Pattern: Summer and an Elder God

Summer started off with a bang and I mean that quite literally. Thunderstorms have been rolling through since Wednesday. Loud, obnoxious thunderstorms that wait just long enough for things to dry out before dumping more rain. The cat has not been pleased but my garden could not be happier. As for me, I’m welcoming Summer in my own way with mai tai’s and truffles. This is a combination I heartily recommend.

Last weekend I was celebrating a different kind of beginning: a new baby. The parents are good friends of mine and also happen to be the creative force behind UndertakingFX, a special effects, makeup, and general source of awesome. One of their latest products is the Cthulu Plaque. They gave the Bearded One and I one as a gift and it is amazing. Now if only we could find the right place to hang it. We’ve already ruled out the bedroom. It's going somewhere we can enjoy it all day long. Anyway, since the two of them are H. P. Lovecraft fans I couldn’t stop myself from adding a little Cthulu into the mix for the baby shower.

Cthulu Rising | download | @ravelry

~50 - 55 yds worsted weight cotton per cloth | US 6 (4mm) needles

gauge: 5 sts/in | 7” by 7” square

Shown in: Lily Sugar’n Cream - Sage Green &

Knit Picks Simply Cotton Worsted - Golden Heather

This set of 2 different washcloths knits up pretty quickly. The first shows off the Elder God in all his cute, yet horrible glory. The second depicts R’lyeh if R’lyeh were made of knits and purls and had lots of columns/windows. Who knows, it just might.

____

If you’re reading this post on the site, you might have noticed something new. The “Free Patterns” and “Shop” links at the top of the page have been combined into one handy link - “Patterns”. If you're following the site through a feed reader, click through and check it out. Let me know what you think!

Catch Up/Socks

It’s been a while, hasn’t it? It was Spring when I last posted. Now, it’s Summer and I’m watering the garden to the chimes of the ice cream truck. Yeesh, where did May go? Anyway, there’s so much to catch up on now that my blogging mojo is returning. The next few posts are going to be a mix of old and new: a visit to an alpaca farm, other crafts, recently finished projects, not so recently finished projects, and whatever else comes to mind. I’ll catch up eventually.

In the vein of not so recently finished projects, I present to you a pair of socks that I finished in March.

Pattern: Little Child’s Socks by Nancy Bush

Yarn: Berocco Ultra Alpaca Fine - Turquoise Mix

Needles: US 0 (2.0 mm) DPN’s

Dates: April 22, 2010 - March 29, 2011

@ravelry

They’re soft. They’re warm. They took way too long to knit but I suppose that’s to be expected when knitting on 0’s. These socks were worth the year long wait though. All the small details - like the band on the cuff and the pointed bit of texture on the foot - really make this design. The pattern, the small parts that I actually used, was well written and easy to convert to toe up. I might even knit another pair but definitely not on 0’s.

I’m looking forward to cooler temperatures so I can actually wear them for more than 30 seconds at a time. Plus, 50º is better than 102º any time of year.

I pulled this pair out the WIP bin because I was and still am trying to clear out my unfinished projects. They were also more than half knit which is the only reason I finished them in March. In April, I cast on for a blue and purple pair of striped knee highs. It’s two months later and they’re not even close to  finished. So much for a pair of socks a month. I did manage to finish 3 pairs before my sock mojo took a vacation so I’m not going to force it. Maybe I’ll try again later in the year and maybe I won’t. Either way, there’s plenty of other things to knit.

Also, don’t forget that World Wide Knit in Public Day is this weekend. Enjoy your weekend and have fun wherever you end up stitching!

At Stitches South

Friday was a fun bit of adventure. I woke up early, got ready, and headed out the door. By 6:00 AM, I was on a bus headed for Atlanta and Stitches South. My purse had traveling knitting, cash, my camera, and a list of yarns to buy. I thought I was prepared. As it turned out, not so much.

Once I figured out the lay of the land, I headed off to the Sanguine Griffin for 2 skeins of Bugga! Everything after that is a bit of blur. There was so much color, so much variety, and so many yarn fumes that everything just tangles up in my mind when I try to recall it. I can vaguely remember wandering the aisles, picking up yarn, sometimes sniffing yarn, and then buying yarn. If you sniff yarn, you have to buy said yarn, right? I think it’s an unwritten rule.

