Rants and Raves

This was my christening shawl from Heirloom Knitting by Sharon Miller...it started and stopped, I ripped and reknitted, it was tiresome, tedious and devastating to my ego - how can I, who knits complicated lace patterns during hockey games, fail to grasp a shawl made in FEATHER AND FAN (collective gasp!). So as the song goes - you gotta know when to walk away....and when to run! I also confess to having started this project in this particular yarn because I think it's rude to plunk your tush down at a knit nite at a yarn store and not use yarn from that store! Or is this just me? See told you there would be lots of ranting!

Continue with the Estonian Leaf and Nupp shawl from Lace Knitting from Estonia (by Nancy Bush). Don't get me wrong I think it came out great - but I had read all the hype about baby camel being super soft - but cashmere is still softer! I will say that it seems "sticky" much like a shetland wool - and it is extremely light weight and warm! And I loved the color (mostly cause it seems to match my ever greying hair!) But still going to go with the cashmere! I seem to be having a problem with most of the shawls in this book being short...well short for me! So I continually seem to be reworking edgings!

More ranting - not knitting related! How can this administration promise better health care when the clinic I regularly use has you wait 15 days for a "well visit" and a scrip for maintenance meds - and don't even run the tests you know you're going to need and they always request until after you've had the visit which is timed to less than 10 minutes! This system is hopeless understaffed, and the last time I checked it takes a little bit of time to educate a doctor! I don't know if it's the insurance industry/or failure to have coverage that is the issue!?

And as promised here's a rave or two! First one is not knitting related - Hey Al - yesterday the boy beast was taking apart the fairly new tv downstairs - ripped off the power supply and there sat an oozing capacitor - where I heard "YES - I knew it was elephant snot"! Seems the boy beast had a class with Mr. Al when he was 7 where the oozing goo was referred to as elephant snot - and he still remembered 7 years later! Teachers have such a profound impact on kids! Also how weird is it that my 14 year old can fix a television (supervised by his dad - who had to buy the parts! - okay and a lot of the actual work but they are doing this together and hardly fighting at all!)

Here's my Cameron Shawl (by sharon miller) - like the shawl - love almost all of her designs! But I really really can't say enough about this new fiber combo from ColourMart! I'm using the merino/silk/cashmere blend in a 2/30 weight! My swatch washed up prefectly (dawn/mediumhot water, two rinses and rolled up in a towel - then blocked)! So of course I bought more! The picture is what's on my needles - but I can't find the swatch to take a picture! But where ever it is...it's perfect!