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Knitting the Time Away

Posted on July 29, 2008 by auburnchick

28 hours in the car. That’s how long I spent in the car this past weekend. 14 hours each way. Three soccer games…one each day. Lots of knitting time.

I took six projects with me and finished (sort of) three. Not bad, eh?

As the organizer for the West Coast Oddball Baby Blanket project, I wanted to get a few blankets started. Here’s Grand Canyon Sunset. I used Caron Simply Soft. The color is Mango (9502), and the pattern is called Purl Triangles from the book, knit & purl.

The second blanket I cast on is Purple Mountains Majesty. I used Caron Simply Soft, and the color is Violet (9908). The pattern is called Reverse Stockinette Stitch Chevrons (from the same book).

I also managed to finish knitting A Little Slip of a Thing. I used Lamb’s Pride Wool yarn, Spruce and Dynamite Blue.

While making this bag, I had to learn a few new things. One was color work. To do this, I took an online class through the Fuzzy Lamb. The classes are free right now.

What is interesting about this pattern is that you don’t cut the yarn until the end, even though you’re working with two colors. You drop one and work with the other, knitting slip stitches as you go around. Very neat, if you ask me. I took a picture of the inside of the bag, but I haven’t uploaded it yet. I’ll post it with a picture of the finished product.

When I got to the top, I had to do an I-cord bind off. Eh? Thank goodness I have a broadband card and a laptop, because I was in the car when I hit this brick wall. I quickly googled this and found clear instructions here on how to proceed. It was awkward, but I got the hang of it in no time flat.

The I-cord handle was a breeze ever since I mastered this skill a few weeks ago. It didn’t take long to knit the nine feet the pattern recommends.

I’ll probably felt this tomorrow. I can’t wait!

After all of this knitting, I also managed to knit one pattern repeat of my scarf. At this point, I started feeling a little car sick and had to put the knitting away and take a brief snooze. I woke up to find myself almost home.

Home Sweet Home.

Filed under: Knitting | Tagged: , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

AuburnChick Succumbs to Temptation

Posted on July 25, 2008 by auburnchick

BRIEF INTERRUPTION…

Littlest Chick will henceforth be referred to as Rockin Rooster. Thanks, Megan, from the Stitch-It Ravelry forum, for this suggestion! We mulled over each idea very carefully and decided that this name fit the bill nicely, being something he will not outgrow as he ages.

AND NOW, BACK TO YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED PROGRAM…

AuburnChick has hit the road again. Soccer Chick’s team is playing in a national tournament in Virginia Beach, so we loaded up the car and headed out Thursday afternoon.

Packing for this almost week-long, 13-hour each way trip proved challenging. As fellow knitters, I’m sure you can identify with the following scene.

I arrived home from taking the kids to youth group and decided to get busy preparing for the trip. What’s the first thing a knitter packs when going on a trip? Clothes? Um, no. Toiletries? Wrong-o. Of course, it’s the knitting that goes into the bag first. Clothes and other stuff go in last, and if there’s no room, my motto is that you buy them when you get to your destination.

I currently have three works in progress. This is way more than the one I usually have, but into the bag they went, along with all possibly-needed accessories and patterns.

Next, I decided to pack yarn and needles for the charity blankets I hope to cast on this week. I don’t think I’ve mentioned this before, but I am heading up the West Coast Oddball Baby Blanket project that’s based over on KnittingHelp.com. You’ve seen the other blankets I’ve worked on. Well, wonderful Shandeh, brave leader of the entire project, decided to split the country into regions to make the project more manageable. I was asked to coordinate one region. I’m very excited about this. I created a blog for the project, found here. My region covers the states of California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, and Hawaii. If you live in one of these states and want to participate, please let me know. We have a thread going over on Ravelry in case you’re not on KH, so you can stay connected there as well. Or, you don’t have to be a part of either site. Just drop me a line, and I’ll explain how the project works. It’s a fabulous way to use your talents to benefit others…without having to make a humongous time commitment to knit an entire blanket.

Within 30 minutes, I had filled up two bags with knitting supplies. My family was not amused that half of our trunk is devoted to my hobby addiction.

Now, being the techie that I am, I also cannot leave home without my gadets. Enter in my laptop, with its 17″ screen (aka a LARGE computer bag), and my new camera.

Oh, I didn’t tell you about that yet? Well, remember that my old camera was kicking the bucket. It finally quit sputtering and completely died. I just cannot be without a camera. My blog requires the frequent posting of pictures, plus I want to capture every drop of sweat that Soccer Chick works up on the field.

