Not So Fancy Nancy

Amy Butler Tote and helpful cats

Finished this tote bag late today and I like really it. This just became my new purse.

I think these early Amy Butler Charm strips and dots go well with her much newer graphic floral even though not one of the colors actually match. I like the cool tones they all have. Added the dark ribbon to ground it and was pleased to find it actually makes the flower centers pop and conveniently keeps your eye from noticing the color mismatch.

The ribbon was originally wrapped around a gift box from a long-ago boutique purchase. Squirreled it away thinking it would come in handy some day. One can't keep everything (or at least probably shouldn't), but just jump over and take a look at Julia's great new bag and you'll forever hang on to extra Elk hide. Don't have elk hide in your stash? Must be a Texan thing. Julia's been a sewing fiend lately, so be sure to scroll down and check out the clothes she's making.

Many of you have asked, so I've been trying to figure out ways to explain how I make these bags. As I've said before, I really do just whack them together. No pattern. No plan.

Each starts with a rough idea built around the individual fabrics, and is open to modification as I cut. For example, on this one I decided on making it just four inches deep, about half as much as previous totes. Also included a reinforced double pocket up high on the inside for my cell phone and keys, which always ended up lost in the bottom of my other bags. Inevitably I'd pull out a maxi pad with my phone in front of people.

I've also been thinking about having the stripes at the bottom and top and decided it looked right on this one. The strips top the inside lining too, and I'm delighted to say they all line up around that top edge. Can you say obsessive?

For me a project like this is a new puzzle, which is how I like it. It's fun to let it take shape as I work. To be honest, it's not been particularly relaxing to think about how to explain the process. I keep veering toward writing a full pattern, but I just don't want to. First, because I do it differently each time, but also because writing instructions is just too darned close to work. When I worked for money I wrote user manuals and in-house technical documentation for FDA controlled medical devices. I get focused and it's got to be perfect. Every parameter explained. Every path on the flowchart followed. It's made me a little crazy these past few days just thinking about it.

I'd much rather just pour a glass of red and admire my matched stripes.

But I promised, so I have taken some photos I'll share next time so you can see the steps. What I will share are construction techniques that I like, products I use and the general process.

This morning I had three tote bags on the table, but I couldn't get to them due to Mr. August. That's Raven back there on my little padded board. In a head slapping moment I now realize why I had to pick her silky black fur off my projects all day as I was ironing.

You can see by the ears he's only faking. But he didn't intend to budge.

Finally got him to move, only to return to the room to find him repositioned on a different project.

Oh, I want to show you that artwork on the sideboard and another. Still need to take them for proper framing, but for now they're propped in the dining room.

View from a Plane Window by R, age seven. The quilter in me LOVES this one.

Adobe by R, age nine.

She brought this one home roughly folded and stuffed in the bottom of her backpack with all the other flotsam and jetsam from her desk on the last day of school. She didn't like it because she didn't have time to add the roof and the perspective lines aren't perfect. I got out a stack of modern art books to show her that was just fine. This so much better in person because the think pastels create the effect of heavy paint - it has great texture. Right now it's just placed in this frame - matting this one for depth will be good for it.

Bag it up and pass it on

Trying to go Euro and stop collecting so many disposable bags when I run my errands. We have canvas grocery bags, but I want to cut out the shop bags too. So, another new bag:

Sorry, but the wind moved the door every time I hit the button - it was personal I'm sure.

Take a last look at this boring gray concrete because soon this courtyard will be refinished. My turn! Neighbors on each side are landscaping and the courtyard becomes a sound chamber for jack hammers and tile saws (think big dentist's drills from 7:30-4). We are on volcanic rock and everything seems to require jack hammering. Add street refinishing to that today and you have a virtual NYC street symphony around here. Can't believe these lines are actually sewn straight considering hormones, presence of little people and ambient noise and smell levels!

Loved this mod fabric from Alexander Henry and ordered a yard of each to make ... something. Not right for a skirt for me, but just had to have it.

That's not black but the darkest semi-sweet chocolate brown behind the flowers and a Nekko chocolates pattern on the bottom and inside.

Just happened to have the blue thread in my machine from putting the Chenille-It on the Monkey quilt (OK so far - cross your fingers) so I knew I had to make this next.

