The Universe and other musings

Somewhere in the Universe sits a God or Goddess and snickers. Mainly because they created not enough hours in the day. At least for me....
But first things first.
My camera broke. It dropped onto the couch, bounced onto the floor and now all outdoor pictures are just white. No matter what setting. The indoor ones turn out nice....as long as I turn off all lights. ???
So for now pics with the Blackberry. Which work surprisingly well.
Here is the finished shawl made from Nici's hand spun mentioned in the previous post.:

Another shawl was finished this weekend. For my good friend Sarah whose birthday is on Saturday. Oh, I so hope she likes it!!!!
The first time I started a shawl from the widest point and decreased. Pretty neat! Here is a picture of "Sarah's Spring Wrap": Made from Cascade Heritage Sock. Very soft and very rich colors.

I am also hosting a Mystery Knit along in the FGF group on Ravelry. This should be fun. I will probably never ever want to do it again. Especially since I had forgotten what month I signed on for. Now I had to knit all three designs at once, because I wanted to make it like a multiple options pattern.
But all is well in the Knitting Universe now. Pattern is ready, one of my glove patterns is in the KnitPicks catalog, a lace stole pattern is in the designing stages, a heavier warmer shawl is on the needles for me ( another pattern from the wonderful Seni , or Ines Sousa, called "Estio"). I have picked up on a baby blanket that was a test knit and required only three repeats to be done. I think I'll finish it for a friend of Nici's.Let's see.......
That's pretty much it. Here a quick photo of the shawl for me in progress: Knitted from Malabrigo "Rios". Ultra soft and very pretty colors.
Join the KAL if you like...it is right here:
http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/fingerless-glove-fanatics/1841276/76-100#89

I keep you posted how it goes.....

Addictions

I believe I finally understand true addiction. Mind you...I was a pack-a-day cigarette smoker three years ago. That was easier to quit than this new indulgence of mine!  It occurred to me yesterday that I just replaced one addiction with another.
Here's the story: I perused a shop on etsy called ToPlyFiberArts. She has awesome hand dyed yarn. But also beautiful roving. Since my daughter Nici is the spinner I ordered some roving I really liked . It was a light gray with purple and cream and some light pink in it.


Nici spun it up for me and I paired the yarn (which looked just gray in the skeins) with a pattern called "Duett der Elis". You can look it up on my Ravelry page, if you like.
Talk about the perfect pairing!!!! It's like crack!!!!!
I have knitted since last night! The yarn is yummy! So soft. The color is so subtle that you don't notice the slight changes from gray to cream to lavender to pink until it is knitted and you look at it in daylight. Or take a picture.

Like this one......

So not only am I giddy with pride (mind you she spun that with a drop spindle!!!), I am also addicted to the pattern and am eager to try it out with different yarns.

This is one of those "to be continued" things, me thinks.
Needless to say: do not cast on when you had a glass of wine. It will turn out as follows:
Pattern: "Cast on 275 stitches"
Me: "Okay.......count'em: 273. Okay...add 2 more....count'em......283....what the hell.....drop 8.....count'em...261....WTF?????"
Now my daughter has a wishlist from me for Sweater quantities.
Better get going, Rumpelstilzchen!!!!!

Taking pictures

Taking the perfect picture is not as easy as it might sound. You have to grab the camera, the model, all projects you want to photograph and drive to the park on a nice sunny day.
Here is a short tutorial to taking the perfect pictures:
 1.) Call model and bribe her with a visit to Starbucks after the photo shoot.
 2.) Pack projects and camera with spare batteries. (Ask me how I know about batteries....)
 3.) Pick up model.
 4.) Listen to complaints about models love life and calorie counts for the 20 minute ride to the park.
 5.) Lug complaining model, camera and projects to the favorite spot at the park.
 6.) Get model (wearing shawl) into the right light and the right position.
 7.) Get camera to the right setting, line up perfect picture and get blank screen and the warning: "Low battery!"
 8.) Change batteries while listening to model whine how long she should hold this position.
 9.) Line up shot to discover she has put the shawl on wrong side out.
10.) Rearrange model and shot. Discover light has changed now and you have to move the location.
11.) Finally take shot and get a few decent pictures.
12.) Pack up projects and camera. Load into car including model which is still complaining.
13.) Drive model to Starbucks, pay for order, try to tune out model.
14.) Drive model home. Shoot model and self in driveway, leaving note saying: " I can't take it anymore!"