Tangles

Clapotis Progress Report

This photo show my Clapotis at the halfway point of the set of 12 pattern repeats that make up the center portion of the scarf.  A lot of people complain of boredom during this section, but I'm still liking the process.  The push to get to row 8 and drop another stitich keeps me going.

I will have a lot of time for knitting today.  I hurt my foot yesterday during an embarassing incident at Ikea.  This table was involved and that's all I'm willing to post in public.  At least I can prop my foot up and sit outside to knit.

Clapotis Back on Track

I received my new skeins of Lorna's Laces on Monday and have had fun restarting Clapotis. This colorway is "Purple Iris", and it's working out perfectly.

The photo was taken near the end of the increase sections. Just a couple more rows and I get to drop my first stitch--doesn't it seem weird to look forward to dropping a knit stitch?

Bad Clapotis-Don't try this at home

I'm only a couple of years late, but finally took the plunge and started my first Clapotis.  The pattern seems like it will be fun, but I made a major error before I even began my project.

The yarn is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport in the Shadow colorway.  Love the yarn, just not for Clapotis.  There is way too much contrast and the stripes are not so good.  The odd green color in the photo is not accurate--the colors are white, black and grey.  What was I thinking?  Serves me right for buying online, I guess.  This yarn will be frogged and probably put up for sale on eBay.  I got 4 hanks and don't really want to knit 4 socks just alike.  In sock-size scale, the colors would probably look great.  I have ordered a new colorway and will post my progress.

On a related note, remember a couple of days ago that I mentioned Squidoo and the lenses I had started?  I was feeling inspired and decided to start a new Clapotis lens.  I figure it's a good way to gather together as many tips as possible while I work along on my version.  Too bad I missed the hints about color choices.

Happy Earth Day!

Edited later to add--In honor of Earth Day, here are photos of some of my recent plantings. Today, I planted these

and this

.

The tomato is Brandywine and I used my new Tomato Success Kit. The new design is much improved, especially in the ease of handling with the optional wheels. The cage comes as 8 pieces that have to be put together with little plastic connectors. That was a challenge, but I stuck with it and won in the end.

Last weekend, I tried out a new planter from Gardener's Supply Company. The Hanging Bloom Planter presented a few challenges, but I'm happy with the results. It will eventually be hanging near the kitchen door, but the intended area needs some work--maybe next weekend. Here's the photo:

After that long-winded post, I leave you now with a new photo of Shorty the cat taken after his evening meal:

Guess he liked my choice for his dinner.

Squidoo

You might have noticed the new button "I'm a Squidoo Lensmaster". In case you're wondering, Squidoo is a fairly new online project that allows people to start "Lenses" for all sorts of reasons. You can share your knowledge or build a personal lens to promote your web site or do just about anything you can think of about any topic under the sun.

During the beta testing, all royalties raised were donated to charity. Now that the beta is finished, the lensmasters will share in the profits. As they say though, don't quit your day job.

Just for fun, I have started a few lenses. The two knitting-related lenses are Knitting Socks and Fiber Arts Podcasts.

Sometime this week, I want to start a personal lens that I can use to feature the other lenses and some of my favorite links. I could put some of this here on the blog, but I'm trying to keep Tangles mostly about knitting.

Starting the lenses has been fun and I encourage everyone to check out Squidoo and start your own!

One Skein Secret Pal

Did you notice the new button to the left? Yes, I joined the One Skein Secret Pal project. This should be fun. The commitment is pretty small--just one skein of yarn each in June and July and a small gift for August. Check it out--the deadline for signing up is May 1.

CIC Sweater

I finished another Top Down Raglan sweater today.  Last weekend, I dyed some Knitpicks yarn and used that to make the sweater for the current CIC group challenge.  The neckline looks a little droopy, but it hasn't been blocked out yet.

My next WIP is a Chinchilla chemo cap for Caps for the Cure.  Check the button in the left side bar for more info.  Becky, my Secret Pal #7, started this group to collect donated hats for chemo patients.