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August 1, 2005

Success!

Despite a rather hectic weekend with considerably less knitting time than I had hoped for, the LBS is done! I finished the last bobble yesterday morning, and can I just say that the bind off row took me forever, and those bobbles are a real pain in the ass. Literally. I was binding off for somewhere in the neighborhood of 4 hours. But, here she is.

Before blocking, of course.

Blocking was delayed by the Cheyenne Frontier Days Short Round Rodeo performance. A good friend of ours was team roping so we got tickets and went. It was fun, but a rodeo is just a rodeo. Once you've been to one they're all pretty much the same. However, there were a lot of people - this is just one grandstand, there was another one this size and then 3 or 4 smaller ones.

So, after I got home from the rodeo I pulled the LBS out of her bath and started blocking. Blocking a shawl was a new experience. It's a lot different than the pieces of a sweater. It took me awhile because there was some trial and error involved in getting it the same on both sides. However, the welding rods work great for getting a nice even line across the top.

I'll take a better picture once it's dry and give you all the specs.

In other news, I finished the first Sherbet Sock. I had to make a few modifications - I had to decrease 8 stitches around the ribbing because my ankles are too skinny and the sock bagged and I changed the bind off from a purlwise bind off to the Elizabeth Zimmermann's sewn bind off because it's much stretchier and I find it more comfortable. I might try decreasing another 8 stitches on the second sock because it's still a little baggy, but I might not and then the second sock will be just like the fist (assuming I can make the stripes match). I guess I'll have to see how I feel when I get that far.

And I've saved the best for last! Presents!!

Lynette sent me some lovely sock yarn and treats from her travels for guessing the answers to some trivia questions. Isn't she sweet?

And I got a drop spindle and some roving from my KRSP! Isn't she awesome? Awesome and faster than the speed of light. I mean it was only Tuesday when I mentioned I wanted a spindle and by Friday (I picked it up on Saturday) I had a package in my hot little hands. I so love instant gratification. Thanks Secret Pal. You rock.

Now I just have to find the time to figure it out. I'm so excited to try it and see if I can actually spin yarn. I'll keep you posted.

So, in order to get the shawl done I got absolutely nothing done around my house - no laundry, no cooking, no weeding, didn't get my pots replanted - the list goes on and on. But, I figure there's time for all of that after the wedding (or maybe sometime this week). Thanks for all your support. Have a great day.

Posted by Stephanie on August 1, 2005 8:10 AM