Black Dog

Well, the best intentions……..I wanted to blog almost daily while we were at TNNA, but that didn’t happen. And getting back into the swing last week was a bit hectic, so I didn’t get much done online last week, either. Enter Sunday (yesterday, 6/21), a day when Matt and I can typically get a good bit of talking, planning, and organizing done at the shop over the course of the day. We did some, as evidenced by the destruction on the table

that always ensues. In the pile were several different skeins of yarn, lots of patterns, several books, some swatching, lots of diet soda, some snacks, and more. I did get two different swatches done (and failed to photograph either of them), but you’ll see newly-started projects here in the next couple days. In the mean time, I do have other new things to share.

Anyssa came by for a part of the afternoon and sat with us at the table, knitting and laughing and being a little evil. She had a hankering for a new baby blanket project, and she wanted to do the Moderne Baby Blanket from the first Mason-Dixon book (errata here–and there is a slight change in the blanket instructions). Well, she settled on four shades that look SPLENDID together–two different greens, a natural, and a cocoa-powder brown. Together they are really nice. Of course, I had to follow like a lemming and dispatched Senor Color Wizard to our Superwash 220 display to find “four shades that go together well, but NOT traditional baby colors” for one for me to make. Mission accomplished

as they look great together

and all that remains is to add in the last shade, which is a vibrant orange-red

I quickly cast on while riding in the car with Matt on the way to dinner (mediocre at best, at La Seniorita on Lake Lansing Road….sadly…typically the food is better, but it was crappy this time around, and the server was a little clingy and odd). After dinner we headed across the street into Eastwood Towne Center to the theater to see UP in 3D. I chose this to knit on, as I figured back and forth in soothing garter stitch (continuing on a theme….expressed in a previous entry)–and I wouldn’t even have to look at it much at all (with my silly sunglasses on for the 3D effects). Overall–a REALLY cute movie and a very pleasant evening with Matt.

Oh, and I finished Claudie a couple weeks ago, and then Marcia put her together, followed by Matt blocking her on Saturday, and it was dry today. Check out the glamour pose on this one

Details–Black Purl A61–Claudie (cap sleeve option, VanDyke lace option; others are 3/4 sleeve and staghorn cable). Knitted in Classic Elite Premiere in 5227 (Sky Bright)–seven hanks. Size: 36 (Small). Overall, an amazingly fun and quick knit that I really enjoyed (I’ll probably repeat the pattern for fall/winter in a wool or alpaca yarn and use the staghorn cable and longer sleeve options). On display now at the shop…..come pet her! (she likes it).

Oh, and I swatched for a second project last night

and got gauge on the first try–not just stitch gauge, but the all-important (for this project) row gauge, too. The astute reader will notice that I’m on Denise needles for this one. I can almost always get stitch/row gauge on Denise needles using the size called for in the pattern. When using addi Turbos, I need to drop one, sometimes two, sizes to get stitch gauge, and that always SCREWS with my row gauge. It’s the Half Circle Cardigan for this yarn……..and I may try to knit on it tonight (unless I get sucked into the meditative nature of garter stitch instead of 2×2 ribbing. Oooooooohm. Ooooohm…..)

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