to look at what others had made with some of my stash yarns. I happened upon the Juno stole from Knitty. It took more yarn than I had of the stashed yarn, but I should have just enough of the original yarn that I purchased on Saturday! (I bought 1 100g skein of Misti Alpaca Hand Paint Lace which is 800m.) I printed the pattern and then ripped the little progress that I had on the Alpine Lace Stole. I cast on while waiting for dinner to be ready. After a couple hours knitting I am into the third repeat of chart 2. It looks great! So that I can use all of the yarn, I am knitting this 2 halves at time on one circular needle. This means that I am making the variation in the pattern of knitting 2 halves and grafting them together rather than knitting the stole from one end to the other. So far, it has been easy to work one half and then the other. This has also given me a little more speed because I can memorize the pattern on the first half and then just knit it on the second! Of course, I'm just loving that!! :)