After much inquiring and research, I finally went to Best Buy, where I totally disregarded everything I had previously read and fell into the tech trap that frequently engulfs me the moment I step foot into that place. To be fair, I passed by the $899 cameras. There’s a line I won’t cross, and that was it. Stepping over to the cheaper aisle, I was quickly overwhelmed by all of the shiny gadgets. I was like a kid in a candy store…I wanted everything!

Timing is everything. At that very moment, Mr. Young Salesman appeared at my elbow.

“Hello, you look like you’re confused and thus willing to spend an exorbitant amount of money right now. Allow me to lead you down the path to debt.”

Yeah, that was me alright. And boy did he lead me astray. It was almost like he had chocolate in his pocket, and my sniffers knew that and followed blindly behind him.

Sure, I’ll take that expensive camera that happens to be on sale this week (of course).

4gb memory card, that’s also on sale this week? Of course. Why not. I’m gullible today.

Extra warranty? In case I drop my camera in the toilet? Sure thing! You go boy. Ring it up!

To my credit, I bought the generic camera bag.

I walked out of there the proud new owner of a Nikon Coolpix P80. It’s got 10.1 megapixels and 18x optical zoom. No longer will I have to wait until the second half of the game when Soccer Chick is on my side of the field. I can photograph ever hair of her unshaven leg from across the park, if I want. I’m sure she’ll appreciate this comment, but since she doesn’t read my blog (thinks it’s stupid, but what does she know), who cares.

Here are a few of the pictures I’ve taken so far…

My Leaf Lace Scarf…

A Little Slip of a Thing…

Pele (Soccer Chick’s dog)…

Molly…

Aubie…

This is Ziggy, Soccer Chick’s teammate’s dog…

I plan on posting more pictures from Virginia. I can’t wait! The scenery is beautiful up there, which should give me ample opportunity to play with my new toy.

Filed under: Knitting | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Renaming Littlest Chick

Posted on July 22, 2008 by auburnchick

Just a quick post before I head off to work…

Littlest Chick (my son, in case you’re new to my blog) was reading one of my blog posts the other day when he encountered his name. He’s like, “Mama, you call me Littlest Chick? Why would you do that when 1) I am the tallest in the family, and 2) I am not a girl, and “chick” sounds like a girl.”

Uh oh. My boy is turning into a man.

So, I’m on a quest to rename him. We sat down and googled words that mean “male chicken.” I won’t tell you the first word that came up, but in this day and age, let’s just say that I can’t use it to refer to him.

I want something that fits in with everyone else in the family.  I am AuburnChick, of course, and soccer-playing daughter is, quite naturally, Soccer Chick. The Mr. is the Mr., much like Brad Pitt is known as Mr. Jolie. 😀

My creativity is kaput. I need your help. First, a few tidbits about the boy.

He’s a teenager, entering high school this year as a freshman. He plays drums and has a heart for the Lord. He’s quick to serve, recently returning from a week-long mission trip. He likes to swim, but I’m not sure that the high school swim team is in his future due to his interest in the drums. He’s forgetful and messy, as most boys are. He’s almost the tallest one in the family too. He’ll pass Mr. AuburnChick this year, I believe. He adores animals, and they know that, gravitating towards him. He also has a dry sense of humor…very witty, I tell you. Oh, and the best part? He still likes me. He’s not embarrassed to be nice to me in front of his friends. Kind of a Mama’s boy, but in a balanced way.

So, bring on the ideas, pretty please. The Littlest Chick would be most appreciative, as would I.

Filed under: This-n-That | 7 Comments »

The Height of Laziness

Posted on July 18, 2008 by auburnchick

Technology is definitely a good thing. It allows us to communicate instantly with people across town, across the country, or across the house.

Did I just say “across the house.”

Yes, I sure did.

Technology can be a bad thing too, as evidenced by Mr. AuburnChick’s recent behavior.

Do you remember that I bought him a new cell phone for his birthday? I upgraded my plan to include unlimited data usage. Mr. AuburnChick is having fun. He’s what I consider a techno-wannabe. You know the kind…the person who longs for the gadgetry that is flashy. And when the person obtains it, they can’t figure out how to use it. And they refuse to read the manual or google for help.

Despite Mr. AuburnChick’s fumblings with the phone, there is one feature that he’s quickly mastered.

Texting.

