One of my favorite things and what I'm listening to.

One of my favorite things..........
I received a gift certificate to the Loopy Ewe, thanks for introducing me to yet another black hole on the internet, you know who you are!  Since it was going to expire in a year I had to make sure I used it right away.  I placed an order that night, and to my delight I received my package in just a couple of days.  I ordered some Madeline Tosh, still working out a shawl design, and I also ordered some Puppy Snips.  These are one of my favorite accessories ever!  They are tiny little scissors that snap into a protective cover and come with a little chain to attach to whatever.  I keep them chained to the zipper pull of my project bag.  When I am knitting they hang off my bag and they are ready for use.  When I am not knitting I tuck them inside my project bag so they don't get lost.  And are they ever sharp!  I had to order another pair for myself, just because, and some extra Snips for my friends.  Oh, and they look like a puppy dog.

What I listened to this week.........
I love to listen to podcasts and Brenda Dayne of the Cast On Podcast is one of the originals.  She has a soothing voice and a well put together show.  I usually stay away from controversial subjects such as politics and religion but I did want to share her recent episode about knitting VJJs and sending them to your US Congressman.  There is a whole movement out there, even a Ravelry group.  For me, there is just something intriguing about knitting body parts.  (Last year at Vogue Live there was a knitted heart by an artist who also knitted a skeleton.)

I finally decided to try listening to a new podcast, new to me anyway.  I had heard about it for awhile, but a podcast named Fiber Beat I assumed would be a lot about spinning and I am just not interested.  Boy was I wrong.  In his first show he interviewed Meg Swansen,  yes, the Meg Swansen, (daughter to Elizabeth Zimmerman).  He has a very well produced show, a little campy at times and I do love the  music inserts, some very old and some current.  I've only listened to 3 shows so far, but I'm hooked.

My head is about explode!

That is how I feel when I learn something new on the computer. 
My son has been helping me today work on my blog.  My goal is to have my patterns available for sale.  So far I have one on my home page, and I have another page for patterns, with one pattern on it.  I will have to solo this week and try to add more patterns.  Wish me luck and time.

I managed to get some photos today, in between the raindrops.  Some I can't show you (hopefully for a submission if I meet the deadline).  The other one is for the vest I have been working on for weeks.  (The idea started last summer.)  I already took what I thought were my final photos but since my model was coming today anyway I took some more photos that I think I will like better.  I still have to write up different sizes for the pattern, I am working on a new scarf or shawl design (I have to see what it turns out to be), and I finally am getting started on the ukelele bag I told my son I would design. 

Hopefully the next time I blog I will have more patterns available on my blog.
In the meantime........

PS  Somehow I have lost the list of followers while making changes to my blog.  I don't know if the followers are gone or if just the list is gone.......

Comes out in the wash.

I have been kind of quiet because I have been busy on secret knitting.  I'm working on a shawl pattern that I am hoping to finish writing in time to submit to Knitty.  My deadline is April1. 
In the event that I don't make the deadline you will see it here in April.
I started knitting a sideways shawl with some beautiful yarn my son gifted to me last year.  I was waiting for something special and it finally came to me.  However, the pattern did not quite work out the way I had thought it would and I had the reknit the second skein of yarn.  I was very unhappy with the way the reknitting of the yarn looked and decided I had to knit another shawl. 

This decision came at the same time that I decided to visit my daughter in Philadelphia and return her dog to her after dog sitting.  It just so happens that it is a short detour to Loop, a yarn shop that carries the yarn I needed.  I ended up getting 2 colors, because there is nothing like wanting to save on shipping costs in case I got home and decided I wanted an additional color. 
I started knitting the new shawl and also blocked the original shawl.  I decided to wet block it, which I rarely do.  I found out the the messy look of the reknit yarn, all came out in the wash.  I guess I didn't really need to buy the additional yarn after all. 

The color is William Morris.  Even though I am not really a brown person, I was a sucker for the name.  He was a textile designer of the Arts & Crafts movement and I love his designs.

This color is called Lichen, I love green and when you combine it with purple I can hardly resist.  This ended up being very similar to the coloring of the first shawl (in the first picure).  No wonder I liked it.

Wingspan

While I was in Colorado I decided to knit the pattern Wingspan.  It is a very popular free pattern on Ravely.  (Will one of my patterns ever go "viral"?)  I knew I would need a project that I was not trying to design.
I had my model over today, midday (I have to take her when she can come) taking pictures of another project so I took some of Wingspan.  It is challenging to get good photos in bright sunlight.
I have quite different effects just by changing the background. 

 I love taking pictures with the water in the background, but with the sun coming into the camera it creates a problem.  However, the shawl almost is camouflaged by the tree branch.  Which one do you like best?

I couldn't resist taking a photo of last night's sunset.