Going to start calling these my 2-yard Bags. This was all that was left of these two fabrics. Wouldn't have even had that long strip if not for a mistake. I prefer my handles wider, but only doubled my final desired width rather than quadrupled it when I made my first cut and then it was too late. When I'm feeling really obsessive I make more pockets out of the remaining bits, but I liked it with only one this time. I'm sure these will find their way into a quilt.

 

Having a heat wave here. Only in the mid 80's ... but, we don't have A/C. I admit it, we're CA wimps. The zonies have sent one of their monsoons our way. Humid summer storms off the Gulf of Mexico produce great thunder, lightning and rain over the desert, but get wimpy by the time they cross the mountains - zero precipitation for us, just humidity.

Wouldn't be so bad if there was a spot of shade to be found. Nope, no shade here! It's a SE face - boy howdy it's hot by noon! Hope on the horizon though since I'm starting my final landscape drawing tonight and the contractor starts after the holiday. Imagine a patio, fountain, trees and plants filling this area. I'm trying to keep the faith.

So, what's this?

Answer in a bit.

The kids' summer is moving along:  Pool, county fair, friends, pool, torturing your sister ... OK, what's next - I'm bored ...

Me, I'm not bored, so get over it kiddo and find ways to amuse yourself. One of the best life skills I can teach you, and - ding ding ding - I get to reap the benefits from the get-go.

Wanted:  a pool/beach bag to hold all the stuff in one trip. Bonus points if my DH isn't embarrassed to carry it.

Success. It had already been to the beach before I could grab this photo. DH reported he loved it. Waverly home decor fabric on sale from JoAnn's last year. I've seen loads of Amy Butler knock-off inspired prints there this year. Go make yourself one. Costs about the same as some seasonal tote from Target (seasonal as in "lasts only one season, if you're lucky") and holds the world... Well, four beach towels, knitting bag and usual paraphernalia to be precise. One bag for the whole family.

One of my favorite orchids. Four bloom stems! Past its peak, but still lovely. Especially against the dog/kid crushed family room sofa. Note to self ... tidy before blog photos. As beautiful as the blooms above are, this really makes me happy:

Found this slipper orchid stalk hidden today, along with three orchids with other unopened bloom stalks. Send this plant your best vibes. It had a bloom growing two years ago but young one knocked it over and it went into shock, dropping the bud and has been dormant since. This will be its first bloom ever. Needless to say, this bud is a secret (safe here since the youngest one doesn't read yet).

So, what was that hand in motion up to?

A new knitter is born! 

Sunday afternoon in Paris

No pattern - just basic bag design techniques. Fast, fun and I like the way it looks. Works for me. One little trick:  I add a strip of cotton quilt batting (the flat type) to the center of the straps which makes them more comfortable and solid looking. Sorry these photos are a little soft, the light was quickly fading as I took them - one sign of autumn in a place otherwise devoid of it (except for the retail fantasy that assails you at every turn). 

The tag was a little joke with myself. Got them made a while back to ID my girls' handmades after a poncho disappeared and this is the first time I've put one into something of my own.

Stayed up way too late with this and do so wish I could take a nap with such total abandon. She's "a big kid" now and doesn't need naps anymore she insists -- until she just stops in her tracks. Guess I should use my unexpected quiet time to go prep dinner...

In which our Wench learns the True Meaning of Swatch

I've always swatched. Always. It's easy:  Knit about 5-10 rows, stretch it out on the circular cord, take a measure (give or take a stitch), then knit. Learned this technique at my mother's knee. Love ya Mom, but you know that's what you do!

Could this possibly, maybe be the reason I've knit about 4-5 inches of so many sweater backs, only to get that icky feeling that the thing is waaaay off? We all know the answer to this question, and some of us even act accordingly. Some of us. That group never included me until now.

This:

is becoming this:

Aren't they lovely? Not washed or blocked yet, but I feel like such a responsible citizen of the knitting community. I'm doing the full Knitter's Review thing here. Starting with a cast on of 6-8 stitches more than the expected count and garter stitching the borders. Trying multiple needle sizes where needed. Will wash, block, remeasure and note changes.

What brought about this sudden leap to knitterly maturity? Well, of course it's been in the back of my mind every time I make a half-assed swatch ... "Should do this correctly shouldn't I? ... Humm ... Oh well ... next time ..." You can see several of those dink swatches in that basket above. Yep, I'm so bad. I knit a couple of inches, take out the needles and throw it all back in the bag, so very sure that I'll remember what needles I used and what project I had in mind. (Actually, I do remember projects, but the details go out the window.)

