Let's get this party started

See?!? I'm here! Really! Blame the birthdays!

Confession #1

Last week there were two but we celebrated three, there are two more this week, and then Paul's is on the 20th. The birthday knitting got a little... erm.. wild around here. As I posted after the Olympics, I did finish Branching Out.

(pre-blocked)

Pattern: Knitty's Branching Out
Yarn: Patons Grace in sky.
Needles: Clover Bamboo size 6 double points (unnecessarily dpns, I just like them)
The scarf wound up being 5 7/8 inches wide when blocked.

After this picture was taken, Paul and I pinned it (~150 pins) and steamed it (yes, my husband helps me block)(it might have been because I was freaking out). The little ridge just right of the center flattened out, but a few days later it popped up again. The blocking hasn't held particularly well but it was a quick job for a birthday party! I've decided that in the future, lace scarves necessitate the purchase of blocking wires.

Confession #2

Then I finally found just the thing for the other birthday last week, and bought my first skein of Noro. I bought Kureyon in color #40 and made a felted purse.

That's the best I can do at the moment since I forgot to take a picture. Hardy-har-har. Apparently I-cords and I do not get along, so I bought some D shaped bamboo handles at Joann's for $2.99 (like these, but with another side that was straight).

Loot

A.C.Moore had a Moonlight Madness sale, and I also got some Joann's yarn on sale:

The stuff on top is a Joann's store brand wool/cotton blend that is soooo soft. It's for me. Eventually.

The orange and grey stuff to the right is Cashmere Luxury Aran which is 49% wool, 45% microfiber, and 6% cashmere. 50g is 100 yards. I made a hat for Paul's brother in the gray (no picture :( ) and the Basic Cable Hat from Stitch 'n Bitch Nation in the orange. Details and pictures later....

The pink stuff. OHMIGOD. LOVE. IT. It's Araucania Yarns Atacama, hand dyed 100% alpaca light worsted weight (maybe dk) gloriousness in color #501. It's very soft and knitting with it has finally made me understand how a person could actually drool over yarn. I mean, I've loved yarns before, but not quite like this. And the cats are very interested in it.

What would happen with a real alpaca?

So this yarn had to have a purpose. A meaning. This yarn could not be any old scarf. This yarn is going to be.........

Clapotis.

WAIT!! Hear me out!!! I know everybody on earth has made a clapotis, and good lord does it ever sound like something you were warned about in health class, but it's pronounced clap-oh-TEE (like cup-o'-TEEEEE, according to the designer) and most people do not have an alpaca clapotis (haha you might need antibiotics for an alpaca clapotis).

I mean.... just look at it.

I dropped one of the drop stitch columns early just to make sure it would look okay when the time came, which is why there's a half dropped area there on the right. These pictures don't capture it. This scarf (shawl? scarwl?) is magically delicious.

And the pinks are extra nice when it looks like this outside: (taken 2/25/06, it's 60 outside today) (but it was really not as nice at the time)

She's got... hiiiiiiigh hopes...

The house is still a bit of a mess and we're supposed to have a birthday party for Paul and a housewarming party while the house is still warm. I want the boxes to pretty please magically disappear. Please, boxes? One can hope, anyway.

Also, to answer all the concerns about gas stoves, I've never had one and they take some getting used to. And I think I'm going to set myself on fire, and I'm constantly bending down to make sure the flame is still there. I don't think this is weird. I'm just adjusting!