We’ve created a monster, I fear. You see, Mr. AuburnChick was lazy before receiving this magical piece of plastic/metal combination. After working a full day, he typically retires to another room, coming out only to eat a few morsels, if I’ve been so inclined to cook. If he needs to speak to someone, he hollers for them.

“Soccer Chick, bring me a glass of water. Littlest Chick, bring me your laptop.”

That sort of thing.

Enter in the new gadget.

No longer does he holler.

He texts.

“Soccer Chick, come here please. AuburnChick, what is the name of Soccer Chick’s friend’s dad?”

Are you kidding me? I’m in the living room watching TV. Why not come out and ask me face-to-face.

The man sends texts to the members of his own family, while we’re still in the house…ten steps away.

Weird, I tell you. No, actually I think the better word is lazy. Laziness to the extreme…laziness the 2008 way.

Yes, computers have really changed the way we conduct our lives. Mr. AuburnChick is proof of that. Hey, at least I’m getting my money’s worth, though. He’ll probably set the world record for middle-aged men sending text messages from within their own homes.

I’m so proud.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: , | 3 Comments »

Is It Only Wednesday?

Posted on July 16, 2008 by auburnchick

Whew! What a week! I woke up today hoping that it was Friday.

Um, no, it’s only Wednesday. Boy am I tired. Feels like I’ve been through the wringer.

First of all, you already know about my friend’s son. The project to collect money and get packages sent is going quite nicely. I’ve received almost $500 in donations. I am going to do my best to stretch out every penny. I am psyched! Sometimes adrenaline can be physically exhausting!

On Monday, I took Soccer Chick to the doctor. She came home from a soccer camp with what appeared to be a spider bite. Over the weekend, it started looking bad, so I begged a dermatologist’s office to fit her into the schedule.

Guess what? That ain’t no spider bite on her leg.

Nope.

It’s a staph infection! My heart fell. How bad of a mom was I to wait to take her in?

The doctor was a young, sympathetic gal who quickly reassured me that all would be well. She then proceeded to explain the pain she was about to inflict.

Poor Soccer Chick. She’s been through many painful things in her 16 years. When she was eight, she had plantar warts frozen off of her feet. She was in so much pain that Mr. AuburnChick had to carry her out of the doctor’s office that day, and she couldn’t walk for a couple of days. To make matters worse, those stupid things returned, and she had to make weekly visits to a podiatrist to get them scraped and burned with an acid solution. I took her to every appointment and watched her try desperately not to cry each time. Not fun.

A year and a half ago, she had very painful ACL reconstruction surgery. You’ve read about that. Again, not fun.

So, although I tried to reassure her on Monday, I could see the dread in her eyes. Again, I hurt for her in the way that all parents hurt for their children when pain looms in the near future.

I grabbed her hand, bravely told her to squeeze when she needed to (I say bravely because Soccer Chick is very strong), and promised to buy her ice cream on the way home. She endured what appeared to be a mini wrestling match, with the doctor strong-arming Soccer Chick’s leg, needle in one hand and Soccer Chick’s hand on her other arm.

Soccer Chick is now following a strict regimen of hot baths, warm compresses, and antibiotics. Everything she touches has to be sterilized.

I’m exhausted.

And then, to top off everything else, today I discovered that my camera is broken. Oh, I can view the pictures on it, but if I try to take a picture, all I get is a black square.

This camera is special to me. I bought it after my dad passed away. My sister and I received a bit of inheritance, and I decided to buy a nice digital camera with it. My dad always supported my love of technology. He bought me my first scanner and cell phone. I remember agonizing over how to spend the money. I think he would have been pleased. Even though I bought the camera in 2001, it was still a good one.

I feel like I’ve lost a family member. Isn’t it funny how we associate items with people? They become a part of us when people cannot be there physically.

So, that’s my half of a week, in a nutshell. Ok…not a nutshell…more like an entire acorn tree.

I haven’t had time to do much knitting, although I did start working on another Oddball Baby Blanket last night. Since I just painted my nails, I’ll probably finish my portion tomorrow.

I hope y’all are having a better week!

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: , | 4 Comments »

AuburnChick Wraps Some Presents

Posted on July 13, 2008 by auburnchick

I fixed Ms. Jean’s care package yesterday! What a grand time I had too!!!

FYI…I LOVE wrapping presents at Christmas. Lots of ribbon is the key.

I did the best I could, using tissue paper, so the individual packages are odd-shaped.

I kept all of the cards with the items they belonged to.

