Bzzzzzz

In an effort to challenge myself and learn some new knitting skillz, I decided to join the "Slow Bee Mystery Knit-a-long". This will be my very first time knitting lace, or knitting with beads. I love that it's a slow bee KAL, since, as I've mentioned a time or two, I'm a very slow knitter!! I've also never knit with such a fine gauge of yarn before, but so far, I'm really enjoying it.

I'm only just finishing up my gauge swatch, and the KAL started about 3 weeks ago (people are already finished up with clue 3), but slow and steady - that's me!

So, for my non-knitting readers - the KAL (knit-a-long) works like this: Every week we get a new clue which is basically just a piece of the final pattern of whatever we're supposed to be knitting. In this case, a lace shawl. So, you work on your clue, then get the next one, knit that up, and on and on till the KAL is done. You're not really sure what you're going to end up with, which is part of the fun - just seeing how the pattern works itself out.

Since I've been so slow in getting going, however, I've been able to spy on other people's progress, so I have a pretty good idea of how my project should turn out (fingers crossed)!

The yarn I selected is so delicious, I can't keep from petting the yummy little yarn cakes whenever I walk by my knitting basket.

I ordered it from Knit Picks. It's Gloss lace weight yarn, which is 70% merino wool and 30% silk. It's color is called Aegean, and looks like a freezing Arctic ocean. (My photos make it look a little more green than the actual color)

I couldn't decide on my beads, so I ended up making a couple of trip to Orr's Trading in downtown Denver (BTW - the coolest bead-type place I've been to!!). The first hank of beads I got matched my yarn so perfectly, that you really can't see that they're there. The second hank is just clear beads, which allow the color the yarn to show through, but still give off some sparkle. I'm knitting half of my swatch with the colored beads, the other half with the clear, then I'll decide which to use.

So, I'm off to finish knitting and blocking my gauge swatch, so I can start on clue 1 - good thing there's a Law & Order marathon on today!! Bzzzzz......

On The Spot Update

In the last couple of weeks, I've gotten many concerned inquiries about Boomer and his mystery spot. As you may remember, he was branded by some mysterious entity, and had a dark black spot on his side. As hard as we tried, I could not get the spot out!

Over time, the spot began to fade, and is now completely gone!! Hooray!! However, trying to capture a picture of the spot-free doggie has proven to be a little more difficult.

In general, Boomie is a private little doggie, and as a private citizen, he frowns heavily on being chased down in his own home by the paparazzi (a.k.a. me & my spazzy picture taking behavior). But I did manage to catch a couple of spot-free shots by using some stealth like tactics.

Such as - sneaking up on him lounging behind a pillow on the sofa:

Or sneaking up on him during his morning nappie:

Or sneaking up on him catching some afternoon zzzz's on my bed:

Ok, so I'm not that clever, but at least I (finally) got my picture! Woof!

And we're back....

Back to blog land from my unexpected hiatus! A few things to report - some knitting related, some Boomer related, some random stuff.

But for now, a FO!!! Can ya' believe it? I almost can't!

When I first saw this pattern, I just knew I had to knit it. It was just so sweet! Luckily, I knew just the baby girl to make this for. And so I present, a completed (weaved in ends and all) "Mae Day Smocked Sun Dress"

And now for the stats:

Pattern: "Mae Day Smocked Baby Sun Dress" by Vickie Howell

Yarn: Sugar n' Cream, Hot Pink, 100% Cotton, about 3 balls

Needles: Size 4US straight, Size 6US circs (32in), and Size 4US dpns

Mods: The pattern called for the dress to be knit up in two pieces then seamed up the sides. Um, yeah, I hate seaming, so after the smocked panels were knit up, I put them on the circs and knit the entire bottom in one piece - yay - no seams! Also, I made it about a 1 1/2 inches shorter than the pattern called for. It seemed way too long.

(Top smocked portion)

This was a super easy pattern to follow, and should have only taken me a few days to do, but it kinda got put aside and ended up taking about a month. Oh well, just in time for spring!!

Gotta Go With the Flow (I mean snow)

Weather in Denver can be very unpredictable and kinda tricky at times. Every single weatherman - excuse me, I mean Meteorologist - has the same cheesy joke "Hey, if you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes!".....pause for cheddar flavored weatherman laugh (hyuck hyuck)....and we're out!

But it's actually pretty true - especially once Spring rolls around.

I present to you: Exhibit A - Photos of lovely flowers taken two days ago. Temperature outside was 78 degrees, and the sun was shining brightly!

And now: Exhibit B - Photos taken yesterday of the same flowers. Temperature outside was around 37, and no sun to be seen anywhere!

Yes, that's snow. Yes, It's May. Hyuck hyuck hyuck!