New Toy, New Project

I made the first thing with my new artisan wooden crochet hook. It' s a size H and I am in love.
I made Dante a new cap from this pattern by moogly. It is some band less acrylic, likely Vanna's Choice. It was fun and I would like to make more (in a different yarn).

BW Inspires

My last name means "the Writer" and I want to live up to that name sake. I am trying to record the thoughtful inner dialog that happens as I knit; allowing that richness to transfigure from thought to ink on paper. I once read that this way was the way that Barbara Walker works.
Also, I am wondering about the power of the journal to record a point of view. My sister seems to find Anais Nin's greatness in her diaries and I am reading about Zelda Fitzgerald leaving her soul in her journals.

New knitters

I am having so much fun. I have 3 fifth grade girls learning to knit at a local elementary school. We have 2 hours together and, during their break, they keep eagerly peeking in the door to see if it is time to return.
I am sharing a pic of the work table as I am not sure about taking a pic of other people's kids for posting here. So, I share  their successful knitted cast one while they have recess. Also, the wee sampling of finished objects.

Bragging

I simply wanted to take a moment to brag about the awesome notion that my husband provided me this last weekend. A little Swiss army knife, something that a fan of Macgyver has always longed for. It is a great knitting notion as it has a good little scissors and a nail file. I bet that the toothpick might even be able to help with drop stitches and cabling.

Swirl the Third

I seamed my second Knit Swirl sweater today. I sauntered in wearing it for the beginning of our second set of Swirl girls. Joyously completing the second one meant that I could delve into my third, worked in Lotus Yarns Mimi 100% Mink. Buttah! I am going to have a hard time putting this down to work on other very important samples. The previous two, folded in the background, are nearly forgotten as I knit forward on my new love.

Back to the Grind

I was knitting like crazy from Saturday through Monday at 5:45 pm so that I could do welts 24 to 63 of the Knit Swirl, Winter Waves. I had promised a blocking demonstration for our 6th class session and I delivered as planned.
I share this tidbit because it leads into the next. During my knitting marathon, I received my order of Essie In the Cabana. This morning, I celebrated my nearly finished second Swirl by painting my nails properly: used my friend's tip about freshly swiping each nail with remover just before applying the first coat, did 2 thin coats in total, and even took the time to apply a top coat. The color is exactly what I hoped it would be! Let's see how it lasts as I have yet to be impressed with Essie in the past.
Now, I can return to class sample knitting and wrapping up the last few rows on the larger version of my new pattern.

Peacocks, In Theory

Peacocks, in theory, are lovely and elegant creatures. Their tails are an inspiration to many artisans. This shawl is Rose Beck's Peacock's Tail. I loved making it and I love the yarn, Baah's La Jolla. As I knit on this item, on recent evenings, I heard a sound that brought me back to a freshman classroom at Alemany High School so long ago. Peacocks wander the grounds of the parts of campus that touch the Mission San Fernando. Their mating call is far from glamorous or elegant. It is an ugly, almost scream. This call echoing over your  biology teacher's lecture makes for an unpleasant afternoon. Seems that one of my current neighbors has a lovelorn male whose call echoes through our little valley in the wee hours.

Good Times Were Had

Eweniversity came and went at the store this last Saturday. It was a fantastic day. I taught 8 classes: 1 one hour and 7 half hour.
We sewed the project bags that contained many fun treats from some of our event's sponsors. I made stitch markers with the image of Ana the sheep to match.
On Saturday night, in the haze of blissful exhaustion, I began to play with the yarn that was in the bag: 1 ball of Plymouth Mira Mira, 1 hank of Blue Sky Alpaca Techno, and sample of Anzula For Better or Worsted (perhaps 5 to 6 yds). I came up with a shawlette that used every bit of all three and a few skills that people may have picked up at the Eweniversity classes.
It is all done now and I need to write it up. The pattern will be issued in two sizes, the first going out as a thank you to the students and later, the complete set available for sale on Ravelry.