The first of September. Would someone please tell me how this happened? The boys are back in school and in full swing. There are fundraisers and activities and volunteering galore. Nearly every square on the calendar has something scribbled on it. Except for Mondays. Mondays are rest days for my 3-Day training. There are no after school or evening activities. I wonder if we can keep it that way?

Speaking of ones, of singles as it were, isn’t this lovely? A single skein of Wollmeise Lace in Amethyst Light.

I got caught up in the frenzy the other day. I just happened to be in the right (?) place at the right time – everyone was tweeting and plurking about the Wollmeise update on the Loopy Ewe. I remember in the throes of it, I asked my dear friend Kristin what color I should get. She said it didn’t matter but I better choose quick! And she was right. By the time I finished my order it was all gone. It was insane.

I think it’s going to be a cardigan when it grows up.

You want interesting, relevant content? Well I got none. It seems like all I do is walk, volunteer, and grocery shop lately. It seems like time is moving in a fast-forward blur but at the same time all the daily annoyances are just more annoying. Right now at 7:57 pm on a Monday night I am catching up on laundry. The amount of laundry I do on a weekly basis makes me seriously consider becoming a nudist. The fourth and final load for today is in the dryer. I did it on Saturday. And I just helped my 10yo tidy his room and found at least a load’s worth in there. So incredibly annoying.

I am knitting. Well actually I am knitting and un-knitting and tinking and frogging and there might be some cursing thrown in there for good measure. All for the love of this.  (By the way, the Namaste snap bags are nothing short of fabulous!)

I bought the yarn at Stitches South. And it’s been screaming at me ever since. Something clever, something cute, and wouldn’t these stitch patterns look adorable together. They do. But because life is annoying my math brain is broken. I have a very good math brain. I do math in my head quicker than most people can do it on a calculator. But this math was giving me gas. I have spent countless hours watching the excel gridlines wave and blur in front of my eyes as I tried to make it just so. I hope and pray it’s just so now.

Oh and the walking. How on God’s green earth do people who have a full-time job train for this 3-Day nonsense? I have 13 hours worth of training scheduled this week. Yes, you read that right. 13 hours. 35 miles of walking and 1 hour and 15 minutes of cross training. To be honest I don’t know if the cross training will get done. I’m considering doing some yoga dvds though. Because my muscles are super tight. Not cool.

And speaking of the walking. I desperately need donations. I’m not even halfway there. I have to raise $2300 to walk in this event and I’ve only raised $829. I have another few hundred coming in from the garage sale proceeds. But the long and the short of it is that to walk, I have to have the $2300. And if I don’t have it on start-day they will let me walk if I guarantee the shortfall with a credit card. And I’ll be honest with you folks, I don’t have $1000 to spare. But the beauty part is this – if everyone who reads this gave a little – $10 even – whatever they could, I would blast by my goal in no time. I really, really want to walk this race. But I cannot do it without your support.

So for awhile I’ve been toying with the idea of doing a book – specifically an e-book that I might self publish in paper form as well. And the other day I had a fabulous idea for a theme. It plays off something I’ve done before, but I think it will work perfectly for this sort of thing. And I’ve started acquiring yarn for this project.

The other day I spent a birthday gift certificate at the Loopy Ewe and got some Sanguine Gryphon Skinny Bugga in Cotton Stainer, a beautiful rich dark pink. And today I got caught up the Wollmeise Lace Update madness and purchased a skein of Wollmeise Lace in Amethyst Light. Two yarns down,  five to go.

I would love to use five different yarns.  Yarns that are beloved and revered. Yarns that make people go “Ooh, can I touch it?” when they hear a project is made from it.

So here’s the deal. This is shameless research marketing. I need your favorite yarns. I’m looking for different weights, but mostly of the lighter variety – maybe lace to DK. Tell me what it is, tell me why it’s the best. Tell me the colorways that make your skirt fly up.