This bad habit has been brought to an end by the convergence of desire and market forces. I want to make Kepler (PDF pattern link) and I'm probably toying with SABLE (Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy) even though I plan to live a long life! OK, maybe not SABLE, but certainly enough for the 05/06 winter season. I know it's just plain wrong to buy yarn unless I establish as fact that I don't have anything to gauge. (Loop-hole Queen am I)

And what about all those other just-a-gleam-in-this-knitter's-eye projects? All that yarn was purchased for something. And this is only about 1/2 of it. Swatching on a large scale is required.

Finally, this week has been very upsetting. My heart goes out to these people. Far too much time watching TV (deepening my distaste for TV journalism, although I admire most of the ground crews), so I've had time to knit. I didn't want to knit anything I would wear. Every piece of my knitting represents my life to me. It's time trapped in stitches. I don't want a Hurricane Katrina sweater. Swatching has worked for me.

Finished the bags. Very cute if I'm allowed to brag ... isn't that what blogs are for? Yes, the kid and the bags. I'd staged a still shot, but Miss Emmy wanted to model. Gotta love the shoes! Sorry the pic is a little dark. The sun was going down, but she really wanted to help. We've been together 24/7 for three weeks now and she's quite certain of her role as my helper.

The pink bag doesn't have it's firm-bottom insert yet (Where can I find one of those? Don't comment "the gym" or I will come find you), but otherwise they're done. They're pretty big, so my girls can fit all the necessary items for a sleepover or trip to Grandma's. On each bag there's another 6" or so of striped fabric above the circle print, which is gathered with ties, but they're both sunken down in this photo.

The sewing machine's in the shop now, so that's the last of sewing for a bit. The timing went off on the last button holes and caused great distress and much seam ripping. Just like knitting huh?

Oh, to those of you who think I sew neatly. No.

That last post only looked neat because I'd had to clean everything for the weekend. This how it looked while finishing.

Note the two completely unnecessary knitting baskets taking up prime real estate that I just kept working over and around. And the pile of scraps falling to the floor. You can't see the huge pile of snipped threads and loose pins to the machine's right. Actually, this looks pretty neat for me.

Thanks for the very nice comments on my last post. Sorry, but I dropped off in answering emails over these last weeks since I've had Emily home all day, every day. And Rachel's still "adjusting" to homework. I've adjusted her to no TV or friends over Monday -Thursday, but still the adjustment continues. For such a smart child she's a slow learner sometimes. Given all this mothering, I haven't had PC time. Next week pre-school starts and hopefully I will regain some balance.

I'll close the two things that have provided escape and refreshment this month:  The Outlander Series and Bubble Tea

Pi Shawl & Pancake People

Pi is progressing, but since its 40" or so of beauty are squeezed onto 24" of circs photography is challenging.

This was two days ago, but I'm still on the 288 st/rd section, though nearing the final repeats now. I've been overcome with the need to personalize the 576 st/rd section, so I spent a restful (to my hands and arms) evening on Monday browsing pattern books for complementary patterns and edgings. I've got it narrowed, but not absolute. Will share soon.

Finished the felted bag handles and have been using it every day. I know I should have done I-cord handles, but I was just too lazy. Instead I cut long lengths of both yarns twisted them together, twisted again, then felted. This yarn didn't hold the twisting well at all, so it's pretty lumpy, but the thickness is right, the colors are well mixed and, most importantly, it's done! This bag has turned out to be a great size because it holds two smallish projects side-by-side so I can pick up either as desired. Without a clasp it probably wouldn't travel well, but I don't use it that way. Can always sew one on later.

That's Deli peaking out. Some rows added, but not a particularly exciting visual difference at this point.

Don't know how this happened, but more laceweight found its way into my stash!

Lorna's 50% silk 50% wool Helen's Lace. Sorry the label is so over-exposed, but otherwise the yarn was too dark to see the colors, which are pretty accurate in this photo. Still choosing the pattern.

End of knitting content

As you can tell from these photos, May Malaise (to be followed by June Gloom) has arrived and it's overcast most mornings now. FYI to anyone every planning a vacation to the San Diego Co coastline:  avoid late May and June. There's a very predictable weather pattern where the marine layer is thick over the coastline every morning, usually burns off for midday, then returns like clockwork every afternoon. Personally I love it, but it might bum you out if you were planning a vacation of frolicking in the waves and enjoying drinks with umbrellas while watching the sunset.

