My summer vacation...

best viewed large- just click on the photo

I have a little over three weeks until school starts up again. I have been taking it pretty easy. I slaved over finals (actually got an art blister executing my final for sketching class), and it paid off. Straight "A's" in all classes again. WOO HOO! BTW- I didn't notice until i published this post that the colors of my final project are pretty much the colors of my blog. too funny. I wasn't thinking about that at all. Guess it's obvious where my taste in colors falls.
I have been knitting feverishly since school let out last week. The one item that I actually worked on while in school is the baby blanket fro Niko. The blankie is not yet finished, and I am ashamed to say that once school let out I have completed one other project, and started two others. One of the two new projects is for a birthday that is right around the bend. So there is slightly less guilt there.

The blanket in progress: I spent hours sketching out different schematics and color layouts for a blanket. Being me, one solid color was obviously not an option, and I didn't want to do stripes, that would have been far too easy. A postcard from one of the museum's that we are members to came in the mail. It was a picture of a Frank Lloyd Wright stained glass. And there was my inspiration. I love all things from the Arts and Crafts Movement. There will be a strip of orange running the entire length along the left side, and currently the plan is to pick up stitches and add a seed stitch border in the graphite color. I was working on the upper left section while in the hospital waiting for little man to be born. I was so nervous and distracted that when I went to change from blue to graphite I snipped the yarn to switch while facing the purl side. DUH! But, I loved the ridge and the added color contrast, so I went with it. Oh yes, I will use the three needle bind off to "stitch" the pieces together, it will compliment my oopsie color switch.

Another pair of felted slippers. These are a birthday gift for a friend of mine who lives out of state. I won't say where, just in case that person reads my blog. Although I seriously doubt it. This person loves camo colors and these colors are the closest to camo that I had in my stash, I think it looks pretty camo-ish. I am totally broke and having to limit myself to making projects from my stash. I started late Sunday night, finished one slipper early Monday evening, and am well into the second slipper today. Because of felting logistics I don't know if they will make it to the intended recipient on time. But I am ahead of the game for now at least.

I would love to introduce you to Frank, Bobby, and Molly. Better known as Frank Ochre, Bobby Blue, and Molly (it's like Madonna or Sting) from the Malabrigo family. I have loooong been in love with Frank, seriously in love. I have several skeins purchased long ago. Molly is a heartbreaker. I used her to make a gift for someone last winter, and had some of her leftover. Now it was when I first met Molly and brought her home that I noticed how spectacular her and Frank looked together. It was also at the same time that I thought about Bobby (he came to our shop a long time ago. I admired him them but did not act on my feelings and he was unavailable for many many months), and wished that I was able to bring him home.
Well recently Bobby came back into my life and I was able to introduce him to Frank and Molly. I have completed a project
with the trio, but you will have to wait to see it. It is to be felted and I want to show you the before and after at one time. I have never felted anyone form the Malabrigo family. They are way too soft. I have always thought of it as some kind of sacrilege. But the time came, and I am anxiously awaiting the results.

I have swatched for and about to start the Opera Gloves from "Mac & Me". If you aren't;t familiar with her patterns you should be. The money made from the patterns goes into a college fund for her daughter, Mac. Each pattern has a bio on the back telling us how old Mac was at the time that particular pattern was published, and what she wants to be when she grows up. It varies from waitress to diagnostician to firefighter and so on. There are so many great patterns from this designer. I will be using Koigu in a gorgeous blue grey brownish palette. Yes, it was in my stash. I will be doing these without the fingers. These may or may not wind up as a gift. Not sure yet.

This sack of stash will be transformed into the Rather Huge Carpet bag from Noni patterns. We recently started carrying her patterns at the shop. They are fabulous.