Knitting Progress

I have managed to get a few more rows of my Mystery Stole completed - I am now up to row 221. I am quite far behind...BUT...it's intentional. This stole is asymmetrical and the designer has provided instructions for both a symmetrical stole as well as the asymmetrical version. I normally lean toward symmetrical, but I'm very anxious to see the final result as I may change my mind. I don't HAVE to make a decision until row 287. I figure if I "drag my feet" long enough, I can get to the decision row at about the same time the last clue comes out. At that point, I'm sure someone will quickly finish their stole and post photos....THEN I can make my final decision. How's that for a plan?

In other knitting news, I've continued to work on the bag for my yoga mat - it's really coming along and I love the colors. So far, it's 11" long...and it seems to knit itself! It's nice "mindless knitting", so I'm really enjoying that part - it's easy to tote around and it's "low stress" knitting - a welcome treat!

I've also progressed further on the Cascading Fuchsias Noni bag as well - I'm at row 37....so I'm about 1/2 done with the main portion of the bag. (The original pattern said 60 rows, but the Paton's yarn that I'm using shrinks a lot more than the Cascade 220...so, I decided to add 10 additional rows so the final bag doesn't end up "too short"!

On Sunday, a few of us got together at my friend Catherine's for dessert and knitting...what a great combination! Needless to say, we all had a wonderful time, and I got the chance to check out the fabulous projects Catherine and Gretchen have been working on!

Gretchen's "work in progress" is the "Lavender Garden Shawl" (by Sharon Miller). It's gorgeous and feels wonderful - the "Silk and Lavender" yarn dyed by Lisa Sousa is absolutely stunning....this picture just doesn't do it justice! Gretchen has been very pleased with this pattern and has found it to be a relatively "stress free" project. Even though it's a lace pattern, it doesn't tether you too closely to the chart....which is always a plus! It's definitely a pattern I want to check out once I finish MS3!

Catherine is working on a lovely stole. The exact pattern escapes me at the moment....but I believe it's from the book "Victorian Lace Today". She's making it in Haiku....that fabulous mohair/silk lace weight that I love so well!

She also completed a Herbert Neibling doily and I have both a "before blocking" and "after blocking" photo of her creation. It's always amazing to see how a it all morphs into a stunning work of art! (It's not obvious in the pictures, but the "pre-blocked" size was 10" in diameter and the "post-blocking" size is 14" in diameter.)




Meet Mojo....he's such a sweetie! Normally, he's rather aloof when there are visitors around, but Sunday, he was very friendly and wanted to be in the "center of things". Poor Gretchen had a bit of a time knitting as Mojo decided her lap was the perfect "siesta" location. When not napping, he cruised from person so person, pausing for the expected strokes and caresses. (The glass is Mojo's PERSONAL drinking glass.)