Attention Bloggers!

You! Yes, you! All of you!
Start posting.
I know I've been lazy, but I'm making an effort. Time to step up, people.
I'm bored and need something to read. I'm making it your responsibility.

Evil Stores

So I moved this weekend. That's not the exciting part of the this post. I was back in South Bend finishing up some business, and I happened to pass by Erica's. Despite being mostly a quilting store, they have a very nice little yarn section in the back. I was going to resist going in there one last time, I really was. Then they had a sign out front that said everything you could fit in their bag was 20% off. Everything. 20% off everything.
It's evil, I tell you. And it's going on tomorrow still if you want to get sucked down too.
So I picked up Modular Knits, which I'd been coveting for a while, and a nice pair of size 8 rosewood needles. You wouldn't think rosewood needles could be so nice. Especially not for the price you normally pay for them. But at 20% off, who could resist just one little pair?
In essence, this is really a victory. I made it out with a book I'd been planning to buy eventually and one pair of needles. Believe me, I wanted to fill that bag full of yarn. They have Manos del Uruguay, Noro, some basic cottons and wools, some interesting novetly yarns, etc. All of these could have been mine for 20% off. But moving really puts the size of your yarn stash in perspective. Three enormous boxes is probably enough. For now.

Wedding Shawl

No, it's not one of those wedding shawls. I don't have the concentration or the year out of my life to make one of the fabled Stonington shawls thin enough to pass through a wedding band. However, I do have a long time friend getting married this June, and she's going to wear it at her wedding reception. Let's face it. It's quite an ego boost to have something you've made be a part of one of the most important days of someone's life, especially when it's someone you really love.
I sent her these WIP pics so she can match it with her outfit. I wish I had the time to make something at least a little more intricate, but at least it looks pretty. It's about a foot and half wide, and should be a little over 4 feet long when I'm finished.
It's two skeins of Kid Silk Haze (70% mohair, 30% silk) knit in feather and fan on size 10 needles. I had never done feather and fan before, and it's amazingly simple. (But don't tell the non-knitters that, I want them to be impressed.)
Here's how it goes:
Multiple of 18 stitches, a garter stitch bottom is nice (I did 4 rows)
Row 1: Knit
Row 2: Purl
Row 3: * (K2tog) x3, (yo, K1) x 6, (K2tog) x3, * repeat from * to end
Row 4: Knit
Repeat until desired length. Amaze and astonish your friends.
Now the trick is just getting it done before the June 24th deadline.

FOtos

Okay, I've been a bad blogger recently. But here, to make it up to you in one big post are several pictures. I haven't been lazy. Well, yes I have. But I've also managed to knit a few things as well.
For mother's day, my mom got two shawls. One was going to be for her birthday, but I'm not very good about keeping presents once I've finished them. The crochet shawl in beige is the Sweet Pea shawl from the Happy Hooker. She's actually posing, so you can tell she likes it. Look at the close-up.
It's huge, and took a little while, but it was far easier than the other one. So of course she likes it better.
The other is the Sheer One-Piece Shawl by Iris Schreier. I really like the whole modular knit thing, but this had a lot of stitches and took a long time. Luckily, I had a lot of presentations to sit through while I was knitting it. I'm tempted to buy the book, but that requires money.
And rounding things off is the Big Bad Baby Blanket from Stitch and Bitch, made on commission for one of my mom's friends. She's very feminine, so I added some pink ribbon.

Everyone go see Amanda!

One of my friends just started knitting not too long ago, and she's already seriously addicted. So go see Amanda at amanda-knits.blogspot.com .
Mother's Day shawls were knitted and crocheted, and I'll have to bug my mom for pictures because I forgot.

New Thoughts

Yes, I know you want shiny, pretty pictures of knitted objects, but I'm going to disappoint you once again. The only thing I've (mostly) finished is a crochet shawl for Mother's Day, and even it still needs fringe. I've been working on unimportant things, like final exams.
However, something occured to me today, and I think it might need mentioning. (I'm probably wrong, but am going to mention it anyway.) In the Yarn Harlot's first book, she talks about all the tape measures she has lost over the years and estimates the number of tape measures that much be hiding in each room of her house. I totally understand, and except for being younger, have probably lost nearly as many and still have no idea where they're hiding. They're probably in the same place that socks in the laundry go. However, what disturbs me more is the number of little yarn scissors that I've lost over the years. If, for instance, you lost a knitting item in the couch, wouldn't you much rather it be a tape measure than a tiny pair of absurdly sharp scissors? Sitting on a tape measure would cause a lot less injury to the person and the tape measure.
Think about that the next time you sit down. I've probably lost something at your house too.