No, Laura, I haven't finished

No, Laura, I haven't finished

As you probably know, Laura and I are knitting the Go With the Flow Tank from Inspired Cable Knits at the same time. Of course, Laura is nearly finished and will be posting photos of her tank very soon. On the other hand, here is my progress.



Yes, that's just the back. I've cast on and knit the beginning of the edging for the front, but there's still a lot to go.

For those of you interested, here is a detail shot of the cable and lace sections. Keep in mind that it isn't blocked. The color is very off in this photo; the previous photo is very true to the real color.



Of course, I haven't succeeded in convincing Laura that she needs to learn to spin as well, thus slowing down her knitting progress (although it looks like Karen has seen the light). I was a little distracted by the gorgeous Bluefaced Leicester I bought at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, mentioned in my last post.



I also have a nearly full bobbin on the Schacht and plan to spin some more this weekend. The Schacht and I had some rocky times when I bought the Joy, but I've learned to love it again. The better I become, the more I love using the Schacht. I'm not sure it was the wisest choice as a beginner, and I had a lot of frustrations with it, but I am growing into it and learning how wonderful it can be.

Currently, my knitting list is as follows:
- Print O' The Wave (working on the border)
- Cable and Rib Socks from IK (nearly finished with the second sock)
- Go With the Flow Tank (beginning front)

All of these, and the Child's First Socks from Vintage Knitting, should be finished by Labor Day. It shouldn't be a problem, unless I get bored and start something new.

I've also been contemplating my holiday knitting list. There are a few pairs of socks on there, plus a fair isle vest or sweater (depending on how much yarn I have), and maybe a felted bag or two. Considering all the other things I want to knit this fall, it's time to start thinking about these projects.

Yes, Spinning Has Occurred

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Originally uploaded by alerievay.

Lest you fear (or hope?!) that I had given up spinning entirely in favor of knitting, here is some photographic evidence. This is approximately 200 yards of a 2-ply wool/mohair mix. It was a combed preparation that I spun from the fold on my Joy. I'm really pleased with how this turned out.

I have also been spinning some really gorgeous Bluefaced Leicester I bought at Maryland Sheep and Wool from Haltwhistle Fibers, but I think I will wait until it is all spun and dyed before I share it. I have two pounds, and I think it will become a sweater.

Scavenger Hunt at the Met and Other Weekend Adventures

Scavenger Hunt at the Met and Other Weekend Adventures

A large part of the big law firm associate's summer is taken up by summer associate events and lunches. The good is that you have lots of fancy meals and drinks on the firm. The bad is that they take up a ton of time and are forced social interactions. Sometimes, though, they really are fun!

On Friday evening, I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for a scanvenger hunt. A few of you may know that I am a total nerd at heart. I watched Jeopardy! nearly every night growing up. I played Trivial Pursuit every time I could find someone to play with me. I'm also competitive; I almost broke up with a long-term boyfriend due to some really stupid plays in a Rook game. Needless to say, a scavenger hunt is my kind of thing.

The teams were picked by the organizers, and my team was great. My friend Javad was our navigator, always looking for the location of the next question. The rest of us puzzled out the clues and found the answers. We got first place, with a perfect score. I would highly recommend this company as a way to see familiar places in a different way (or even a way to explore new places). It was surreal rushing past Degas's The Little Fourteen Year-Old Dancer to find the painting in the next room or looking only at the painting on the back of Van Gogh's self-portrait, but it was really interesting and challenging.

There were also fiber-related activities this weekend. On Saturday, I worked a bit on the Print O' The Wave Stole and a sock. We also saw the new Pirates of the Caribbean, which is more likeable than the reviews indicate. On Sunday, I finished two pairs of One-Hour Baby Booties from Stitch n' Bitch Nation and the sock. I also started the Go With the Flow tank in Rowan 4-ply cotton. It's really lovely, but it is going to be a challenge--more in endurance than anything. There was also a bit of spinning on some really lovely Bluefaced Leicester from Maryland Sheep and Wool, but spinning is still on a bit of a hiatus right now. I'm a knitting fiend again.

Next time, I will have photos of the booties and some handspun I've been working on on the Joy.

A Trip to Vermont and New Hampshire (and a serious lack of knitting)

A Trip to Vermont and New Hampshire (and a serious lack of knitting)

As some of you know, I went to law school in Vermont, on this fine campus. (No, it's not affiliated with the University of Vermont; it's a private school.) I highly recommend the school and the state, even though winters can be brutal. Vermont in summer is heaven.

We headed up to the Northeast Kingdom this weekend for a classmate's wedding and promptly got lost on the dirt roads while trying to find our way back to the inn. In Vermont, there is very little difference between public dirt roads and private driveways--though the driveways are often in better shape. Thank goodness the car was a rental. I don't think we would have forded that giant puddle in our own car.

After a really lovely wedding and amazing party with some classmates, we spent another night at the Craftsbury Inn and took off to New Hampshire on Sunday to visit friends. (Did I mention that I held baby cashmere goats at the inn that had been born on Thursday? Oh, and I bought a pound of llama fiber from the inn's llamas--of course.)

In New Hampshire, I went to a lovely yarn shop in Lebanon called Country Woolens. It's a nice, basic shop that has a real New England practicality feel. They carry a lot of basic wools, probably more than I've seen anywhere. I bought two skeins of Cascade Fixation in a nice blue-gray colorway, two skeins of Regia Nation in the Germany stripes, and this Dale of Norway baby book.

We had a very nice time, although I wish I had the rest of the week off. It's always nice to see our friends from law school. Our friends in New Hampshire are great, in part because they have the most adorable daughters who are 4 and 1. We played and swam and had a great time with them.

Since there's no knitting in this post, I'll leave you with a photo of me with a few of my law school friends, minus the bride.



There will be Print O' The Wave progress next time, as well as some other projects.