Just Do It!

Well, it's been awhile since I've posted. I went to Los Angeles for spring break, and then I've just been really busy with Life since then. I kept waiting for the right light to take pictures, the right time to sit and think, the right amount of knitting progress to show, etc. But this morning, I had some time off, and I decided I'd just go for it :-)

My trip to LA was wonderful! Our family had a great time, and I even managed to get in a few yarn store visits. I have to say, I showed unexpected restraint and only came home with this:


My first yarn stop was at a store that will remain unnamed. They had an okay selection but nothing to "wow." The salesladies seemed very nice to the "regulars" but didn't pay much attention to anyone else. 'Nuff said.

The second store I went to was A Mano Yarn Center, which Jillian had been kind enough to recommend. The store was cozy and inviting, and there was a fun, chatty group there knitting at the table. I had just missed their big sale, which had happened the week before I got there. They still had old Rebecca mags for 75% off, but not the ones I needed. The yarns were really nice, but they were ones I could get locally already, so I almost didn't buy anything. On my way out, though (isn't that always the way?), I spotted some pink Feza Lisa yarn in the $1 bin. I have never heard of this yarn. But I thought it might work for the Drop Stitch Lace Tank that I've been meaning to make, so I grabbed 3 balls. If it doesn't work out, oh well. But if it *does*, well, my tank would have only been $3! BTW, the staff was really friendly.

And finally, I visited Knit Cafe, which was a real treat. I met up with the super-talented Christie, who was really fun. It was so sweet of her to rush over from work so that we'd have time to chat for awhile. We also got to visit with Suzan, the owner, and Sarah--both were great! Suzan even showed us some of the knitted samples from the book! I was going to buy a book and have her sign it, but they didn't have any more books; they had even just sold the store copy and were waiting on more. At Knit Cafe, I bought the Rowan Studio book because I've long-admired Olga's Jolien, and my LYS doesn't carry these booklets. Christie and I were sad to learn that Knit Cafe will be moving. Oh, that also meant that I missed their sale too, which was scheduled for the week after I left.

All in all, it was a great trip, even though I got precious little knitting done. I had anticipated doing a lot of car knitting while my husband drove, but I couldn't do it because there was waaaaayyyy too much stop-and-go traffic on the highway, and that makes me car sick. I did manage to add several inches to the middle section of my Juno Regina, but there's not really anything exciting to show from that. The only other project I brought along was some Manos Silk Blend to make a My So-Called Scarf. I am almost half-way done with it.


Once home, I picked up Mirabella again. I finished the fronts and back and was half-way done with one sleeve when I finished my 2nd skein of yarn. I reached for the 3rd skein and...

...those of you who were whizzes at the "What's Wrong with this Picture" puzzles in Highlights will realize right away that I completely did not pay attention to dye lots when I bought this yarn. I mean, c'mon, it's an entirely different type of tag! My only defense is that I bought it at a sale and I was just in a daze with so much yarn. I thought about going back and exchanging it, of course, but I could really not tell any difference in the colors, so I decided--Just Do It! Yep, I want ahead and used a different lot number. I will say that when I went to block the pieces, the 3rd skein was more water-resistant and looked a heck of a lot lighter, which gave me a scare. But after awhile, those areas soaked up water too, and all was well. I'm putting the finishing touches on this baby and need to shop for buttons, but maybe I'll have an FO by the weekend.

Thank you all for the nice comments on Coral Seas. I credit my 8-year-old Sweetie for taking deceptively nice pictures of it. I am still taking a mental break from the tank before I decide its final fate!