And on Monday, August 23rd, I will use the comments to choose two folks who will get a yarn & pattern prize from me. Some kind of fabulous sock yarn and a PicnicKnits shawlette pattern to go with it. So 8/22 is the commenting deadline!

So please, comment away – tell me what’s the best – tell me what I’ve been missing. I need to know!

Today we begin knitting the Daphne Ann Mystery Shawl. I’ve already answered a couple of questions and put a little graphic out for a portion that is a bit fiddly. And I’m unreasonably excited. The fact that folks are choosing to knit something sight unseen that I’ve designed makes me feel very happy and very proud.

The one thing I did not think of was a cut-off.  Having never done this before, I’m not sure it will be feasible to still be helping on clue one when the rest of the folks are on clue four or whatever. Although I don’t think that much help will be needed. Hmm… I think I will cut things off just to be safe. The mystery knitters will knit along together for the next five weeks and then afterward I will release the pattern in it’s entirety. So… if you want to get in on the group-thing, you need to do it soon. I’m going to sell the mystery knit until Wednesday, August 18th. And then it will go away until after the knit-along is completed.

So buy now, or be prepared to be patient!

When I went to Stitches South, I bought all kinds of pretty yarn. But my favorite by far was the Tomato Frog Bugga. So absolutely luscious. It’s an MCN blend – merino, cashmere, & nylon. And it’s really just love in the form of yarn. And it’s red. The most beautiful semi-solid red with so much depth. And I made it into this:

One skein of Bugga, size 7 needles, and lovely lace patterns to edge the top and bottom worked side-to-side in one piece.

This knit up crazy fast – even for me. I think it was that the yarn was just that nice to work with. And even when I soaked, there was only the faintest tinge of red in the water – which is just unheard of. At Sanguine Gryphon, they do it up right.

Needles: Size 7 needles (4.5 mm)

Yarn: Sanguine Gryphon Bugga in the Tomato Frog colorway, 113 grams, 412 yards

Size: Sample blocked to 74″ wide and 18″ deep

Gauge: 18 stitches and 26 rows = 4 inches in blocked garter

Notes: Worked from side to side. Offered in charted and written format.

The Renita Shawlette on Ravelry – $6.00 USD

PicnicKnits is going pink! I’ve got less than three months until I have to walk 60 miles for the Komen 3-Day Breast Cancer Walk. And I’ve not even raised 25% of the money I need to be able to walk. So I’m going pink! Yes, it is a lot of pink. But it’s here until I reach my fundraising goal of $2300. Even $5 will help -  here’s my donation page.

I’m also in the process of designing some new pink patterns to help raise funds for me and my team. So watch this space for those.

In other news, you only have until Thursday, August 5th to buy the Daphne Ann Mystery Shawl at the bargain price of $6.00. After that it goes up to $9.50. Even if you would just like the complete pattern after all the mystery knitting is over, now is the time to buy!

Lace is mysterious. You knit along and it looks like a yarny lump. Until you block it, and then something glorious appears. And the time is fast approaching for the first PicnicKnits Mystery Shawl Knit-A-Long.  Here’s what you need to know:

• This shawl is worked from the top down, starting at the neckline. It will be a little more than a half circle, so it will sit nicely on your shoulders. This shawl is NOT side-to-side.
• I’m using one skein Dream In Color Baby in Punky Fuschia and size 6 (4mm) needles. As with most lace, a semi-solid or solid color will show the patterning best. Baby has 700 yards to 113 grams (or 3.99 ounces). It is considered a lace weight, but I would really call it a light fingering.
• Clues will be e-mailed to participants once a week beginning on August 15th. All clues will be provided in charted and written format.
• Discussion and support will take place on Ravelry in the PicnicKnits group. Ravelry accounts are free if you don’t have one already.
• There will be five clues that are approximately the same amount of knitting. When you make your purchase you will receive a supplies list and a charted and written pattern for a gauge swatch.
• Early bird sales are happening now! The early bird price is $6.00 – the later gator (full) price is $9.50. The early bird price will be available until August 5th. That will be the last day to buy the pattern at the early bird price.

