I had already promised to have a nephew overnight this weekend. Whether it would be Friday or Saturday night had never been determined. The answering machine revealed that it would probably be Friday. 
Pattern: Shetland Triangle from Wrap Style
As you probably guessed, chocolate and iced coffee were not the ones to give me the answers I needed to finish the Shetland Triangle. I used my little digital scale, and when all was said and done,
I had four grams to spare. I was so pleased. I wanted to use up as much of the yarn as possible, for it is very special yarn. I knit this using the Noro Kureyon Sock yarn that I won from Joan. This was also my inspiration for adding beads to the shawl. Now I cannot decide if this shawl is for me, or if it will be a gift. I love this shawl!
First trip to Little Barn
getting a bit more work done around the house, done more strength training, and it is time to change bobbins on the Mountain Colors fiber. Unfortunately, my super-special-socially awkward self has also been putting in more time, and that puts me off my game in a serious way. I am recovering from the blunders, and even finding humor in them. At least my awareness of the increasing frequency of the episodes had me on guard, and I kept my mouth shut rather than letting loose with a rant or three. Coming back from those would have been much more difficult.
Anyway, back to the Shetland Triangle. We have been trying to determine how many repeats we will work of the main chart. I want as large of a shawl as I can knit from this single ball of yarn, so I will work until I think I have just enough for one more repeat and the last chart, put in a lifeline, and hope for the best. I am OK with ripping back if I make an incorrect guess. I wish I had better advice to offer those who are new to lace and are feeling a bit of anxiety over the process. I am thinking math might help. Then again, I felt better after an iced coffee and a bit of chocolate, so that may be a better idea.
Knitting
cast on for probably the last ten days, but I waited for the pre-determined start. However, I did not wait until sitting down with everyone tonight to begin. This is going to be such fun! I am excited for the people who are new to lace, charts, and shawls. I am so glad that they decided to take the plunge, because I know that they can do it. As varied as the people knitting along, so are the yarns we have chosen. So far, I believe there will be Schaeffer Anne, Malabrigo lace, Knit Picks Palette, a lace yarn that someone dyed himself, a camel/wool blend, and Noro sock yarn.
time to go. In between the knitting, I looked around the shop. I admired the wheels and beautiful work of two other ladies. I saw an antique spinning wheel. It is tiny and gorgeous. I wandered the store with a fellow knitter in search of alpaca yarn for a scarf, and fiber and drop spindles for a demonstration next Saturday (argh--I do not think I will be able to attend that event). Then I made it home. I needed a nap, but it was not to be. Before long, we were out the door and headed towards the next adventure. My mom and I made it out to see a bit of a llama and alpaca show. It was too hot for us to stay very long, but we wandered amongst the critters and spoke to a few people spinning and selling fiber. I did not bring any home, let alone the too cute baby alpacas that were for sale. I received a handout for some shindig at a local alpaca farm next Saturday (not likely to be there, either) that sounds like fun. I met a Raveler who has angora rabbits at home. I finished my day by spinning some Mountain Colors Targhee top. The scent of all of the fiber-bearing critters lingers in my nose.
My knitting progress for the weekend was next to non-existent. I picked my sister's top back up, and was knitting away on it at Little Barn. After knitting a few rounds, I had a problem. I had made a mistake on one lace repeat two rounds previous. I tried to fix it while I was there, but it was a no-go. The next time I picked up the knitting I was able to make things right again, but then my knitting time was over as quickly as it had begun.
I have been on a roll with the knitting of gifts. Check out these fabulous Fetching. That birthday is not until September 15th. Since I am busily gift-knitting so far into the future, why not begin thinking about Christmas, right? So, I ask the son about the girlfriend. We have not had much opportunity to get to know the young lady, but they have been a couple long enough that I decided to ask if she is the kind who would like a knitted gift. I know that not everyone adores a hand knit gift, so I thought I should ask before I become carried away. Anyway, his response surprised me. Not to the question of whether the young lady would like a knitted something (yep), but to the idea that not all people want to receive handknits. He believes that anyone would appreciate such a gift, especially considering all of the time, effort, and skill involved. He further stated that the only ones who would not like to receive a hand knit gift would be people with too much money and the stupid. I guess I need to add my baby chicken to the holiday handknit list. I did not think he would much care for such a gift. Now to figure out what he would like. He is twenty-six. I am thinking mittens.
There exists a bizarre rumor that I am a fast knitter. It is a myth, yet despite my protestations, it persists. This legend inspired Helen to suggest that I should knit two of these shawls. I am willing to give it a go. I plan to knit one shawl as written in the book, and one with more lace repeats. I have decided on the yarn for the smaller one, and have narrowed down my yarn choices to two for the larger. While these are not great photos, I present them to you and seek your opinions for the shawl.
