Summer and Winter

Although I have been crazy busy at work these last two months, and will be for the forseeable future, I have found a bit of time to continue along on my ChicKami. I'm guessing I'm about 2/3 finished.

I've switched to the lighter blue yarn now, which I continue to like. I'm only a little nervous that the fabric may be a little too stiff since I'm knitting with two strands of yarn. I've always liked my clothes a bit more structured, so I may be worrying for naught.

I also started knitting the scarf for my cousin. She picked out some fun furry yarn in a couple different colors to create a bold, color-blocked effect. Because the yarn is so furry, I actually have to pay attention to what I'm doing. The first time I started it, I started with 30 stitches. A few rows in I checked to make sure I was on track, to discover that I had added 8 stitches along the way. Since casting on again, I haven't had any trouble. I'm hoping to finish this scarf for her before Thanksgiving so she can wow the rest of her middle-school buddies with her stylishness for the duration of the long Michigan winter.

A New Knitter on the Make?

Today I took my little cousin (well, she's not so little, she's about 12) to the Old Village Yarn Shop to pick out some yarn for a scarf she asked me to make her. We spent a leisurely hour together wandering about and fondling lots of yarns until she finally spotted the one she was sure she loved.

She chose some lovely furry novelty yarn in a couple of bright colors to create a striped scarf. The whole day was just so pleasant and enjoyable. Not only did I get to bury my mitts into luscious quantities of fibrous goodness, but Rachel got to experience her first forays into a yarn shop.

I'm going to make this scarf for her, but I've promised that next time we meet we'll have a knitting lesson.

A Whale of a Tale

Last Thursday, I was driving in my car and I had reached my destination, but the story I listened to on the radio was so compelling I had what NPR calls a "driveway moment."

Apparently a 60ish surfer out in California was just paddling along on his board when he was lifted out of the water and carried along for a bit on the back of a whale. He received no injuries (other than a pinched finger, poor dude), and he never left his surfboard.

I was so mesmerized by the story, I just had to share it here. You can read more in this newspaper article, or listen to the radio story as I heard it.

In knitting news, I'm making progress on my Chickami. I switched to the lighter shade of blue last night at my weekly knitting class. I've got about seven inches more to go before I'm using only the white yarn. Pictures to come.