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Finally...FO's!

Roman Candle Socks
After a month of traveling (Kansas City, Orlando & Phoenix), I am ready to stash my suitcase in the back of the closet and stay close to home.  Leaving town three times in the span of a month is just too much for me!  Each trip was fun in its own way, but I'm looking forward to getting back to a more 'normal' routine - which involves lots of cat snuggles (of course!) and - lucky for your - more frequent blog updates!

The name of the game this month has been SIMPLE....with SELFISH following closely behind.  Exhibit A: I finally finished the malabrigo socks I started last October!  I'm not sure when the pattern is coming out - it was a test knit for an upcoming design from Two Sticks and a Sheep - but whenever it does, you'll be able to purchase it with the rest of the Fireworks and Folly eBook patterns.  Fun fact: Botticelli is the first skein of Malabrigo sock I ever purchased - I think I bought it at the first Stitches Midwest I attended!

Robin loves it, despite its flaws.
Speaking of projects I started in October of last year, this Travel Shawl from Knitting 24/7 has finally been put to rest.  There were many trials during the knitting of this project - for some reason, I just couldn't stop screwing it up.  More than a few times, I discovered dropped stitches several rounds after the fact - never a fun thing to try to repair!  Yet, I pressed on.  I have to say, the end results are surprising - I thought I'd be able to spot my mistakes much more readily, but on the whole they are masked by the pattern itself as well as the yarn.  I did discover one final dropped stitch after blocking which has been somewhat clumsily repaired.  It truly did earn the title "Shawl of Doom" - besides all of these technical issues, I also ran out of yarn (which I expected to happen) and had to pinch-hit with a contrast-color for the border.  I'm not sure the silvery color I used would have been my first choice, but I was shopping from my stash and it was one of the better options I had on hand.  All in all,  I'm glad I finished it, though I don't think I'll be attempting another shawl on this scale anytime in the forseeable future.

I'll try to post a better photo soon, but this one I took right after finishing the bind off that I swear isn't posed is too adorable and must be shared with the world.  Both Robin and Tilly enjoy a good hand-knit....sometimes, a little too much!
The Age of Brass & Steam...

Finally, the handspun that has been calling to me for several months now has transformed into a triangle shawl - namely, The Age Of Brass & Steam, which has been in my queue for several months now.  I cast on for this fast-knitting shawl the night we got home from Orlando; five days later, I bound off just as the plane touched down in Phoenix.  It's been keeping me warm for these last bitter days of January ever since.  I have lots of yarn left over, too - I think a nice, warm hat is in the works.

...see also: cat blanket. This scarf is Tilly-approved.
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