bit of a bummer!

another memorial day weekend and more rain!!
ugh! gray, overcast skies certainly don't inspire one to get outside and do much of anything.
i spent part of the weekend at the beach, seaside to be exact, watching the blue-gray waves pound onto the grayed sand. since beach combing on a bummer of a day was not appealing, what else to do but go yarn shopping!! yippee!!
first stop was creative beginnings in seaside. entering with rowan 'calmer' on my mind, i left with about 100 bucks worth of yarn (and no rowan 'calmer').
next day, the lys of choice was coastal yarns in cannon beach. after a delicious breakfast of blueberry pancakes at 'the local', my rowan 'calmer' search continued but to no avail. i did, however, manage to find a few other yarns that i couldn't live without!! after fondling many new yarns and old faves, i dropped another 100+ on yarn i can't possibly live without!
but, still no rowan 'calmer'! i've found some wonderful replacements but will they really fit the bill? i hope so but if not, i can always hit the local yarn shops in the pdx area!!

when not shopping, knittin' was the rule of the day!
currently i am working on no less than 4 projects and having to fight the urge to start another one. i've made a deal with myself that i must finish something before i can attach any yarn to needles!! i'm sure it won't be long as i am 'roundin' third and headin' for home' on the little blue silk shrug from lace style. i'm using a bamboo yarn that i frogged from a top that didn't make the cut last summer. wise idea, as i am much happier with this outcome! i am hoping that one of my nieces will like it - it's been a quick and simple knit with a lace pattern that was extremely easy to memorize - a bonus for this ageing brain!

as i am starring out the window watching it rain, again, this weather has me wondering if memorial day really is the start of the summer season. maybe it just might be the 4th of july!

a most beautiful bride!

i am the happiest auntie around - my beautiful niece, rebecca, tied the knot last friday evening in a lovely ceremony in spokane, washington. (btw, the groom's name is brad) everything was absolutely perfect, most especially the weather which was warm and sunny. after our never ending cold and rainy spring, i was figuring that it would be chilly and overcast but fortunately i was prepared with my aforementioned blue shrug! anyhoo, the weatherman cooperated and a gorgeous evening was had by all.



the only dreaded part of the experience was the 6 hour drive to and from but as a knitter i knew that i would have copious uninterrupted hours to knit so i can't complain!! many inches were added to my feather and fan shawl in progress! thank you to my niece, kelsie, who was the driver for the trip there and my hubby, who piloted the vehicle for the trip home!


here is a shot of the quilt that i made them as a wedding gift!


also a photo of my other nieces, liz and kelsie, who did a tremendous job with their duties as attendants!


fortunately i was able to come to the rescue of my niece, liz, at the rehearsal dinner when she was chilly - i just happened to have my mulberry shrug in my bag!! i haven't seen it since!! i did make her a deal though, if i get this one back, she can have the blue one for keeps!

once again, our rainy weather has returned! yahoo!!! i'm probably the only one who is happy about this situation but after two days of non-stop garden work, i needed a break and my plants are happy for a much needed drink of h2o. so....it is onward to my studio which is in a horrible state of disrepair after the last month of madcap wedding preparations!! keep on knittin' in the free world!

new pics

here they are! pictures of my two two-toned ribbed shrug from fitted knits. the top photo is the full meal deal out of cherry tree hill yarn - a delightful mulberry cotton! the other shrug is the infamous reknit reknit! the ribbing on the sleeves and the front has been somewhat abbreviated due to my yarn shortage but, hey, it works and is a delightful little coverup for our prevailing winter weather that just won't go away!!! you know, as they say 'there is always a silver lining' and i must admit the blue shrug supplied me with the opportunity to experience that process. i had knit the original reknit on size 6 needles which made the top i constructed very heavy, with the second reknit i stepped up to a size 8 needle which made the whole ball of wax much lighter (or, i guess, seem much lighter!). you know that cotton yarn - sweaters can really get heavy and a heavy sweater ain't a happnin' thing!

and the beat goes on!!

or the froggin' goes on!
well, i have once again frogged the delightful debbie bliss dk cotton yarn mentioned in my previous post. i had knit all but the sleeve bands on a delightful short (and i mean short) sweater when i ran really low on yarn. not a problem i thought, i'll just get another ball of the yarn for the arm bands on both sleeves, if it wasn't the same dyelot atleast it wouldn't be real obvious if it was only the armbands! i have such good intentions but after checking out three different yarn shops in the portland metro area i discovered that this yarn is in short supply and unavailable in that color - duh, that might be why i got it on sale!! so, nothing to do but frog the sucker (it really was such a heavy little thing knit on size 6) and move on to something else (no, i absolutely refuse to knit even 1 washcloth!!!) you know, knitting is such a learning experience - i knit a gauge swatch on size 8's (this in itself is an amazing thing!! me knitting a gauge swatch!) and discovered that i could use my new favorite pattern, the two-tone shrug. voila, i cast on wednesday and had that puppy off the needles last night and wore it today! whew! now i can move on to something else - maybe one of the 6 single socks that are looking for a partner! good grief!