See? Not bad for a first timer. It’s a leeeetle small, but so soft and cuddly. I’ve been using it as a tiny lap blanket when I go somewhere and sit with my coat on. Warm legs are good!

Next up, some knitting for other people, oh yeah, and I’ve gotten sucked into the Hemlock Ring Blanket. Just received my KnitPicks order of 1.eleventy million balls of Wool of the Andes in Claret Heather.

And I just started Bellydancing class! When will I ever sleep? I’ll be having WAY too much fun.

You know I’m a knitting nerd enthusiast when I get all excited and bouncy to go home and block.

So, no, no pics today. Here’s what I’ve been up to:

• Need to get me some wires to block out my Forest Canopy Shawl – yay! It’s sooooo soft. I just want to huddle under it until Spring remembers it’s late for something.
• I’ve signed up with The Kitchn’s 8 week Kitchen Cure challenge. Yes, that middle photo on their post is, indeed, my kitchen! I took a ton of before pictures. It’s keeping me fairly busy.
• Yesterday I spent most of the day working on painting my Skorne Hordes army. I’ll take some pictures when they’re all done. I’m painting their armor peacock turqoise instead of the red they’re shown in, which is part of the fun of these figures. My elephant-like Titans are the palest shade of pink, because what is scarier than a rampaging pink battle elephant?
  • In case you aren’t sure what the heck this is all about, it’s a game that is sort of like chess in the sense that there are figures with different moves that you play against an opponent’s army. But unlike chess, there are several different factions and the rules get pretty complicated. Still a lot of fun though.
• I’m eyeing several different projects to begin soon. A couple of friends are pregnant, so I may work on some baby booties for real.
• Just for fun, here’s the stuff currently at the top of my Ravelry queue:
  • Urban Aran man’s cardigan – going to KAL with Mom
  • Saartje’s Booties – I hear good things
  • Arbor – a woman’s short sleeved sweater
  • Spring Things Shawl – I would totally jump right into this one except I haven’t blocked Forest Canopy yet and I don’t know how often I’ll use it. I’m also chomping a the bit for the Icarus shawl.
  • Ophelia - a sleeveless summery lacy cardigan. I’m still kind of on the fence about this one. I might try to concentrate on more mittens over the summer to prepare for our trip up to Victoria, Canada in November. We are going to freeze to death.

That’s about it for now. I’ll try to post some tasty pics this week.

It’s sort of magical how much you can stretch it out. I enjoyed it. I was worried it would be a step (like swatching) that I might have to trudge through, but it’s kind of exciting to see the pattern come out, and there’s a rhythm to it. (I don’t much mind swatching anymore either.)

My dog tends to follow me wherever I go in the house, and he settled down to guard me from any intruders who might interrupt my Important Lace Blocking Mission (ILBM).

Of course, it didn’t take long for him to be asleep on the job.

Also, can buttons be delicious? I am in love with these. Got them in a little mixed-size bag at Hancock for half price, yay!

Pretty, eh? I’m really enjoying myself with this.

My yarn hasn’t arrived yet, but I decided to go ahead and make the swatch with the Knitpicks Alpaca Cloud I have in Tidepool Heather. I made a few mistakes, it being my first time reading off a chart and all, but I think I got a feel for the flow of the pattern. I think the needle size is perfect.

It’s really soft too. As you can see, I really need some blocking practice (and wires, as Laura suggested) but I am learning really fast! It feels so great to be learning new skills again, especially skills that I enjoy.

Last weekend I finished the knitting of the Wisp! I blocked it very loosely, as I am really not well versed in lace blocking. Note to self: read up on blocking. I just washed it several times and pressed the water out by rolling it up in a towel, then I laid it out on a dry towel and sort of tugged it into shape. Part of why I think it’s a tad misshapen is that I started the very first lace repeat not knowing how to actually do a yarn over… *sigh* Sometimes I think I already know how to do a thing, then realize later, after knitting in an unfroggable mohair yarn, that I am just going to suck it up and keep going. So I think it actually came out a tiny bit narrower than the pattern called for. It’s ok, it’s really pretty anyway. Still need to get some buttons for it, then I can send it to my Mom!

I’m also chugging away on B’s second Cigar glove. For some reason, I fall asleep after a couple of rows whenever I try to knit on it. I think the small round-and-round motion is hypnotizing me! But I will finish it. You can’t stop me. Plus, I have an incentive now. I should really try to finish it before my new yarn arrives for my next project.

Next project: The Secret of the Stole ii. I’m really excited! I have never participated in a Knit A Long (KAL) before, nor have I tackled a lace stole other than Wisp. Yes, self, you really WILL need to study up on blocking. For serious.

So, the yarn is a gorgeous aqua shaded affair, merino and seacell laceweight. It’s got a bit of a sheen to it. The SotSii instructions mention it being suited for earthtones (meh… I prolly wouldn’t wear it) and a smooth, unfluffy yarn, with no beading. Works for me. The UK seller is sending it out today, so I’m not sure I’ll have it in time to swatch according to schedule – I may swatch using some other laceweight I got for Christmas from KnitPicks. That’ll at least give me a guess.

I really don’t mind swatching. Sometimes it is frustrating, but I guess I’m more of an obsessive knitter, and I really want to know what the fabric is going to look like when I’m done, rather than knit the whole thing, decide I don’t think the fabric is showing off the yarn to it’s fullest beauty, and then never look at the object again. I do tend to get erratic results from swatching, so that’s another reason. I often have to go down 2 or more needle sizes. A lot of people happily live in a swatch-free zone, and if that works for them, great! Doesn’t much work for me.