Missing in Action and Missing the Action

I have missed blogging so much these last few months while having computer problems. This evening while trying to load my pictures from my camera, I experienced a few more snags. If it wasn't for DH coaching me through some things on the Internet, I still would not be able to blog with photos.

Despite not being able to post, I have been knitting like a fiend. I will take some more pictures of all the projects tomorrow so I can finally post what I have been doing while missing in action.

I did join a Secret Santa Swap via Ravelry. I am a bit leery about joining because I got burned with a cross stitch swap in the past. We have a $40 limit excluding the postage and it has to be to the person by December 15. I am done, done, done! My person was so easy and I am so excited to hear what she thinks.

Part of the swap is to knit something for the person. I knit three dishcloths (which she didn't ask for) and the shawl below.

I have never wound a skein to a cake or ball before but after reading the label, it said to wind it into a ball for ease of knitting. So I actually followed directions for once. Fiesta is a Rayon Boucle and it's very textured. I used Addi Turbos #15 needles. It was very slick and slide around everywhere. I started the shawl twice. I dropped a stitch and it was a total disaster to try and find it. I found the dropped stitch and fixed it, but it left an awkward looking hole that I just couldn't live with. So I ripped out about two hours of work and started again. The second time was much easier and I did finish it.

I loved how the colors shimmered but have to say it was pretty tough on my hands. Thankfully it was a short project that went very quickly. I am not a fan of blue but the blue and purple look great together. It's not large enough to use as a full blown shawl to stay warm but more like an accent for a blouse with a lovely shawl pin. I liked it so much that I was thinking about looking for colors that I like better and making myself one.

I don't want to show the whole shawl, but just a tease in case someone on Ravelry goes snooping around.

I hope I can get back into the routine of blogging on a regular basis with no more hiccups!