Tuesday, November 25, 2008

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!

8 comments:

Susan Luni said...

Interesting! I'm sorry you have been MIA. You have had your challenges, both knitting and blog-wise. I wouldn't have thought that a center-pull ball would be better than a skein either, but I suppose they have their advantages. Can we see more of the shawl after the swap?

vlb5757 said...

I sure have missed blogging! I have tried to keep up with my blogging friends but have gotten behind on that too.

The label said that the cake tends to tangle if it caves in on itself. It also said that putting the ball in a plastic bag was also a good idea too. It said it wouldn't pull or grab othe yarn or fabric. Very tricky stuff but I loved all the shimmers it had with the blue and the purple.

Yes, I will show the whole shawl as soon as I put my items in the mail. I have to mail it sometime the first week in December so she can get it by the 15th, which is the deadline. Thanks so much for checking on me! Hopefully I can get my sweater up on here soon. I have some questions for you!

Tracy Batchelder said...

I hope everything goes smoothly with the computer now. The shawl is pretty! I'm a fan of blue, so you know I love the colors.

vlb5757 said...

I hope my swap person likes it too. She said she likes purple too so I thought it would fit the bills two times.

I have missed blogging and hopefully will be back on track now!

Anonymous said...

oooohhh that little tease looks beautiful! Can't wait to see the whole thing!
Good to see you back :)

vlb5757 said...

Hey girl! I see you survived Thanksgiving. I took pictures of most of the MIA projects yesterday. Just need to download them into the lap top since I can get them on the desktop. It's a pain! The shawl is small but could be larger if I had more skeins. It was just a token gift for the swap person. Glad to see you again!

Sandra @ Thistle Cove Farm said...

Nice yarn; you're doing great.
Sandra @ Thistle Cove Farm in southwest VA
thistlecovefarm.blogspot.com

vlb5757 said...

Thanks Sandra. I checked out your blog and it looks like there is a nice roll call from all over VA.