Here’s what it looked like when I got started…

Here’s what it looked like after I had wrapped a few items…

Here’s what they all looked like when I got done…

Here’s a close-up of the note I wrote…

Now it was time to put everything in a box. Easier said than done. The first box was too small, so I tried another one.

Obviously, this one was too small. Time to move up in size…

I figured out that you can smoosh packages only so much before they quit smooshing.

I didn’t have another box big enough, so I trotted off to the post office to get one. It poured down rain, of course. I was wet when I got home, but dab-nab-it…I had the box I needed…

The box I wound up with is on the left.

I’m going to put it in the mail on Monday.

I sure do wish I could see her face when she opens everything. Of course, not seeing is really part of the joy in giving. Kind of like leaving a gift for a neighbor, ringing the doorbell, and running like crazy to avoid detection.

Filed under: Knitting | Tagged: , , | 2 Comments »

A Knitter in Need

Posted on July 12, 2008 by auburnchick

This week, I received a prayer request from a friend on Knittinghelp.com. Her 10 year-old son was badly burned in an accident. He received 2nd and 3rd degree burns on 60% of his body and was transported to a Shriner’s hospital for long-term care. He will probably be at the hospital for a couple of months, minimum.

The knitter and I have grown to know each other through our chat sessions on the KH site. She works nights and pops in during the early evening hours before her shifts begin. I’ve asked her questions about my animals, since she works at an animal clinic, and we’ve commiserated about raising children. It’s amazing to me how the internet has brought me close to so many people.

Something that humbles me is the fact that she turned to me for prayer. I don’t know if she is a Christian, but she knows that I am, and that she can count on me to pray. One of the first times that we actually “clicked” during a chat was when she told me that she had a good night at work the evening before. I was glad for her but didn’t understand the point she was making. Sometimes I’m a bit slow, you see.

She went on to explain that the afternoon before, I had told her that I would pray that her evening was slow, with the hope that there would be few pet emergencies. Apparently, the Lord had answered my prayers for her that evening, and it touched her heart. It’s something she hasn’t forgotten and a reason why she turned to me a few days ago.

I am humbled.

I am not a perfect person…far from it, in fact. My family can testify to this, trust me. I am conscientious, though, when I’m out in “public.” I am very aware that people are watching me. Our lives are, for the most part, open books. That I have garnered any kind of respect is not of my own doing but the Lord’s. He turns the ugly in me into something beautiful in others’ eyes. That is a miracle in itself because the ugly is really ugly. Trust me. I know myself.

My friend gave me the phone number and address of the hospital, and I gathered my nerves and called her. What do you say to a person you’ve never actually met?

“Hello, this is Nathalie…uh, AuburnChick, how are you?”

That was a good beginning. I told her my heart aches for her and that I’m praying for her. I asked what we can do for her, and she was very hesitant. It’s difficult to receive help from others. I told her that she would have her turn to give one day. Thankfully, she has grown more willing to tell me what she needs. Once I had my list, I got moving. I immediately posted a request on Knittinghelp.com, and the response has been immediate and extremely generous.

One knitter has begun a Granny Square Knit-a-Long. Her goal is to get 20 8×8 squares and have them seamed together into a blanket by the middle of August. This is the same knitter who will be doing the border for Ms. Jean’s blanket.

One of our Canadian members organizes a charity blanket project with other Canadian KH’ers. They have unanimously decided to donate their Teddy Bear Love blanket to my friend’s son. It is a beautiful blanket. I’ve seen pictures.

Many people are sending cards and other goodies to the hospital. Some have sent money to my Paypal account. I will use this money to purchase prepaid cell phone cards, balloons (mylar, of course), and some other types of gift cards…perhaps Walmart or Visa cards to help pay for the practical needs of the family.

I am incredibly awed by the outpouring of love. A knitter in need is the SOS that draws the masses to the rescue.

If you want to contribute to this cause by sending money or a card or any other item, please let me know. Please keep my friend, her son, and the rest of her family in your prayers.

Filed under: Knitting, This-n-That | Tagged: , , | 1 Comment »

Goodies for Ms. Jean

Posted on July 10, 2008 by auburnchick

Over the last few weeks, I’ve mentioned a project I’m involved with. A group of knitters on KnittingHelp (and a couple from Ravelry) banded together to produce home-crafted items for a fellow KH’er. Mason’s (Knitting_Guy) mom, Ms. Jean, underwent surgery to remove her larynx and is supposed to be undergoing a second round of chemo.