I'm feeling like a Pancake Person

I've been thinking a lot lately about ethics, religion, ego and other constructs of human consciousness. Far, far beyond where I want this blog to go, but I'm going to throw some links below and you can follow - or not - as your interests dictate. No particular order or even connection beyond that they're interesting to me.

First, from a discussion on Edge.org:

But today, I see within us all (myself included) the replacement of complex inner density with a new kind of self evolving under the pressure of information overload and the technology of the "instantly available". A new self that needs to contain less and less of an inner repertory of dense cultural inheritance—as we all become "pancake people"—spread wide and thin as we connect with that vast network of information accessed by the mere touch of a button.

THE PANCAKE PEOPLE, OR, "THE GODS ARE POUNDING MY HEAD"
Richard Foreman

This really jumped out at me. Sometimes I'm overwhelmed by the sheer volume of things vying for my attention, other times I'm thrilled with the availability of so much information. I'm trying to take in so much, yet build "inner density." The Edge site is full of interesting reading that I'm just beginning to wade through.

Errol Morris' web site. I saw The Thin Blue Line in 1988 at an art house theater in Louisville and I've been excited by this man's unique art ever since. Very interesting site including his ad work.

WikiQuote can be a thought-provoking time-suck.

On the bedside table:  Status Anxiety by Alain de Botton. Just started this, but it fits so well with what's floating around in my head right now.

There's more, but I need to help a whining, crying, teeth gnashing seven year old who can't for the life of her figure out how to just DO IT! She wants every drawing, every piece of writing, every creative endeavor to match the perfect image in her mind. She's the classic perfectionist frozen by her inability to meet her self-defined standards. We've always seen this in her and have worked over the years to give her tools to deal, but she is still sometimes incapacitated by it.

I taught art in her class today and the teacher pulled me aside to send this project home since everyone else is done and it's part of a parent's night display tomorrow. He told me he's held her back from recess and other activities, but still she just sits there. This is from the kid who's generally a good student and is great at math and science. It's the creative stuff that puts her over the edge.

At this moment, right next to me, she's yet again fallen into dramatic tears wailing "I can't do it!" over and over. I'm on the edge myself. So you don't think me too cold - I spent an hour with her this afternoon having her tell me her "vision" and then working through logical steps of project execution, all of which she's now ignoring. We're on hour three of this play now. Decided to remove myself from the drama for a while by writing this.

Not asking for solutions here, but rather explaining why I'm drifting. Just re-read this post and it's so vague and poorly realized. It's no wonder the great thinkers and writers were always men - kids and complex thoughts are incompatible.

Must go knit. A lot.

Booga Bag III & Favorite Knits

I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day. My mom came out from KY to visit, so we had a great time knitting, visiting knit stores and talking about knitting. Oh, yeah, and we hung out with the kids and ate out for almost every meal except the breakfast and dinner my DH made Sunday. For us it ranked pretty darned close to perfect.

For those of you in or visiting the San Diego area, be sure to visit Knitting in La Jolla at 909 Prospect Street, La Jolla (in the village). I knew a store was down there somewhere, but hadn't had a chance to explore. We stopped by on a whim while driving up from the airport and were so pleased we took the detour. Owner Suzanne Pineau has filled her shop with an incredibly diverse collection of yarns and books. Highly recommended. I'll try to snap pics next time I visit. Did pick up The Opinionated Knitter: Elizabeth Zimmermann Newsletters 1958-1968 and A Second Treasury of Magical Knitting. Maybe there's a kitty bed or two in Claude and August's futures?

My family doesn't do much in the way of gifts between adults, but I was driven to distraction by my mom's gorgeous Blue Sky Alpaca wrap (sportweight, deep navy blue) on the needles in a grocery store plastic bag. Simply sinful! It just had to be addressed. I gave her my Big Kureyon and mohair big Booga Bag (right). She's happy. I'm a good daughter. Everything's great. Except I don't have a bag that I used a lot. What's a knitter to do???

Come on. What do you think I did? I ran right over to my LYS. This is two hanks of Brown Sheep's Burly Spun variegated wool (Forest Floor colorway). Couldn't resist including the lone volunteer CA poppy.

