Longest Project Title Yet

I mentioned previously that I was switching my SnB "Shawl-Along" project from the swirl shawl to Herbivore. Now I am pleased to report that my "Herbivore of Spring Flowers at Twilight" is finished! I even wore it a bit last night at SnB - between the AC and the lemonade, I needed it!

I really enjoyed this pattern - right when I just starting to think "Oh this is never going to end" and "I want this big enough but I don't want to run out of yarn", it was the right length to bind off. AND I didn't even use the whole skein - I still have about 100 yards left!


Before blocking, I rolled it up to put out of the way, and I just thought this looked like a little flower. How appropriate.


This pin heads make me think of Johnny-Five from the movie "Short Circuit" (Dude, the robot has his won webpage?!) or Wall-E.


Pinned out.


Not the best photo, but I'm feeling to lazy to edit it right now. Shows the large triangle section and the two smaller sections well enough.


How I will usually wear this shawl - I like the bandit-style. It stays put mostly, and isn't too heavy or bulky.

I'm super pleased with this project! I'm wondering about doing another one. With my needles "free" I can feel some start-itis setting in!

All Wound Up.

I think that's what I'm going to call my Swirl Shawl. The other night I was working on it and we had a heated, one-sided discussion. There was some cursing. Stitches were twisted and the yarn ball was had to be birthed out the center of the dpns. Let’s just say it was enough muttering for my husband to look up from the book / iphone game and ask what was going on over there on the other couch.

I am making progress - I'm taking my time, but each swirl isn't that bad. The first swirl is made with a knit-on cast on and I ended up with a rather loose swirl. Each subsequent swirl requires casting on new stitches and picking up stitches from the previous swirl. This is giving me a bit of trouble - I can't quite see how to do the knit-on cast-on and pick up the stitches in a way that keeps it right side up. So I decided that I would do a long tail cast on, knit/pick up stitches and just go from there. That helped with my speed a bit, but then I took a look at the line of swirls.

The first two (knit-on cast-on) are much looser than the long-tail ones. I think I like the tighter spirals. I think. And maybe it doesn't matter, because it is only the first row of spirals and there will be some blocking in the end. But then I also wonder if I am going to have enough yarn, given that the long-tail cast on leaves you with a long tail... I think between that and the heat it just got to me last night.

For times like that when I need a break, I have the Ladybug Jacket and that is going quite well.

Another Along

My SnB is working on a "Shawl Along" - not all the same pattern, just a shawl or wrap. I think we have all chosen something different, but all the choices are going to be stunning.
After much back and forth discussion with myself about the six potential patterns, I narrowed it down to the three patterns I knew I had the yarn called for or already earmarked for. From there I went with the lazy road and chose the yarn that was already in a ball and the pattern I had pulled out: Swirl Shawl and Melody Superwash Yarn.

Swirl #A1 is cast on and done - that's one out of eighty-two (1.2% done already!).