We wanted to something nice for a member of our “family.” The items have been trickling in over the last couple of months.

I wanted to post pictures of all of the items so everyone could take one quick look at everything.

Before I start posting pictures, I wanted to say thank you to every person who participated. You know who you are. As I’ve said before, crafters are a special group of people…overly generous and quick to respond to needs. I have been touched as I’ve opened each package and seen the creativity and care given. Thank you for allowing me to organize this.

Y’all rock!

And now, on to the photos…posted in the order I received them.

One knitter had a bump in her plans when her dog tried to help her knit.

She sent me a non-doggified hat later (picture is posted a little further down).

Here are items that were completed without the…er…”assistance” of furry friends…

A washcloth…

A bath mitt…

More hats…

A couple more washcloths…

In addition to the above items, the group wanted to make Ms. Jean a blanket. Our original hope was to get at least 14 squares. I think we wound up with 28 or 30! One of our knitters is seaming them together, and another knitter will crochet a border. Here are the squares that we received. I don’t think I have photos of all of them. I do apologize if you don’t see your’s. Send me a picture, and I’ll post it!

The blanket will be sent separately. I wish I could see Ms. Jean’s face when she opens her packages.

This is why I started knitting…for the joy of making something practical yet loved.

Filed under: Knitting | Tagged: , , , , , , | 7 Comments »

Sports and Knitting

Posted on July 6, 2008 by auburnchick

You may not know this about me, but I am becoming a sports junkie. This is something that has long been in the making.

I remember spending my youth holed up in my room on Sundays watching the Redskins and Broncos — two of my favorite teams. My love for sports extended beyond football though. I loved Wide World of Sports. It highlighted such sports as skiing and the seldom-watched log rolling.

I watched Nadia Comaneci win the Olympic gold medal. Every little girl wanted to somersault like her and be hugged by Bela Karolyi. Do you remember when the Olympics were held every four years…both the Winter and Summer games? I was thrilled when the Olympic Committee changed this so that there would be games every two years. Now I didn’t have to wait so long to be submerged in the competition.

I sometimes wonder where this love of sports came from. I am, by no means, coordinated. I can barely walk and chew gum at the same time. Walking across the stage at my recent graduation should have been an Olympic sport all on its own.

I stunk at tether ball in elementary school. Have you ever seen the movie The Benchwarmers? Do you remember the scene where Will Ferrell is playing against his father? That could have been me and any other kid on the playground. I used to get beaten quite badly. I’m not sure I ever really understood the rules. I don’t think I do to this day.

I did play basketball in high school. I spent more time on the bench than on the court. I only played when the team was either way ahead (and my entrance wouldn’t allow the opponent to catch up too quickly) or we were way behind, when all hope was lost anyway. I just did not function well under pressure.

Take the time I was on the court at an away game. Keep in mind that I went to a small, private school. To give you an idea of the size, the school only had one class of every grade, and my graduating class had 18 students. So, everyone knew everyone else…even at the other schools

So, I got buzzed onto the court. I was so excited! I finally got to play! I usually played point guard because I was so small. There I went, dribbling happily down the court.

All of sudden…

Pop.

What’s that, I wondered, just as my boobs gained their freedom. My bra strap had broken. These were the days before sports bras.

Now, I was covered up, and nobody could tell what was happening. But to a 16 year old teen, every crisis is magnified. I did what most teens would do.

I dropped the ball and went running down the court with my arms crossed over my chest, advertising the fact that my body was, quite literally, celebrating its freedom from that bench.

Yeah, I had not yet mastered the art of being discreet.

So, I ran down the court, arms over my chest, looking at my coach saying, “My bra strap broke…substitute me NOW.”

“What?” he hollered.

Typical man. Just didn’t get it. The entire gym sure did because everyone was laughing their heads off.

The rest of the night is a blur in my memory…thankfully. I think I eventually got off the court, and someone had safety pins and fixed me up so I could go back out there, red face and all. I never lived that one down either.

So, that being said, I really don’t know why I love sports so much. I think it’s because I do not possess such skills myself and can truly appreciate those who do. Also, having children who are quite talented also helps. It’s a safe bet that they got their sports genes from Mr. AuburnChick. (They got their brains from me, and you can advertise that all you want.)

Ok…you must be wondering…

What in the world has possessed AuburnChick to talk about this?

Well, I just spent most of the day watching Wimbledon’s men’s finals. Wow! What a marvelous display of artistry. It was one of the best finals I’ve ever seen, and as noted above, I’ve seen quite a few.

