I’m moving along with the shawl - now that I’ve finished fooling around with the scarf :) It’s funny, my fingers seem to welcome the entrelac.  The Ultra Alpaca is wonderful stuff - smooth, easy to work with and not the least bit splitty.  And you should feel the finished fabric!  It’s not satin, of course, but it’s awfully nice - silky and soft.

These are a couple of preliminary drawings I did while I was trying to figure out how to arrange the colors - given that I had specific amounts of each.  The one on the left was very striking to my eye and I was all ready to get going on it when a couple of thoughts stopped me.  I would be changing color every block. Attaching one color and cutting another - with the subsequent weaving in of many, many ends.  That wouldn’t be so bad if there weren’t limited amounts of the accent color and what if I wound up short of enough yarn for the last red block because of what got wasted in the cutting and joining?  Unh-unh....

So I decided on the design on the right.  That will be the basic lay-out, though I’m still thinking about ways to pick things up a little.  You know, a little bobble or design of some kind in the middle of the color blocks (the red and the orange blocks, I mean...).

I’m more than half way through the first tier and going strong.

In fact I’m going to have to watch that.  I wanted this project to balance the Secret of the Stole.  It wouldn’t do to have it completely finished before the stole even starts :)

Speaking of the stole, I ordered the rest of the yarn for the project yesterday morning.  My usual experience with Knitpicks is that it will take about a week to get here and that should be just fine.  I also decided to try a couple sets of their double-pointed needles - in sizes 8 and 10.  I know, I had trouble a while back with the smaller socks needles that were only 6” long.  These larger needles are 8” long, which size I am used to working with.

No, I don’t make a lot of socks on size 8 (or 10!) needles :) But my knitting style seems to have evolved in this fashion.  When I’m working on something small - a scarf, baby anything, module pieces or anything like that, I use DPNs with point protectors on the ends.  Nice, short, comfortable needles.  Anything wider than that goes onto circulars. 

I like the Knitpicks Options needles very much from the splendid point to the finish which seems to provide exactly the right amount of friction between stitch and needle - not too sticky, not too slick.  If the DPNs are done similarly, I will be one happy camper :)

I have finally made it to Ravelry - thought I haven’t done much of anything yet :) I am determined not to replace the blog, nor do I really want to do everything twice.  I also have minor issues with having to get a flickr account for pictures when I already rent perfectly good user space for the blog.

All that aside, Ravelry is quite the accomplishment and I’m going to have fun looking around.  Ev, thanks for starting the Chatters group - it was delightful to arrive yesterday and see you all, already there!  Yay!  I’m working on a button :)

Also, this arrived in my mailbox yesterday…

This came from the creative and talented Omly over at Omly Crafts.  In honor of her first blogging anniversary, she offered prizes to randomly drawn commenters.  I was the luckiest :)

This is Lornas Laces Shepherd Sock in Bittersweet.  Folks, unless you’ve seen it (in person!), I cannot convey to you the richness and beauty of these colors.  I am so tempted to go out and get one of those big brandy snifter type things - like the lounge singer has on the piano? - and fill it with the yarn so I can just sit back and bask in those glorious shades :) Thank you Omly - I never thought I would knit with Lornas Laces and I’m very pleased to have to opportunity to do so.

Chatters is on tomorrow night - come one come all!

Have a fabulous weekend folks :)