2 down, ? to go

Swallowtail #2 is blocked and ready to go. It's funny but I had the same problem on row 3 of the first Lily of the Valley chart as before. For some bizarre reason it takes me at least 3 tries to get it right and then it's smooth sailing.






Specs:

Pattern: Swallowtail Shawl by Evelyn Clark, Interweave Knits Fall '06
Yarn: Jaggerspun Zephyr in Ebony (50% wool, 50% silk)
Needles: 4 US Clover Bamboo circular
Size: 49' x 22'
Started: October 3, 2006 Finished: November 4, 2006

Swallowtail II

This morning at work I started Swallowtail #2 using ebony JaggerSpun Zephyr.


This is for one of my co-workers. She gave me her mother's needles a few years ago and it was a special gift since her mother passed when she was young and they were living in Syria. I've been wracking my brain trying to decide what to make for her. When she saw the red Swallowtail Shawl she asked if I would make one for her to use as a head scarf for church and how much would it cost. Are you kidding me?! Well of course I will and for gratis.

There is steady progress on the socks. I'm almost ready to turn the heel on the Raked Leaves and the leg of the Openwork Rib socks inching it's way up. I've been perusing stitch dictionaries trying to find just the right pattern for the leg. There are a few that have caught my attention and I'll be making a decision some time in the next few days. (There is serious pitfall to owning to many pattern dictionaries. It makes the decision making process hell!!!)

Before I went to work this morning I took a picture of the new floor after sanding and buffing.


When I came home this afternoon they looked like this.



There's one more coat to be applied before the job is finished. By the time the holidays arrive the floors in the rest of the house will look more like these. We also found out that we have more than a few touch ups needed here and there. We have serious single coat issues in every room except the den which has been painted twice. It's amazing what's revealed when the lights come on.

Fly Away

This butterfly is free. In spite of the nuppiness, this is easily one of my favorite patterns. Evelyn Clark is a genius! Her patterns are always so well put together. Take an easy to knit inner section and pair it with beautiful borders.

The Lily of the Valley borders mesh perfectly. They were easy to execute, previous problems excluded, and took very little time. I will knit this again as more are already planned. I'm also fairly certain that I will never attempt a p5tog with a Holz & Stein needle again.


Lily of the Valley Borders and Peaked Edging
The tail of the shawl is another gorgeous detail. I will never cease to be amazed at the wonder of blocked lace. Even when you think you have the perfect idea of what it will look like, watching it bloom and spread from a barely recognizable blob is magic.


Swallowtail Shawl Tail
This shawl is for our next door neighbor of over 40+ years. The Kearses have looked out for and checked on us since we were kids. From the early days of shuffling 3 houses of kids back and forth in the big blue Buick to the swimming pool for lessons to the present. She's suffered heart problems in the past few years but this hasn't stopped her from looking out for and taking care of others. She's in her 70's and I enjoy her spunkiness, wisdom and wit.


Specs:

Pattern: Swallowtail Shawl by Evelyn Clark, Interweave Knits Fall '06
Yarn: Jaggerspun Zephyr in *Garnet (50% wool, 50% silk)
Needles: 4 mm Holz & Stein circular
Size: 48' x 21.5'
Started: July 31, 2006 Finished: August 30, 2006

Going on up the WIP list is Pumpkin from A Treasury of Rowan Knits. It will be for Isaiah and at this time I'm stumped as to what size to make. He'll be 2 in October and is already moving to a size 4T! I started the size 4-5 but it looks to be way too big. It will be more than one color so I have to work the color scheme out also. Any and all tips are more than welcome. I'm used to knitting sweaters for the nieces, mom and sis. The poor nephews and brothers have been missing out on the fun for years.

*Edited 9/7/06 to correct color reference from Cinnabar to Garnet

Swallowtails

10 down, 4 repeats remaining on the Bud Lace section of the Swallowtail Shawl. I'm still adjusting to knitting with lace weight yarn. It's becoming much easier to make corrections versus frogging. (Somewhere along the line I've got to learn to use a lifeline.)

This week I slowed down on the knitting regimen to give my hands a rest, especially the left one. Between being on the computer all day at work and knitting all evening at home plus using the computer, I realized that my wrists and hands were sending signals, mainly in the form of pain and tingling, that I wasn't listening to and that I need to stop working constantly on small gauge projects given that I had to sleep in support braces last year after they kept falling asleep during the night. When I knit I tend to zone out and knit continously for hours which is a very, very bad habit and an extremely hard one to break.

It's been over six months since I stopped smoking! Last week I joined a wellness center as part of the effort to increase my overall physical and mental well-being. My neck, left shoulder and arm may have reached it's maximum improvement so I need to make sure that I take care of the rest me to reduce the strain and the pain. I've been walking some in the building at work but not as much I should. There's always too much to do and before I realize it the day is over.

On Saturday I took a water aerobics class and today my calves are killing me. Tomorrow I'll be back at it again and for the moment will alternate walking with water aerobics. Working out feels great and I'm looking forward to increasing my stamina and joint mobility.