I do remember meeting a few really cool people in the midst of the yarn fumes. First off, I met Liz, the dyer behind MacKintosh Yarns. I’ve been using her yarn and reading her blog for years now. It was great to finally meet her in person.

I also had the opportunity to meet Ysolda Teague at a book signing. This was pretty great too since I really admire her patterns. Book signings rock!

-

Stormy weather cut the trip short and bus headed for home in the early afternoon. The ride turned into show and tell based on one question: “What was your favorite purchase?” I didn’t have to think about that one at all.

One skein of MacKintosh Yarns Chubby Sock in the appropriately named color, Sex Kitten. A cluster of colors so outside of my normal palate that I can only wear it on my feet. Also, totally awesome. I’ve only wanted a skein since it first showed up ages ago on her site. This yarn is going to a great pair of socks.

-

I’m definitely looking forward to Stitches South 2012. Maybe I’ll have knit up all the yarn I bought by then.

Hunker Down

After lots of rain early this morning, today has become one of those odd days that’s both rainy and sunny at the same time. I’m doing my best to enjoy the sun even if it is a bit damp outside. So, I’m hunkering down in front of my favorite window with my knitting and some new and not so new music.

The knitting is a pair of socks for March that I put down last year. I’m really enjoying the pattern, Little Child’s Sock by Nancy Bush, and the yarn, Ultra Alpaca Fine. If the rainy weather keeps up, I might even get to wear them in the next few days.

From the Sock Drawer

Up until the last few days, the weather was quite nice - 70 C, sunny, warm, and not too windy. The birds have been chirping and the trees have been blooming. I knew it wouldn’t last long. Rain, chilly temps, and a general dreariness have taken over.  Bah.  In response, my feet have demanded wool socks and I’m only too happy to comply.

Yarn: Schoppel-Wolle Crazy Zauberball - Brights | Needles: 2.25 mm

Dates: Jan 5 - Feb 1, 2011

@Ravelry (public link)

Long finished but never blogged, these are January’s socks and they’re far from dreary. I can’t help but smile when I catch glimpses of them peeking out of my jeans. Wild, shifting, and fraternal color is where it’s at. (Whatever “it” is.) Plus, my feet stay pretty toasty too. Just what I need during a grey March day. 

The pattern is my basic sock template: stockinette and toe up with a gusset, heel flap, and a few inches of 2x2 ribbing at the cuff. I mixed stuff up a bit by working all the increases in a straight line instead of my usual diagonal. Might keep that modification around for the next few pairs. If there’s any interest, I’ll write up the pattern.

Glorious color aside, I’m not sure if I’d used this yarn again for socks. Shawls, cowls, hats? Sure. The jury is still out on socks. It was a bit thin in spots and liked to twist back on itself. Zauberball isn’t the cushiest stuff either but it does soften up after a bath. During the knitting, I occasionally considered ripping everything out but quashed the thought. Let’s see if that comes back to bite me. So far, the pair is holding up well and I’ve got leftovers for darning when the time comes.

The forecast is predicting warm weather and sunny skies tomorrow. Hopefully, I’ll have to put these away for another foul day when they can work their magic.

Mara, Music

Copycat, copycat. That’s me. 

Since I’m on my sock knitting sabbatical till the end of the month, I needed something else to haul around with me. Instead of a hat or a pair of mitts, I chose a shawl. My only defense was that 3 skeins of Araucania Nature Wool were calling my name.  I settled on Mara mainly because Brokeknits made one from 3 skeins of Nature Wool and it looked wonderful. Plus, garter stitch is easy knitting when out and about. 

Yep, total copycat. At least it's a different color.

Saturday Morning

Tuesday Morning

I’ve gotten a bit further since Tuesday and am a few rows into the second skein. It doesn’t particularly fit in my purse anymore but I stuff it in all the same. It would probably help if I could stop knitting on this when I get home. No luck there since I can’t seem to put it down. Ah well, might just have to switch to a bigger purse.

||||

I go through music phases every couple of days/weeks. This year has already seen marathon listening sessions of Daft Punk, Nine Inch Nails, KT Tunstall, and Fleet Foxes. The latest marathon started out innocently enough by watching The Local Natives on NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts podcast. The video wasn’t even over and I was perusing Amazon for their music. In the end, I ended up with a copy of the FrenchKiss Records Super Sampler. It starts off with Local Natives’ “Sun Hands” and showcases 7 other bands. Definitely good listening. Good knitting music too. And free. I’m currently on day 3.

