Good enough to steal

So, I was commissioned to knit a beautiful shawl. I was incredibly happy with it.






This is what it looks like on the front. Ignore the cranky look on my face. Look at the pretty shawl.


The lady wanted her daughter to wear it for her wedding, but couldn't finish it in time herself, so she commissioned me to do it. This was in October. The daughter wore it in her wedding (I'm so proud!) and absolutely loved it. She took it on her honeymoon to Paris, and didn't even want to pack it in her bag to wrinkle it. On the ride in from the airport on the train, both she and her husband fell asleep, and someone stole it off her lap. Even the thieves in Paris are fashionable, it seems. She was devastated, and called her mom crying as soon as she got there.
So, the mom contacted me again - she wanted to surprise her with the shawl for Christmas. I had already decided that the first time I did this shawl would be the last thing I took before Christmas, but after hearing the sad story, I couldn't help it. I made the exact same shawl over again for her, and got it to her in time for Christmas. So, I didn't do any Christmas knitting on my own, although I did do some cool stuff for some shirts for my dad.


In Summary:
Pattern: Gossamer
Yarn: Kid Silk Haze (75% mohair, 25% silk) 225 yards - 3 skeins. The pattern called for 4, but it was done in 3 with plenty to spare.
Time: About 30 hours
Needle: Size US 4

Lorna's Laces

Despite the fact that I haven't been showing you any knitting, I have been knitting, and I should update soon. In the meantime, I went on a yarn tour! My old knitting friends back in South Bend arranged a trip to tour Lorna's Laces in Chicago. I met them up there, more or less halfway (actually, less for me, but that's not the point).


I got to see Vicki, Aubrey and Kristine, among many others who remain blogless. I also met some new people who have joined the old group, but they seem pretty okay, so I'll let them stay. (Hey guys, sorry I blogged your asses, but it was the only picture I had of the group.)

The place is in a rather scary looking warehouse in a cool part of the city. Their actual space looks like a nice place to work though. The entire dyeing operation is done there.


They showed us around, let us fondle all their yarns, and then the owner, Beth Casey, gave us a demo of how she dyes the yarn. It's pretty much the same as I saw a lot of when I worked at the shop that dyed Dream in Color. The biggest difference is that they apply the dye to dry wool, as opposed to wet, which I found pretty interesting.


This is certainly a familiar sight though, and often the most time-consuming part of the process.


And then, there was shopping.

They had about 5 big tables full of mill ends at discounted prices. There's nothing wrong with those yarns, just that maybe they didn't conform to a certain colorway, or they were experiment, or they were the odd one out. At any rate, I don't mind having something a little unique.

Despite the vast piles of mill ends, I only bought one gift for a swap partner, and enough for one pair of socks for myself:

It's very practical, and will make excellent dress socks, for when I have to look all grown up and professional. I'm not showing the other one in case said swap partner decides to read my blog. But it's also very pretty!
All in all, I'm glad I went. It was pretty hard to haul myself out of bed in the cold, with the schedule I'm working, but I'm definitely glad I did it. It was great to see everyone again, and pretty neat to see how a functioning small business operates.

Halloween

So, I was Sarah Palin for Halloween. Twice. Because really, I've never looked like anyone famous before. I think I do a pretty good job though.



And then, I was a beer wench. Because two nights of being Sarah Palin is more than anyone should be Sarah Palin. Especially Sarah Palin.

More silliness on flickr.