Chomp...gulp...

Wow...thanks everyone! I had so many messages/comments advising me what to do with the 14.5 yards of Cento - and not one person scolded me for creating a terminal earworm. Guess what song was going through my head the entire weekend. I think I'm going to try Dee's idea and make tassles for the ends of the Edgar scarf. I also really liked nona's idea of the strap for my camera condom but, like all good condoms, it fits my camera so tightly that I can carry it by its own strap (not that condoms have straps - least not last time I checked - but they are supposed to fit tightly). Lastly, Zina's link to the Threads article on pin weaving stash yarn blew me away. I'm thinking wall-hanging with my future odds and ends...

Friday afternoon, I finished my second Pretty Thing. I'm much happier with this one than the first, though not particularly thrilled with my technique in a few areas. I've decided to make the stitch detail for this lovely green creation my wallpaper for a little while - till I make something else big enough to qualify. Here are a couple pictures:





I also whipped out a hat to go with my MLB Playoff Jacket. It looks a lot better on my head than on the kitchen table.



I'm also messing around with some Lion Brand Jiffy yarn, making a hat and scarf from the "Handknit Holidays" book



It's going really well, and I love the color of the yarn, a tan blend which for some unfathomable reason Lion decided to name "Camel Spray". Um...do they know anything about the mental image that conjures up? Camel spray, indeed...ugh... Gorgeous yarn, though. Pics later this week!

Now...what's with "Chomp...gulp..."? Well, Your Everyday Garden-Variety Renaissance Woman has very well bitten off a bit more than she can chew. In my throes of knitting passion, I signed up for Susan Pandorf's Evenstar Mystery Shawl Knitalong. I've done a little lace knitting in my time but, folks, I'm knitting with freakin' THREAD here (albeit, lovely thread). See....lovely!



Oh, and it will have beads on the edging. This will be yet another new challenge, and I'll be blogging my progress or lack thereof. But my first challenge, before I can begin, is to find myself some good sharp needles for lace knitting. Nothing in my arsenal comes close to what I need. So, my question for today is: Knitting needles for lace, discuss pro and con. What do y'all recommend?

No, I haven't been buried in the snow...not quite, at least

Color me embarrassed for letting my brand new blog sit idle for an entire week. It's not that I've been swamped with other activities. Ok...Tuesday...I went to the grocery at 6:30am to buy stuff to make vegetable beef soup (my husband's Hungarian grandmother's recipe), came home, cleaned the house, including vacuuming and mopping, did 7 loads of laundry, made the soup (one hour just chopping vegetables!), and shoveled the front porch, driveway and sidewalk and cleaned off the car after the five MORE inches of snow we got on top of the ten inches that fell a week ago. Yeah...not much time for blogging that day, though I did finish the Knit Picks Sideways Hat and wore it outside for the snow shoveling - it kept me toasty warm!!!

Saturday morning, my husband and I went out to dig out from that first ten inches. Here are a few fun pics of me, sweet Wilbur, and my bodacious snow angel.







Also on Saturday, I finished the Pretty Thing. It ended up being both too long and too wide to be a true neckwarmer thingie, but it folded over nicely into a cute little collar. Good thing, too, because I hated knitting this thing. Don't know why...it wasn't difficult, I liked the yarn I was working with...it just didn't click for me. The very cool thing is it perfectly matches three cotton sweaters that I never wear. It's like they've been hanging out in the closet just crying out for that little knitted lace collar to go with them. Gotta love it!!!

Since I'm new to this blogging thing and haven't figured out all the ins and outs and etiquettes, I want to thank Jo Ann from JoKnitWits Funky Life for stopping by to comment. Hope you and that gorgeous Sawyer boy are doing great!!!

And...since I know he pops in here to read about what I'm doing now that I don't talk yarn with him as much anymore, here's a shoutout to my beloved hubby, Pete. His birthday was Monday, and we celebrated very low-key this year, but that doesn't mean that he isn't the light of my life, the parmesan on my spaghetti and the catalyst for every good and wonderful thing that has happened to me since the day we met. Happy birthday, sweetie, I loves ya!!!!

Tonight I will be casting on for my first ever Ravelympics. I'll be competing with Team Knitgang in the Scarf Super G and the Stash Compulsory Dance, making a lovely lace scarf using yarn that has been in my stash since about 1985 (really!!!!).

So...what's on YOUR needles?????