I think my next music marathon will involve and Yoko Kanno and all of the Cowboy Bebop soundtracks. Tank! will kick everything off. Then the Ghost In The Shell soundtracks, then Wolf’s Rain, and Escaflowne. Sounds like a plan to me.

Before, After

Before

After

4 stitches. That’s the difference between a snug, well fitting sock and a baggy mess. I ignored this fact for 3 weeks or a foot, a gusset, a heel, and 4” of cuff. For a brief moment, I half-heartedly considered finishing the sock. Though, what’s the point in knitting an ill-fitting pair of socks? So, I ripped it all out.* Didn’t even bother to save the toe and stick it back on the needles. I’m over the whole thing. The yarn and the pattern are going into time out. Eventually, I’ll pull them back out. Not any time soon though.

So, no pair of socks for February. My year of socks isn’t looking so good; however, I’m going to enjoy my sock knitting sabbatical and knit something else instead. A freeing thought actually. 

*But only after a good night’s sleep. It took the sting out of the whole affair. The night before, ripping would have been aggravating and demotivating instead of necessary and right.

To The Library!

For the last week or two, I thought my mojo had taken a vacation without me. Or maybe the cat had dragged it off. He does that sort of thing. I could manage all the necessities like laundry and the dishes without skipping a beat. But knitting? Meh. I knit because there were due dates. Bookbinding? After cutting and and gluing the pages for a basic accordion sketchbook, it just sat - unfinished - on my desk. So, today, I put the crafty stuff aside and focused on other things. The other things turned out to be the jumble of books, computers, yarn, and boxes that I have the nerve to call an office.

I pushed play on the 98th episode of Cast-On and got down to work. Then I got distracted by a not-so-giant pile of knitting books. At first, my intention was to put them neatly away but I couldn’t keep myself from cracking them open. Weekend Knitting was first and it made me smile. Soon, there was a whole pile of books that made me happy. They ended up on the shelf next to my desk for easy reading.

I guess I just needed a bit of inspiration since my mojo decided to come around. The little accordion books are a little closer to being finished. I’m contemplating a few more sets of stitch markers. Plus, this month’s pair of socks - Dotty - don’t feel like such a chore anymore.

I could wax poetic about the inherent goodness of books, but I’ll leave that for another time and just get back to my reading. Then, knit night. Can’t forget about knit night.

It's a hat!

You can blame this one on a freezing, early morning. A few weeks ago, I was working an early shift that had me out of bed at 4:45 AM and out the door an hour later. I had a hat, a heavy coat, and a pair of fingerless gloves. These things were not enough protection from the 19º temperatures. After a 5 minute drive to work, an altercation with a security guard that I’m not going to go into, and walking into the building, I was freezing. My hands were so cold that it felt like my fingers were burning off. It was at that moment that I decided to make that pair of convertible mitts. This particular pair had only been in my queue since before Ravelry.

Pattern: Squares Squared Hat by Cosette Cornelius-Bates | ravelry |

Yarn: Mission Falls 1824 Wool - Curry, Heath, and Amethyst

Needles: US 7 (4.5mm)

Dates: Jan 14 - 17, 2011

@Ravelry (public link)

Obviously, this is a hat and not a pair of mitts. This is also a hat that matches those mitts. The hat came first since I knew how much yarn it would use and it would make a good swatch. Plus, two layers of wool is warmer than one. It’s oversized, slouchy, soft, and I love wearing it even on days when it’s not 19º outside. The Bearded One thinks it’s one of the coolest hats I’ve ever made and he’s not the only one complementing. I’m kicking myself for not starting this (and the mitts) sooner. 

When I finished the hat, there was more than enough yarn left for a pair of mitts. I’ve almost finished the first one too. It might be not be cold enough again to wear them this winter but I’ll be ready for next time.

My boss. He's a demanding taskmaster.