What I most admire is Federer and Nadal’s humbleness afterwards. The mutual respect they displayed are marks of true champions. Federer had won five straight Wimbledon trophies, beating Nadal during the last two years. He lost the first two sets and was prime to lose the third, when he dug down deep and pulled off one miraculous shot after another. It was simply amazing to watch.

Nadal, to his credit, never gave in. Despite two rain interruptions, he came back and beat Federer in the fifth set.

Wimbledon at its finest.

Throughout the six + hour match, I did what any other knitter would do…knit!

I am stuck on my Froot Loop socks and have sent out a couple requests for help on the heel. That’s what I get for trying to adjust a pattern. Remember that I don’t think well on my feet. Stick to the pattern, I keep trying to tell myself. But no, I have to try to challenge myself.

Silly girl.

Rather than sitting idly by, I pulled out that marvelous skein of Malabrigo that one of my KH friends sent me.

I began work (for the second time) on my Leaf Lace Scarf. It’s an easy pattern, but my previous attempt was with a similar yarn, almost identical color, and similar weight. For some reason, the first yarn didn’t go with the pattern. It was almost too thin.

Enter in the Malabrigo.

I LOVE this yarn! It’s the first time I’ve ever knit with the fabulous Mmmmmm. Now, I understand the reverence knitters ascribe to it. Simply winding it up (I have yet to buy a ball winder) was a sensory experience.

I’ve completed seven pattern repeats, and I love how it’s turning out so far.

So, sports and knitting. Two of my favorite things. Can life get any better?

I think not.

Filed under: Knitting | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments »

A Silk Scarf for AuburnChick

Posted on July 4, 2008 by auburnchick

As you might have gathered by now, I mostly knit things for other people. I have worked on a number of Oddball Baby Blankets with a group of KnittingHelp.com knitters. I also try to surprise people with unexpected gifts. No, I’m not this fairy godmother of knitting. I simply like to knit with a purpose. That is the reason why this craft appealed to me in the beginning.

Every now and then, it’s nice to make something for myself.

You might remember the Tilli Tomas Rockstar yarn that I bought myself after my graduation. The color is Glazed Ginger. It has different hues of brown in it, and glass bead are strung on a separate thread and spun together with the silk. If you’re new to my blog, here’s a photo of it.

When I bought the yarn, I casually mentioned to the gal at the yarn store that I could probably make a scarf out of it.

“One skein won’t be enough,” she kindly informed me.

“Um, for the price I paid, one skein will have to be enough, even if I’ve got to knit it up with size 40 needles,” I thought to myself. There was no way I was going to make a scarf that cost me $80+ in supplies.

Enter in Ravelry. Now, I have to say that I am a very loyal person. KnittingHelp.com is my go-to, end-all, be-all place of knitting knowledge. The free videos, forum, and chat assure me that I will find an answer to almost any question I have, at any time of the day.

However, Ravelry has some very nice features too. One of the features I use often is the search option. You can search for patterns and find out what kinds of yarns people used and changes they made to the patterns to suit their particular preferences. I like to search by yarns to learn about patterns that have been used with them. That’s just what I did with this yarn. Thank goodness too.

I am an anal person. I cannot buy yarn without knowing beforehand what I’m going to make with it. I tend to get all flustered and bothered. I must have a plan for everything, you see. I don’t think well on my feet.

If you are a member of Ravelry, you can go to this link to see what led me to use the pattern I finally settled on. Of course, it wasn’t a free pattern but required the purchase of a book. Boy, this scarf was getting more expensive every time I turned around!

Here’s the book that has the Lace Scarf pattern I used:

Now, another part of my knitting personality is that I tend to remain loyal to a project. I do not like to put one down and start another, hence I do not have many WIP’s. But when this book arrived in my mail…well…AuburnChick stepped outside of the box…albeit a bit guiltily. I put aside my Froot Loop sock I had recently started and cast on for the scarf.

The pattern is very easy. I quickly had it memorized. The scarf flew off of my needles. If I didn’t have to work, I’m sure I could have finished it in a couple of days. It took me almost a week, blocking time included.

Here are the results…

And a close-up of the stitch…

I have resumed work on my sock, but I’m feeling too lazy to take a picture of my progress. I did finish the leg and will begin work on the heel. Pictures will follow in another post.

I hope you are all having a wonderful 4th of July! Happy celebrating, and happy knitting!

Filed under: Knitting | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 5 Comments »

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