Finished!

...the linen shawlette, test-driving the shop pattern I re-vamped (really, there is nothing worse than a typo in a lacy pattern - I'm glad to say I didn't find any!). I did tweak it a bit to make it bigger (aka "use up more of the yarn").  I am really pleased with how it turned out.

(yes, I need to clean the mirror!)

and you might've missed this one from last week. Peasy. finally. I procrastinated the finishing for two weeks because the yarn was so knotty that I had dozens of ends to weave in. but I am glad I finally bit the bullet. Lydia and I got lots of compliments on our matching sweaters at stitches!

timing for finishing is perfect. great yarn arrived at the shop yesterday and I've added about a half dozen more projects to my near-term list!

designer crush.

...one of the highlights for me at stitches was meeting mercedes tarosovich-clark, the designer of my recently knit retro redux shrug. I didn't even know she dyed yarn, too. well, she does and it is beautiful! we all picked up skeins of the merino/bamboo to knit her pave real shawl.

and this morning, I saw she has two designs in the upcoming IK.

the counterpane blouse, knit in the same louet euroflax I'm using for my linen shawlette (and that we just reordered for the shop!). I can't tell from the photos what the construction is like, but that back panel is simply stunning!
and the beach house pullover, which I'm (sadly) thinking is knit in pieces because it calls for straight needles. but it's knit in a worsted weight (translate=works up quickly) - out of a merino/alpaca blend that might be pretty similar to my favorite berroco ultra alpaca? and that might make it worth the trouble to seam.

too much.

...time has passed and it seems like so much has happened since I last posted. the last time I let a week go by between posts, I promised myself I wouldn't let it happen again. ....but I did!

it was a lovely week, full of knitting, time with friends, lots of walks, crafting, a 2-day event and even a visit from katie. I did take a few photos. wish I had more!

this was friday - lydia, lynn, kathy and I went to the stitches market. wow, fun! kathy had to leave before the group photo and the post-stitches visit to canoe. we missed her!

and saturday - I volunteered at it's the journey's health & wellness expo. cool photo on the board, huh?

and yesterday - katie came for lunch. no photo of her, but she helped me document my knitting - taking my ravelry project page from this

to this

this week is looking like another busy one - I'll try to do a better job with the photos, the documentation, and the sharing. hoping a promise made here will be one I'll keep!

lots of lovely.

...in our yard. lovely blooms all around.

and sara. ready for prom.

(more photos here)

going to state.

...for the first time in roswell high's 61 year history - the girls won their round one match in the regional tournament and qualified for state. sara didn't play, so I wasn't nervous :-), and simply enjoyed the day - great tennis, plenty of sunshine, and a bunch of nice girls (and their parents).

we lost the round two match (as expected - it was vs walton - they've been undefeated for the past six years) so today is the consolation match and determines seeding for the state tournament. it's going to be another warm sunny day. perfect for watching more tennis and enjoying the company.

back to normal.

...more laundry, more groceries, more cleaning up. but I'm ok with all of that to get this back.

monday morning way too early after sara's 11pm flight on sunday. she's catching up on food magazines that arrived last week and I'm working on the pattern for my upcoming "vanilla sock" class.

news.

...this started as a post simply to share the good news that I've WON an autographed copy of alana dakos' (aka "never not knitting") cosette wrap pattern from life on laffer. to say I'm excited is an understatement. I love the pattern. we've ordered madeline tosh for the shop. and I have a special skein of eyre for the border. oh my wow.

but this morning I agreed to an administrator for cast-on cottage's very own facebook page. and this afternoon there was an email asking me to post about "being a fan" on the shop blog. and I realized I needed to actually be on facebook.  ninety minutes later...I'm on facebook. if you have any advice to share about how to not let this become a real timesuck (I knit, remember?!), please share. (and katie/sara, I promise not to friend you, unless you friend me first!). I'm not sure if this is good news, or bad news, so that's why I'm simply sharing "news".


our redbud is glorious. the rain today has cleared the air (it was a bit yellow before). the colors are clean and vibrant. this is great news, for sure.

I finished a sweater. from my perspective, great news, too. marc thinks he's lost count of how many sweaters I've finished this year alone. (me too).

and last but not least (and no photo), the mailbox is safe. I collected the mail without seeing anyonething. this is fabulous news for sure!

I didn't scream.

(honestly!) but I was a bit freaked when he crawled into the mailbox once I opened it. and I was very careful not to close the door all the way so he could escape later.

marc picked up the mail yesterday. I'm not sure I'm ready to open up the mailbox yet.

google weather doesn't lie.

...right? (or at least no more than any other weather forecast!)

this week is looking fabulous for sara, sharing her spring break with katie. and as much as I love them having their sisterly bonding time, I admit to just a little bit of jealousy. springtime in nyc is lovely. and even more so when it's warm. (and being warmer than home. and drier. priceless!)

what a difference.

...a few really warm days (highs in the upper 70's), a bit of rain and then lots of sunshine have made at the park. it is definitely, finally, beautifully spring! I got April off to a lovely start with a long walk. and my camera.

this is our favorite pear tree - can't wait for sara to see it in person (now that the temperature is above 50 degrees, she's promised to walk with me on sunday)

the pond. the irises should be blooming in a few more weeks.

and that forsythia that was barely showing yellow a few weeks ago is now starting to green.