Almost a year of socks

Last year, I decided to knit a pair of socks a month for three very good reasons. One, hand knit socks are awesome. Enough said. Two, it usually takes me a month to knit a pair of socks anyway. Three, I had a lot of sock yarn. While I only managed to knit ten pairs and probably have more sock yarn now then I did a year ago, I’d call it a good year.

From left to right:

January: Center Stage | ravelry | download |

February: Konnichiwa by Judy Summer | ravelry | 

March: Gentleman’s Fancy Socks by Nancy Bush | ravelry | 

April: Alternates | ravelry | download |

May: Diamond Gansey Socks by Wendy Johnson | ravelry | 

June: Harris Tweed Socks by Ali Green | ravelry | 

July: Two Toes Tabi

August: Alternates.V2

September: Charade by Sandra Park | ravelry |

Three of the patterns - Center Stage, Alternates, and Two Toes Tabi - are my own designs which makes me really happy. Center Stage and Alternates are freely available here. Two Toes is still in prototype form. Hopefully not for too much longer though. 

Birthday Socks

Yarn: Cascade Sassy Stripes - 715 (discontinued)

Needles: 2.25 mm

Date: Sept 27, 2010 - Jan 5, 2011

My last pair of the year, which I actually finished this year (but don’t tell anyone), was supposed to be a birthday present in October. I mixed up my usual sock pattern a little bit and then added a 3x2 rib. With self striping yarn, you don’t have to do anything more than that. With a little work, I even managed to get the stripes to match. Besides from that, I really liked this yarn and the Bearded One does too. They’re his socks after all so he’d better like them.

My three reasons for knitting a pair of socks a month in 2010 still seems totally reasonable and I’m in for another year. Maybe I’ll knit 12 pairs and put a dent in my stash. Maybe not but it’ll be fun all the same. Here’s to a new year of socks!

Knitting Review

I hope you all enjoyed Christmas or your own favorite winter holiday. I know I enjoyed mine even if I was frenetically knitting right up to the last second and only slightly slower once the deadline passed. In fact, this lone ornament, also masquerading as a pair of mittens, wasn't even started until the 26th. Sill, I'm calling it on time since ye old Christmas bush is still decorated. I did actually finish other things in time to go under the bush though.

Maddox, Albert, and Beatrice by Rebecca Danger

Who knew that less than a skein of Noro Kochoran, some safety eyes, felt, stuffing, and a bit of thread would make 3 totally different monsters? I could hardly believe they were all made from the same skein. 

Wee Mushrooms by Ysolda Teague

The mushrooms were a last minute addition to the list but were still pretty fun to make. I used the pattern more as inspiration and made each of the 8 shrooms different. Instead of using coins, I put magnets in the bottom to weight them down and make them stick to random metal surfaces. Playing darts with these things was way too fun.

Also, to make realistic looking mushrooms, just barely stuff the cap and then sew down the center using the end. All the mushrooms I made before I figured this out, look more like topiaries than fungi. I would also recommend listening to this song.

Windschief by Stephen West

Another last minute addition to the queue and how I spent most of my lunch breaks during the week before Christmas. I didn't finish the cowl until a few days later even though I knit most of it in front of the recipient. He's arguing that it's the best gift of the year which makes all that work worthwhile. 

A pair of KIS mitts, some Spring Cleaning cloths, and a Triforce washcloth made the deadline too.

Besides from an unfinished blanket and a yet to be started scarf, I managed to complete everything even if I did have to shorten that list in the final days. Once I knew something wouldn't be finished on time, I stopped worrying about it and reached for something I could finish instead. Still, the rushing and complete takeover of my free time made the process far from stress free. I knew I'd turned a corner when, reading yet another make this in time for Xmas post, my first thought was, "It's the 22nd, just buy something." With that thought, my 2011 Christmas knit list got a lot shorter. I'm not going through this again next year.

On a better note, Happy New Year! I'll see you in 2011.

Still Knitting

There are 21 days until Christmas and I have a feeling that I'll be furiously knitting through all of them. My list includes monsters, a blanket, washcloths, hats, fingerless mitts, a scarf, and a bunch of Christmas ornaments. I tried starting early*, in September, but there was no urgency, no looming deadline and I kept putting stuff off. Now, things are starting to get hairy but I have a plan: urgent monogamous knitting. This is isn't how I usually do things but I actually seem to be finishing stuff. Who would have guessed?

