The finished Product...well almost!
I finished the Lacey Green Jacket, but am not happy with two things and will be ripping one part out and re-doing another. I have never sown on buttons on a knitted piece and don't like the way the buttons line up.
So I will be ripping those out and trying again for a better line up. The second thing is...the second sleeve. I think I made it about an inch too long and didn't decrease as much as it said to. So I will rip that out and do the sleeve again so that it matches the first one better.

Even though I am going to do some ripping, I am still pretty pleased with the jacket and think that I will do a second one in the other color that I bought; yellow. I bought buttons for that one as well since I knew already about how large the button holes will be.

I have been smitten with lace work. I know this one is pretty simple and not lace weight yarn but it has whet my appetite for doing more, so much that I made am impulse purchase today while out scouting yarn shops for a pattern sheet that I saw on another knitter's blog. Actually I made two purchases but haven't gotten the patten for one yet so I will wait and show that later. It looked really simple so I thought I could do it.

I have already cast on and done 8 rows of this lace scarf. I can see already that I need more pointed needles for this. It's hard to see number one; and number two, it's hard to get the rounded points of the Addi's under the yarn to knit. Purling isn't as bad, but knitting it killer. I am finding that I have to go slowly because I am splitting the yarn. I loved the sample in the shop so I am hopeful mine will look as good as this one!

Amateur Mistake
The other day I had a dentist appointment. This wouldn't be so exciting for me but my dentist is really close to my favorite knitting shop, The Knitting Corner. I went early because I knew I would be able to sit a spell before going to the dentist. I needed buttons for my Lacy Green Jacket so I picked it up and took it with me. I was so proud that I had almost finished it. I laid it on the counter for the ladies to see and there were gasps. Before...

Evidently, I sewed up the sems in a not so attractive way. Susan (the shop owner) showed me the proper way. I was amazed at the difference in the two methods. Of course Susan's way was much better. You know what's coming next...I had to leave the dentist office with a new painful filling and rip out all my work from the day before. It truly was worth it.

After... don't you think it looks much better? Me too.
Here is the sleeve sown on too.
I have even got some buttons to sew on. I will be sewing them on tonight.

An Educational Meeting
I attended my spinning guild meeting this past Tuesday night. We had a field trip to the "country" and got to visit a member's farm. Debbie has some unusual pets...
Alpaca.

Debbie has about 8 on her farm. She raises them for their fleece. I have felt Angora and Cashmere, and Alpaca is right up there for softness. Their fleeces did need to be picked clean as much as a sheep's fleece.

Alpaca, come in many different colors from white to fawn to brown to black.
As you can see from the photo below, Debbie is holding her newest baby. The baby didn't seem to mind being picked up. I am not sure how much she weighs, but Debbie struggled for a moment and then she had the baby under control.

After we feed the animals and Debbie answered some questions, we went into the house to see pictures of her Blue Ribbon winner and feel the latest freshly washed fleece. It was one of the softest fleeces I have ever felt.

I really enjoyed the field trip and will be spinning some of Debbie's Alpaca as soon as she gets her fleeces back from the processor. If you ever have a chance to visit someone's farm who raise these gentle creatures, you really should go. It's a site to see!

Bites of an Elephant look like this
I have not been able to do much knitting since my last post but I did want to show you what progress I have made. I pressed the two pieces (back and the left panel). They look really flat but I am sure once it's assembled and fluffed up a bit by a squirming baby, it will be just fine.
This is the left front panel...

The back looked really nice when it was pressed ...

In the last few days I have started the right front panel and discovered there is an error. So I decided to repeat my same error for the other side and hope they match. I am hoping since my three day catering job is over as of today, I will be able to relax at night and not worry about all the food I pledged to make.

I think my third and last class for the Magic Loop socks is sometime next week. I am hoping that I can get caught up to the rest of the class and finish those socks. Maybe this will be a one sock deal?

How do you eat an elephant?
I know this will sound really funny but I was thinking that when I re-read all the instructions for the Green Lacy Jacket. I had resigned my self to panic every time I read it and then a sign came from a Chinese God somewhere. I am just kidding in a way.

I didn't feel like cooking the other night when I was in pre-pattern reading panic mode when I ate a fortune cookie. This is exactly what it said, "A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step". What are the odds that I would get a fortune like that out of 8 cookies laying on the kitchen counter? I took a deep breath and re-read the instructions and decided just to take it one little step at a time. So here is my progress while my house is falling down around my knees.
This is the back of the jacket with the decreases for both of the arm holes. I hope that I did it slowly and correctly enough. It's hard to see it in my head what it should look like. Now that I have done that, I have started the left front of the jacket and now I can see what I think it is going to look like. I think this is shaping up one bite at a time! I trudge on...