The Daphne Ann Mystery Knit Shawl on Ravelry – $6.00 USD

Vacation was NOT an epic failure. We actually had a really lovely time. I was treated to many birthday dinners  and many birthday margaritas. I might have worn the birthday sombrero more than once. This summer’s vacation was the Grandparent World Tour. The boys got to see all their grandparents, including GGMa, who is their only living great-grandparent. It was a good trip. The driving went well and the boys were welcomed and spoiled at every stop.

While on vacation, naturally I was knitting. On one of those sooper seekrit projects that I can’t show you. But I can show you this:

Do you know what that is? It is an entire skein of Malabrigo Twist yarn which has been through a hot water wash and a full dryer cycle. It kind of looks like wooly blue brains. But wait, it gets better.

I was nearly finished with said object and had two skeins of yarn left that I had brought along. I was hoping to not have to break into them, but they were insurance, you know? My dear, sweet, lovely husband was doing laundry for us at my dad’s house. I was rolling the clothes back up to be placed in suitcases. When I pulled out the monstrosity you see above.

I might have cried a little bit, I might have screamed. I will not admit to threatening my husband’s life. Not yet. I was comfortable in the knowledge that I had a second backup skein. So I finished rolling up my half of the laundry and went back to doing some slicing for dinner.

That’s when he found the second skein – in the same state. And then I very calmly told my sister to take the knife away from me through gritted teeth. There is no photographic evidence that I pointed the knife at him all “Psycho” like. No one recorded the threats on his life and appendages. So as far as I’m concerned it didn’t really happen. And luckily for him I was able to finish the object without the 2 backup skeins. Very, very lucky for him.

It’s interesting to me to watch how life goes. Somedays I get nothing done, and other days I am so productive it’s ridiculous. Sometimes designs fly off the needles, and sometimes the patterns write themselves. But rarely both. Most times, as is the case in Cordelle, it’s one or the other. This shawl practically made itself and for some reason I could never make myself just sit down and write it. But my procrastination is your gain.

Because I waited so long to get it done and edited, it’s now debuting right smack in the middle of the half-price sale. So you get an introductory price as it were.

It’s lovely and soft, worked up in Baby Twist 100% Alpaca. Even though it’s a larger shawl, it goes quickly because it’s made in a DK weight. It’s cozy and lightweight at the same time. And the Baby Twist comes in some really beautiful colors.

It’s reversible, because although both sides are not the same, they are both very similar and very lovely. And it’s designed in the same way as many of my shawls in that you can totally adjust it to make it as large or as small as you’d like. Plus the fabric at the neckline wants to fold over into a lovely sort of shawl collar.

Needles: Size 8 needles (5.0 mm)

Yarn: Alpaca With A Twist Baby Twist Jumbo Hank, 549 yards to 250g in the colorway Lemon

Size: Sample blocked to 76″ wide and 28″ deep

Gauge: 18 stitches and 26 rows = 4 inches in blocked garter

Notes: Worked from side to side. Offered in charted and written format. The shawl is on sale for half-price ($2.75) until midnight on Friday July 2nd.

The Cordelle Shawl on Ravelry – $5.50 USD

This has been my best designing year so far. I’m amazed at the support and wonderful comments and beautiful finished objects that have come from my design work. So to celebrate (and to pad my vacation fund) I’m having a half-year half-price sale. Everything in the PicnicKnits pattern store is half-price. Well except for the free stuff – that’s just still free!

So now’s a great time to buy any PicnicKnits patterns you’ve been eyeing. We got shawls:

We got cowls and bags:

We got socks (and a pair of slippers!):

And we got hats:

I say we, but it’s really just me of course.  I’ve got lots of new stuff coming out from PicnicKnits, but this sale is your best chance to get some tried and true favorites for a great low price. And thanks again for all of the support!