Used US 19's and the Booga Bag pattern with the addition of YO eyelets on row 30 (rather than poking holes after felting as the pattern suggests). Otherwise, I followed the pattern, though I would consider fewer CO stitches and more height if doing it with this yarn again. Of course I could have added height, but I didn't want to go to three hanks. When I ran out of the Burly on row 31/34, I finished with an odd-lot of Brown Sheep's Bulky from stash. Nice when stash actually works. Pre and post felting pics below. The cereal boxes are for shape - still haven't found a good form for this yet. It really helps if you can find a box to fill out the shape completely. Still working on the handle cord.

On a different trip to my LYS I switched to Rowan's Cashcotton for the Classic Cafe Deli pattern (the spec'd yarn).

Both the flowers and the yarn really are this intense! Just loved this color and I think it will be a better match for the pattern. Got gauge, so I CO the back and two front panels - only had a 40" metal circ set open and I had to do something with that space didn't I? I don't turn my work to purl on the WS; instead I knit backwards across the front, which means no problems with tangling. Hope it will mean all my decreases will align. I'll let you know when I do how I plan to re-direct my Lavold Silky Wool - want to try and use the 4" I've knitted so far.

Dearest Risa has once again lead me down the path of yarn acquisition. (Looking just now at her MDS&W posts I think she's ahead of me on that slippery slope!) Just what I needed, a link to Kaleidoscope Yarns, who have Blue Sky Alpaca and Rowan Cork, among others, on sale. The prices are great, so click at your own expense. I'll save my pattern thoughts for when I photograph my in-transit yarn. Between the Blue Sky Bears and Froggy's versions of Kate Gilbert's Bunnies my guess is half the knit bloggers are kicking out some sort of stuffed animal right now - definitely perfect little gifts.

A few days ago Jacqueline (who btw didn't do so badly herself at MDS&W!)answered the following question:  "What's your most often used knitted object?" Thought I would too. Join in if you'd like. Rather than nominate one object, I'll show three workhorses in our house.

The Manos Throw, Spring '02. I've got to include the before shots so you can appreciate the after. This was one of my first big projects and I was so proud. Pre-digital pics, so sorry, but I've got to photograph my scrapbook page.

It was soooo pretty before three years of daily use by kids, cats and adults. Now it's been machine washed (yeah, I know, but it needed it) and received exactly one defuzzing before I gave up and gave in to the inevitable. Trust me, it actually looks worse in person, but the colors are still so wonderful. The housekeepers always fold it up into a very tiny square and stuff it under the throw pillows in the corner of the sofa - they must wonder what the heck this rag is doing spread like a cloth of gold on the family room sofa. But like a loving mother of a ner' do well, I still see it as it was in its glory. And it's darned warm.

The Surfer/Skater Hat, Spring '02. Learned some simple cables and bobbles on the Manos Throw and made this one-ball Noro Kureyon hat to play with my new techniques. The first time a hip young dude at a surf/skate shop said to my older DD "Cool hat!", I knew I had a winner. She wore it until she'd grown so much it was popping up on her head. Younger DD just discovered it buried in the closet last week - I think it will have a second life.

The Harry Potter sweater, early Spring '03. No pattern (didn't know the Rowan one existed at the time), Mission Falls 1824 cotton (sadly discontinued), little knitting experience, and a kindergartner who desperately wanted me to be Mrs. Weasley. She wore it literally every day until summer and most of first grade too. Couldn't ask for more.

Btw, after seeing these scrapbook pages, aren't you glad this blog is typed?

I'll close with non-knitting thoughts: 

Know thyself.
Know thy limits.
Share your feelings.

Laziness
Success is a journey, not a destination. So stop running.

Dare to Slack
When birds fly in the right formation, they need only exert half the effort. Even in nature, teamwork results in collective laziness.

Amused? There are many more, some much more snarky. Well worth a quick look:  Demotivators® at Despair Inc.

Beats the heck out of the motivational posters with which my former boss covered our pre-fab, icky fabric-covered walls. Yeah, you may have figured it out, but I'm not a team-player. My dislike of teams began early in school when, inevitably, my grade potential was attached to the performance of the biggest idiot in class. I do understand that self-formed or competitively selected teams can do amazing things - whole greater than the parts, yadda yadda - but who among us hasn't been a victim of this:  "OK kids/workers, let's form teams - it'll be FUN! I've already selected the members of each team..."

