I'm still here...

Not much happening on the knitting front. Between work and the holidays my knitting time has suffered in a terrible way. Hopefully, I'll have an FO to show you soon...the hoodie for my nephew. But I had to rip out the hood and figure out what I did wrong and fix it. Somehow I knit it backwards. Since I want little Anthony to be able to see and breathe, I thought I should fix it. Funny thing is, I did it right the first time I made this pattern. Go figure.

I'm trying to decide which sweater to start next. I'm waiting for this pattern to become available. I have a pretty varigated red yarn I'd like to use, but I'm not sure I can match the gauge. I'm going to swatch and see. I'd also love to make this for DH. But I don't have the yarn for it yet. I love reading Jared's blog and I think he's an amazing knitter. Take a peak at some of his FOs. I also want to make the Urban Aran sweater...someday.

So I'm in indecision mode. Not a lot of knitting time, not sure what to start next....

Look, it's a FO!

Well I've finally come up for air and after having a few days off, I feel like my normal self again.

Ta da! I'm pleased to present my first lace scarf -

The pattern is the Cocoon Lace Scarf by Fiber Trends. The yarn is from Brooks Farm. I bought it at Stitches West last year. I love this yarn! I think it's Duet (a wool/kid mohair blend), but I don't know what I did with the label. It's super soft and light...feels very cozy wrapped around my neck. It's actually been finished for awhile except for the blocking. I discovered I don't like the process of blocking lace. It can be very time consuming. This project wasn't as bad as some that I've read about, but I wove the blocking wires through every stitch along both edges. The result of the blocking is magical though and worth the time. So lace is definitely in my future, which means the blocking is also.

Here it is once more:

A special thanks to Knitdevil Madge for playing photographer with me yesterday. And for helping me untangle the "yarn barf" that exploded from a ball of yarn I was working with. It felt good to be knitting with my friends again, since I haven't been for a few weeks.

I've caught the KAL bug!

First I joined the Red Sweater KAL. Since my favorite color is red and I happen to be working on a red hoodie for my nephew, it seemed like a good idea to me. I plan on starting a red sweater for myself soon with some Harmony yarn from Brooks Farm which I also bought at Stitches West. Brooks Farm was my favorite "find" at the market! I'd like to suggest that my friend Mary join this KAL, since I know she bought some red yarn to make a slouchy cardigan and she loves to join KALs. Anyone else want to join?!

Then I joined a Debbie Bliss KAL. I love Debbie Bliss' designs, especially her designs for children. It also happens that the red hoodie for the nephew is a Debbie Bliss pattern. It's a win win! Once I'm finished with it, I might consider making one of her designs for myself also. The good news is that there is no deadline for either KAL.

I'm seriously considering joining Sundara's Petal Collection Club. I did some lurking around and saw some of the past colorways that were sent to participants and I liked them. Plus, I like the idea of getting a surprise in the mail.

Tomorrow I'm signing up for Stitches West! I'm very excited because this year I'll have friends from my SnB group joining in on the fun!