Four - Count Them Four - Projects on the Needles

I have an unprecedented 4 projects on the needles.

The Wollmeise Pomatomus - which are on the needles but currently hibernating.

The Brighton bag from Knitty that isn't far enough along to photograph.

My Caribbean colorway socks. These are my February SKA offering. I'm trying out a new heel, the afterthought heel. I have to be honest, this scares the crap out of me. Right now I have a gaping hole in one of my socks where the heel will go. I released the stitches and got them picked up at knit night. I think next time I'll do it at home. It's a tad nerve-racking and I wasn't very good company, but I was thankful to have Jeri there to save me a couple of times.

Finally, I have a "green" shopping bag I've decided to give Adrianne. I'm gifting it to Adrianne for a couple of reasons, she'll appreciate it, she gave me the yarn, and she knit the bottom of it. She started a Mason-Dixon kimono for her niece, but got sidetracked and the niece grew. Adrianne got frustrated and gifted me several skeins of brightly colored cotton. I frogged the sweater back until I picked up the required 116 stitches and started knitting. It's a great 5-minute-a-day knitting project. Can't wait to give it to her.

Gratuitous pictures of the dogs.

Baby Girl loves - loves - her ball. If you'll throw it, she chase it for hours.

Niña is a challenge to photograph. She is so black, most of the time you can't even see her eyes. This picture allows you to see her sweet, sweet face. She weighs whopping 6lbs, but she thinks she can run with the big dogs.

Wait. I Think I Changed My Mind

I've had the Linen Lace Beaded Shawl in the queue since I bought the yarn in Minneapolis in February 2006. I tried on the store model and decided then and there that I must have it. Since the pattern was free with a yarn purchase, I went for it. Except that I'm a little cheap and back then I would short the amount of yarn I purchased thinking I would make "it" (whatever it is) just a little smaller then the pattern calls for. So I bought two skeins of yarn rather than the specified three. I also bought 5,000 (or maybe it's 8,000, I lost count) beads for the project.

I have since seen the error of my cheapskate ways and don't waste my money buying inadequate amounts of yarn. I've toyed with the idea of buying another skein of the yarn at a local store even though the dye lot wouldn't be the same. I've also discussed the project with a few people on Ravelry who have actually knit it and they agree the project is beautiful, but they found the yarn difficult to work with.

I've also recently learned that I prefer knitting shawls, wraps, stoles, whatever you want to call them, to wearing them. So when the Brighton bag presented itself in the Spring '08 Knitty, I changed my mind about what the Euroflax Linen wanted to be. I'm not sure what I'll do with all those beads. Not panic for now. I got a good deal on them and will find something to do with them eventually.

I've been knitting more than blogging and I finished my umpteenth pair of clogs - Robyn's second pair. No pictures yet. I've also been working on my February SKA socks - a new heel. I'm using my caribbean colorway and trying the afterthought heel. I'm at the heel on both socks and have until the end of March to finish to qualify for the SKA challenge. I figure it's a good goal.