Scattered Marbles

Jared's Hemlock Ring Blanket

I don't know if you read Jared's blog, but  I do suggest taking a look at it and scrolling down to the Hemlock Ring Blanket.  I'll wait.  Isn't that lovely?  And it could be expanded, so you could surround someone you love (?) with a little hemlock!  <grin>  It is a great example of taking a doily pattern and expanding it to make a blanket. 

Not only is his knitting top-notch, his photography is fantastic too.  I wonder if my digital camera could even come close to producing pictures that look that good.  I suspect the ditz behind the camera is part of the problem.

MS3 or The Arrogant Swan is finally finished and blocked.  It truly is a lovely stole and perhaps needs a nicer name.  While I reblock it to get rid of a few blocking flaws, I shall have to think upon a more elegant name for this baby.

Short Memory

I am not even in school yet, and my memory is already shot.  When I was listing my projects, I forgot my Bee Fields Shawl which is sitting nicely and waiting so patiently for me to finish the Arrogant Swan.  And then there are Anne's Sexy Orchid Mitts!

Race to finish knitting

My Mystery Stole 3 is almost finished.  I decided to knit the wing, but had to think about it for quite a while.  I ended up looking at pictures of other completed stoles, and then frogging the wing portion that I had started.  I added about half of the lengthening repeat that Melanie suggested, and a couple of plain knitting rows, and then started knitting the wing.  Ripping it out made me realize how much I liked the fabric the wing pattern created.  I also decided to bead the wing.  I didn't use beads in the rest of the stole, but I felt that I could get away with using them here.  I am using some clear #8 triangle beads with an AB coating.  This gives the wing some sparkle, and a little bit of weight for the drape.  I just have the last chart to knit now.

My other current project is a plain sock using Opal Dreamcatcher.  I like to have a plain sock on the needles just to give me a no-brainer project for TV watching or other times when I don't want to think too much.

My current race is to finish these two projects before school starts on Sept. 4.  I really don't know how much time I am going to have to knit, especially once I need to be studying instead of knitting.  I have a couple of other lace projects on the back burner, and I am knitting a scarf for the Ravelry Scarf Exchange.  Other than that I doubt I will get much done until April.  Well, I believe that I will not use knitting for procrastination relaxation purposes.

Summer of No Socks

My summer of socks has died.  I just haven't been able to complete one sock, nevermind a pair.  I do have one almost finished (just at the toe decreases) and while I had that on hold and started the first sock (I always knit  the second socks first, to avoid second sock syndrome), my kittens discovered my needles.  Needless to say, my Brittany Birches 2.00mm needles need some sanding and reshaping.  That brought me to a halt, and I just haven't started going again.  I know I will be finishing these socks, and I will be knitting many more, but for the moment, it is a sockless summer.

I did get some good news yesterday.  I have been accepted by the local college into the Library Technician program there.   It is a two year day program, and I will get some credit for the course I have finished as well as the one I am currently taking.  This is a really good thing.  I needed the boost in my moral, which has been flagging.  I also need the training to get a position so that I can be the major bread winner in my family.  I want to be able to support my youngest daughter and myself, should anything happen to my husband, and I want to build a life for myself.  Who knows what will really happen, but I am not looking at the darker side of things today, and that is a really good thing!

Now, I am off to finish clue 6 of MS3, and start the Bee Fields Shawl.  The kit  (check the kits in the online store section) arrived yesterday, and I am itching to knit it.

Birthday Meme

I found this on Adventures in Sock Knitting and thought I would give it a try.

The deal is that you go to Wikipedia, look up your birth day, and then post 3 events, 2 births, and a holiday.

14 December

Events

1542 - Princess Mary Stuart becomes Queen Mary I of Scotland.
1782 - Montgolfier brothers first balloon lifted on its very first test flight.
2006 - An enquiry into the death of Diana, Princess of Wales concludes that she was not murdered.

Births

1503 - Nostradamus, French astrologer (d. 1566)
1895 - King George VI of the United Kingdom (d. 1952)

Holiday

R.C. Saints - Memorial of Saint - John of the Cross

Not many holidays happen on the 14th of December.