Hey, I Have a Blog!?

Yeah, I pretty much went MIA this summer, but a lot has been going on. Ed and I have been working feverishly on the wedding, I had a fantastic bridal shower (everyone was SO generous), we’re in the process of buying a house, and I’ve been doing some knitting too!

Other than that, I don’t have much to show for the summer. Planning a wedding and buying a house are much more exhausting than I thought they would be. I mean, I knew I’d be tired, but I didn’t realize just how tired I would be. The good news, is we should be closing on the house soon, so we can get it all set and move it just before the wedding. Luckily, it was built in 1984, so at this point, it doesn’t need to much work. Some paint, a new kitchen and bathroom counter, but nothing MAJOR. Things that I’d like to change will go on the list as the years go by, but those are the kinds of things that come with being a homeowner, I suppose.

So, knitting…

For my shower I knit the Two-Tone Ribbed Shrug from Fitted Knits, but in one color of Valley Yarns Goshen. I had not had the chance to work with it yet, but I can’t even express how much I love this yarn. I am NOT a fan of cotton. In fact, I have Hey Teach languishing in the UFO pile right now because I had it with the cotton. It’s such a pretty sweater, and I’m nearly done with the back, but UGH cotton! Anyway, back to the shrug…I couldn’t decide which size to knit, and I had two people measure me and get two different results, so I went with the smaller size. I think it is actually a pretty good fit!

 

(mmm, margaritas)

The next project I completed this month (wow, that’s two for August so far…maybe I can get one more done!?!?) is a shawl out of Louet Mooi. I wasn’t sure about this yarn when it arrived, but I’m absolutely thrilled with the results. I made a fairly nice sized shawl out of just one skein, which is nice because it’s not the cheapest yarn in the world, but it is absolutely lovely. It is bamboo, bison, and cashmere. Every time I tell someone about the bison, I’m met with the response “bison??.” Yes, there is bison on cashmere that lend to the softness, and the bamboo adds just the slightest sheen that I think does wonders for the lace pattern.

The pattern is Garden Shawl from Knitting Lace Triangles. I think Evelyn Clark is a genius and I absolutely adore her patterns. There are several more of hers that I want to make, and I really want to experiment with the book.

While we are on the subject of books, allow me to introduce my new favorite that arrived the other day.

Custom Knits by Wendy Bernard

I’ve been reading her blog, Knit and Tonic, for a while now, and love most of her designs, so when I saw she had a book, I was really excited. I love nearly every pattern in the book, and even the ones I don’t love, they are still really pretty. I can’t wait to fish some yarn out of the stash and get going on one of them (though I do have some things to finish first, and I’m sure moving will have to be thrown in there too!).

So, I’m going to try very hard to be a better blogger. Maybe it will help me start crossing things off my “to do before I move list” (I did throw out 8 contractor bags of stuff this weekend!)