And so the journey begins

It won't be a fast trip, but definitely a worthwhile ride! Pictures of the colors don't do this project justice. Scooter has a better camera than I do, that I have shanghai'd many times, so maybe with his, I can take shots that will capture a truer color palette of these yarns. Around 6:30 pm last night, I took a deep breath and cast on 316 stitches that were to be joined in the round without twisting. For those of you not familiar with Alice Starmore designs, they are knit completely in the round with steeks that are cut open afterwards. Eeeeeeks! After studying them for the past week, I'm not as fearful as I was when Toni first explained to me that she would be cutting her phenomenal Norway sweater open for the neckline and the sleeves. I'm actually very excited about it, and I see more of these designs in my future!! I'm so thankful for Toni's help and inspiration. I think she sees it as nothing more than helping a friend, but it's become a motivational push for me to challenge myself. She made the join for me, and from there I was unstoppable for the rest of the evening. I'm using Addi Lace needles in a size 3 because I like the sharper points better. Since the yarn is 100% wool, it is a bit sticky, but these needles were definitely the right choice. The yarn glides right along. So far, I have learned how the steek stitches are made, as well as how to do corrugated ribbing, and I am loving it!!!


Yesterday, I mentioned a beret I was knitting for some Fair Isle practice and forgot to show you a picture. So, I took one to include today. I'm almost finished with it, and I love the colors I chose for it! I didn't think I would enjoy Fair Isle after I made my step-son a hat last winter with some penguins on it. I couldn't seem to get my tension right, but he liked it nonetheless. After practice, I think I've got the tension thing down now, and I love it!

After finishing up some errands yesterday, I stopped by the grocery store for a few things we were out of. I rounded an aisle and came face to face with a woman I worked with at the hospital 25 years ago, and hadn't seen in many, many years. We stood talking for a few minutes and kept discovering similarities that had taken place in both our lives over the years since we last saw each other. We have both divorced and remarried, live just blocks from each other, and it turns out my husband (Scooter) works with some of her and her husband's friends. We were both in a hurry, so we exchanged phone numbers, and are planning to get together this evening for coffee. I'm not sure how we even lost touch in the first place with each other, but have agreed we have a lot of catching up to do.

So, with the renewal of a long lost friendship, and my new Alice Starmore sweater in progress, it seems I have a couple more new things to look forward to for the summer!