This and that

It’s time for updates since I really do not have any finished articles to show.

Chicks: Troublemakers, they are. Troublemakers with a capital “T”. They started flying out of their enclosure, so I took out the chicken wire enclosure I had so cleverly (at least I thought so) created in the chicken coop. That’s all it took. They immediately started flying around the coop, facing off with each other in mid air, beak to beak, and generally being sassy. They are nothing like the Buff Orpingtons and Astrolops I got two years ago. They were calm, stayed in their box, and generally had a sweet disposition. This batch is bratty. Yesterday, they also escaped from their side of the coop. The door which divides the coop was just enough warped at the bottom that they could squeeze through. I was able to catch all but one who decided it was time to take an exploratory walk in the woods. Since I twisted my foot the other day, my mobility was somewhat limited. In any event, this little bugger was much faster than I was, gimpy foot or not. I assume it became someone’s dinner last night.

Lace Shawl: I am slowly progressing on it. It’s an interesting color way; so far no color change is exactly the same as a previous color way. I am not too sure if I will ever buy another ball of this yarn, but will have to wait until the Michigan Fiber Festival to see if Saska has a booth there and what they have. Last year they had coned cashmere, but I am glad I did not by a cone since I can get it for much less from ColourMart on E-Bay or directly from the company in Scotland http://www.colourmart.com/ . For those who may be interested, I found the pattern at the following site: www.canknit.com/free/kos.html .

Second Baby Surprise Jacket: I finally found the buttons and they are sewn on and now I can ship the afghan and the two jackets to afghans4Afghans.

Baby Blanket: Is also coming along. I have to order more yarn. With gas prices at $3.25 it’s cheaper to order yarn than drive an hour to the nearest yarn store. I found the pattern at
www.freepatterns.com/list.html?criteria=babyknit . Three more balls of Encore should do it, I think. Well maybe I should order four.

New Project: I’ve started, frogged and restarted the new Pi shawl from the EZasPi group at Yahoo. Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Pi shawl is extremely easy to knit, but one has to be able to count and stay on track. Well I had a “senior moment” and went from the 6 row section to the 24 row section leaving out the 12 row section. The basic Pi pattern is casting on 9 stitches and joining them. Then knit one row. Double stitches, by K1, YO (18 stitches). Then 3 rows are knitted. The stitches are doubled again in the same manner (36 stitches). Knit 6 rows. Double stitches again (72 stitches). Knit 12 rows. Double stitches to 144. Knit 24 rows. Double stitches to 288. Knit 48 rows. Double stitches to 576 stitches. Knit up to 96 rows and then decide on edging. If needed one can double the stitches again and knit up to another 192 rows. But my shawls are always big enough if I knit the 96 row section. I am knitting it in a fingering weight 100% coned wool yarn from Brown Sheep. The color appears to be a natural tanish gray, almost like the natural Shetland roving my daughter gets from Chickasaw Farm. I usually make these shawls in a less expensive wool until I see what the finished product looks like.

Knit Picks Option Needles: I really like knitting with them, but the plating wore off on my 3.5 mm (US 4) needles. They are still functional, but I sent them an e-mail yesterday advising them of same. Today, I received a reply stating to do what I want with the defective needles; they have put another set of tips in the mail. I'll order them again if I need some, particularly since the new lace Addis only come in very limited sizes and length.

That’s all folks! Knit on!