Drying Felted Bags & Booga Finale

Never has the laundry been so caught up in this house. My husband's come to love the idea of felting. Yeah, at first it was "Do you really need another bag?" (yes) and, "Isn't that circular - knitting more bags to hold more knitting?" (duh) But he's with the program now that he's found he doesn't have to ask for clean athletic socks, towels, jeans or sheets.

Here're my bags drying:

The red Booga is after wash three and the others are too many to remember. I think I'm done. I really recommend finding a box and using it between each wash. As the felting progresses it can take some strong-arming to get the shape and having a box form to pull against made all the difference for me. For my standard Booga a Puffs tissue 4-pack (square boxes) still in its shrinkwrap is perfect. That's a small Arm & Hammer cat litter box under the Big Kureyon bag. I probably should have stopped on the previous felting of the funky doctor's bag, which answers the question "Can you felt too much?" - Yes. It's extraordinarily thick and stiff, so I amused myself with shaping weird pointy corners. Still, it's cute enough and I've already used it to carry a scarf project several times.

Here's the red Booga, with a magazine inside for size reference:

It's still damp and will be a little stiffer when it's completely dry - it takes about 12 hours in this pretty arid climate. I'll probably put in a cardboard bottom. I like the way the twisted cord felted. You could choose not to felt the cord - it would look great that way, but I was afraid of little fingers prying my twists apart over time. Those white flicks in the handle are the undyed yarn I was talking about. There's one really noticeable stitch on the other side of the bag. Not the end of the world, but if I was making it again I might leave that section of color out of what is an otherwise vibrant colorway. Overall, I LOVE this bag.

The twisting demo is to come this afternoon. My 2nd grader is all over this. All the way to school this morning she talked about how she was going to manage both the mixer and taking the photos. In 1st grade she listed movie director as her career of choice. She's a little auteur in the making - hates being on stage, but will direct anyone who'll listen.

I did finally answer one of the nice cards from stamping friends I've received this fall. I love making and sending cards (matching the stamp to the envelop gives me a cheap thrill), but it's been hard over this last month.

Noro Kureyon Booga Bag with Twisted Handle: pre-felted

Followed the Booga Bag pattern, but added eyelets about 7 rows short of the cast off and used a twisted cord instead of an I-cord:

It's a good boxy shape, I just stuffed my sweater inside for a quick photo. I still love this colorway, but the darkest color had white, undyed bits in every skein, which I could have done without. We'll see how that felts.

I want to send a huge thank you to Jackie, who encouraged me to make a twisted handle like she used on her beautiful blue Booga-inspired bag. 

Here are twisted cord instructions, but I found another comment where someone tied the active end to an electric hand mixer rather than twisting by hand. Always the geek, I had to try it. Amused the heck out of kids and cats, but it worked very well after a few mishaps that included the beater flying across the room (not too loose, not too tight - gotta find that sweet spot).  After knitting two I-cords in the last weeks I am all over this technique. Takes about 15 minutes and it looks great. Also, I think it mixed the Noro colors really well. And yes, my arm's getting sore patting myself on my back.

Beautiful Noro Colorway 124

Wow, I'm loving this colorway (124)! To be honest, I'd had a few "what was I thinking?" moments looking at the skeins, but it's knitting up just lovely.

Haven't knitted much today, but have been a good mom. Made some of my best pancakes ever this morning (nice to succeed when you have an audience), which I served with warm chunky applesauce and yogurt. The girls had a great time and a new era has been ushered in nicely. Ended the visit with trips to the park (with dad - that's when I cranked Beethoven and knitted) and the library (with the moms). Now DH is amusing Emily and making dinner - I'm a lucky woman. Giving thanks a week early.

Felted Bags and Silky Wool

My bags are usable now, though I probably will felt them both again. I like the shape and size of both. The little doctor's bag is perfect for small projects and the large one holds an entire sweater.

Just had to go pick up the Silky Wool today. Isn't this lovely? And affordable! Can't wait to see the drape of this.

Didn't find a color I wanted for the poncho and with two kids in tow didn't want to try the other yarn store. Some other day. Nap has claimed Em and R's on a birthday movie trip, so I'm going to go recline and knit. Finally worked out my Noro Blossom sleeves last night, so I'm going to cast those on. In the mood to finish some things.