I Palindrome I, Done!

I finished this a few weeks ago, but wanted to post my final pictures after I had a chance to wash and block it. I wanted to see if it changed drastically after that process. (It didn't!)

I ended up doing 28 repeats of the pattern. After blocking it came out 4 inches wide by 83 inches long.

I love this scarf. The brioche stitch just makes it so lofty and cozy...so much so that I can't ever see myself wearing it in south Florida. I guess I need to plan some good cold weather destinations this year! To be honest, when I cast on I was hoping my sister would see me working on it and hint how much she liked it and how it would make a great birthday gift for her. But she never said a word about it. Hmph.

I soaked the scarf in Eucalan, expecting it to look like a bloodbath after a few minutes. I was pleasantly surprised; the yarn color bled a little bit, but not nearly what I was expecting. I decided to just pull the scarf a bit by hand and not pin it to block it, so the 'blocked' size is just a few inches longer than what I first knit. The yarn opened up and of course, Malabrigo is just so darned soft and pretty!

Jay Campbell's Great American Aran Afghan Square

I decided to make the Jay Campbell square from the Great American Aran Afghan for my mum to give to her on Mother's Day this year. She got the pattern booklet a year or two ago but has never made anything from it. I'm not committing to making a whole afghan, but this is one of her favorite squares and I figured I could make it into a pillow cover or a small wall-hanging. I used super soft Blue Sky Alpacas organic cotton and size 7 needles.

This particular block of the afghan is interesting because of the construction of it - knit in the round, from the outside in. Mine ended up being 13 inches square. It's a great example of how blocking can really transform a project.

No decision yet on what it will become (I think a pillow would be best and the pattern booklet includes instructions for doing a cover with some cables along the edges). But for now it looks good just gracing the top of a small cabinet!

Waylaid

This afternoon I had plans to sew a cover for my swift, but I got waylaid:

There is a new puppy in my brother's family! He's just 8 weeks old, was rescued today, and still needs a name. He's already fast friends with his new brother (Shiloh), who welcomed him by standing over him and drooling all over him.

I Palindrome I

I'm still trying to figure out why I had the urge to cast on for a super squishy, extra warm scarf in 90 degree weather. Once again my head appears to reside in a different part of the world than my body.

This is the Reversible Cabled Brioche Stitch Scarf. (You can find the original pattern here.) I love cables, but I don't like that they only look good from one side, so this reversible stitch pattern is perfect. I have been thinking about this scarf for a long time, and even though it's the wrong season, I wanted something that I could mindlessly work on that is on needles larger than US 2's.

I had a few false starts on this one. After some trial and error, and reading lots of project notes in Ravelry, I  ended up slipping the first stitch of every row (slipped knitwise with the yarn in front) and I using lifelines. What everyone said is true - if you drop a stitch on this pattern it is really hard to pick it back up (or impossible in my case)!

Brain Farts

The other day I was telling my brother that at the gift shop at the zoo in Richmond, VA, you could buy yarn made from animals that live there. His reaction? “Yarn made out of animals? That is so DISGUSTING!”

I asked him what he thought wool was and then our conversation was over.

It made me feel better about last Christmas when I asked him what was written on the M&M I was eating. I was wondering why there would be a capital “B” on it. “The edge is rubbing off of the B, but I don’t understand what it's for,” I said.

He asked me if I’ve ever had M&M’s before and then our conversation was over.

Sunset

I would like to attribute a small part of my blog laziness to the fact that I had a guest - a dear friend who I haven’t seen since I left Scotland almost a year and a half ago. (It was her first time in the USA and she says she loves it - yay!) Part of her trip included coming to Florida to see me, and so I decided we needed to do something extra special. So I booked a room in Key West!

I love going to Key West. I love the drive through the Keys. I love the atmosphere. I love the history.  I love the characters.  I love all the drinks and key lime pie and conch fritters.  Pretty much I’m a very happy person when I’m there.

Most important, I love the reminder I get to celebrate the everyday miracles that are often taken for granted. I am literally awed when I think about how many people gather every single evening to celebrate the sunset in Key West. The sunset! Happens every day. It often passes me by without a thought. But in Key West, I join thousands of people and we have a party for the sunset and it reminds me to slow down for a little while and pay attention. To make new friends. To celebrate.

Rosebud

Roses are my least favorite flower. I would rather get a single orange Gerbera daisy, or practically anything else, than a dozen roses. I’m sure you can imagine this has caused some misery in the past when I’ve gotten them from well-meaning givers. Anyway, my mother acted like she knew nothing about this and ordered me a fancy schmancy bicolor rose bush that came in the mail. It was just a stick in a big plastic bag. It came in an enormous 5 foot tall box that was so light the UPS man told me he hoped there really was something in it.

My thinking went something like (edited for language) - You spent money on a freaking stick that I have to plant and take care of so that for years and years I can try to grow something I don’t even like??? I can’t even keep the plants that I want alive!

But now that the stick is planted, my joy and amazement at nature is winning out over my annoyance because within just a couple of weeks the stick sprouted leaves and THORNS(!). (Picture me being amazed at thorns like the double rainbow dude.)

There are also ROSEBUDS! I look at them and I find myself whispering “rosebud” like in Citizen Kane. And then I giggle at myself and say it again.

So...actually I guess the rose bush is working out just fine. I might have to eat my words.

Unless the flowers bloom in stupid colors.