Remember when I said I hoped to finish my cherry leaf shawl by the end of the week? Well, that is not going to happen. As my mother used to tell me, “Never count your chickens until they’ve hatched.” (I guess I was counting my chickens a bit early on that one.) I was knitting merrily along with a friend over the weekend, and making a bit of progress. However, I was distracted by a late night and lots of laughter and one of my needles managed to escape from my project bag and remained at her house. So yesterday a new project was born. This one will keep me busy until my prodigal needle makes its way back home.

EDIT: In his comment to this post, my husband reminded me that Sarah, our cat, really is a chicken…

For at least a week now I have felt that this shawl is moving too slowly. This is probably because I chose to use smaller needles than the pattern requested, and therefore I had to do more pattern repeats. I am making some progress, however, because I am finally working on the border. This progress comes after several false starts. I did not really like the edging shown in the book and I looked for something different. I tried several different ones, but was not happy with any of them. I was hesitant to try some of the wider ones because I did not want to run short of yarn. After scouring the internet and looking at other versions of the same shawl, I discovered that the edging pattern in the book did not match the picture. So, after trying four other edgings, I reverted back and decided to use the original edging.  The detail of it is not readily evident in the above picture, but once it is blocked the pattern will be more evident.  Now I just lament that waste of time…I could have been that much closer to being finished. Ideally I would like to finish the shawl over the holiday weekend, but realistically I am aiming for the end of the week.

I saw this on Tammy’s blog and decided to play along.

: : My Knitting Experience : :

Bold for things I have done, italics for things I plan to do one day, and normal for stuff I am not planning on doing.

Afghan
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with bananafiber yarn
Domino knitting (modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Baby items
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Slippers
Graffiti knitting (knitting items on, or to be left on the street)
Continental knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Scarf
Teaching a child to knit
American/English knitting (as opposed to continental)
Knitting to make money
Button holes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dying with plant colours
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cosies…)
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on two circulars
Olympic knitting
Knitting with someone elses handspun yarn
Knitting with dpns
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Knitting for a living (This is my dream.)
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
Steeks
Knitting art
Knitting two socks (or other small tubular items) on two circulars simultaneously
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener BO
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with self-patterning / self-striping / variegating yarn
Stuffed toys
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mitts/armwarmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories
Knitting in public

If you are a knitter, and participate, leave me a comment so I can read your list!

: : Pictured yarn is merino laceweight from yarnchef in honeydew. Yum! : :

Yesterday after church we went to the Chinese festival at the Missouri Bontanical Garden. We were joined by my SIL, BIL, niece, and nephew. It was a relaxing and enjoyable day, probably partially due to the lack of crowds at the event. We spent the afternoon eyeing the exhibits, strolling through the beautiful gardens, and being entertained by my niece and nephew.

My husband and my nephew. From what I understand, my nephew is very much like my husband was at the same age.

My niece is quickly growing into a lovely young woman. She is an excellent student and a very accomplished musician. She knows what she wants and works very hard to attain it. I think she gets that from her mother.

I enjoyed spending such a lovely day with family. It was such a pleasant and uplifting experience, and I enjoyed every minute of it.