The first project to get this treatment was the Circle Stripe Scarf (@ravelry) out of the book One More Skein by Leigh Radford. It's going to charity so I can't exactly give them a half finished scarf and an IOU. So, I put the scarf at the top of my list an only knit it for a few days. I managed to finish with time to spare and was even able to block it too.

I've since moved on to my next project, a very late pair of birthday socks, which I hope to finish this weekend. No rest for the wicked after all. If things keep going this well, I'm going to keep up the monogamous knitting until I finish up all of my gift knitting...or, at least, until Christmas. 

*I even had a spreadsheet.

Black Friday

It's Black Friday and I'm working Midnight Madness at the local mall. It's going to be a busy morning. Since it is Black Friday and I'm up, there's going to be a sale here too. The Sapling Baby Hat and the Diagonal Socks are on sale for $1 off through Sunday the 28th. No coupon code or ravelry account needed.

Good luck with your early morning shopping!

Sapling | $4.00

Diagonal Socks | $4.00

Pattern: KIS Mitts

KeepItSimple Mitts | download | @ravelry |

Way,way back in the beginning of September, I started planning the rest of the year's gift knitting. These were grand plans but I thought I could pull it off. As it turns out, not so much. Part of the plan was a pair of lace wristlets for my mom and she only requested them in time for last Christmas. Up until a few weeks ago, I was under the delusion that Christmas was still far off. There was stil plenty of time for knitting and finishing a pair of lace weight wristlets. All the holiday music at the mall set me straight. Those wristlets? Totally not going to happen. Again.

Enter Plan B. Around this time I was listening to the 150th episode of the Knit Picks podcast and the end of the episode really struck home. In a nutshell, it said: Christmas with all of its crazy knitting deadlines is not the time to prove that you know how to knit. Stick with something simple that you know the recipient will like. The gift doesn't have to be complicated and it'll be loved just as much as something more complex.

I ran with the idea and sketched up a simple color work pattern. I cast on for a pair of fingerless mitts soon after. The first pair, grey and orange, turned out big enough to fit me. The second pair, grey and gold, should fit my mom. On US 7 needles, they both knitted up quickly and didn't take too much yarn. My mom's 7" pair only took a little over 100 yds for the main color and only 12 for the contrast. 

In the end, Mom gets a Christmas present, the knitting list is a little shorter, and there's a new pattern to knit. Sounds like a good start to Thanksgiving to me. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Mystery!

*Warning! Spoilers ahead!*

I've never done a mystery knit along before since it's hard for me to follow most knitting patterns blindly. Changing large and small details is usually the name of the game. I just can't help myself.  This time though, I decided to not worry so much about the small stuff and let Leethal do all the work. I don't even know what I'm making...except that it's an accessory of some sort. I could peak but where's the fun in that. Guessing is half the adventure.

The first clue arrived last Thursday and it wasn't long before I cast on. It helped that I had already surveyed the stash and knit up a swatch. Anyway,The pattern uses a waving rib and suggests randomly moving the 'waves' up and down, or side to side as I've been seeing it, without any set repeat. I couldn't help but make a game out it since Lee also pushed the concept of game knitting awhile back. For this pattern, I didn't stick to any particular show just general tv watching. Commercial Break (or fast forwarding through one)? Changed direction. Changed the channel? Changed direction. New show coming on? Changed direction. I did knit, just a little bit, along with the shows I was watching too.

Mythbusters: Myth intros, high speed video, "confirmed or busted", and explosions (of course)

Good Eats: Puppets, explanations, new recipes, and whenever something comes out of the oven

The Simpsons: The couch gag, pop culture references, guest stars, and internal monologues

The first clue was a pretty quick knit so I'm catching up on my gift knitting until this Thursday and clue #2 rolls around. Can't wait.

P.S. Stayed tuned for something awesome tomorrow.

Settling In

Yeesh! Has it really been 2 weeks since I lasted posted? Shame on me. 

Anyway, thanks for all the advice and commiseration with the last post. It's nice to know that I'm not to only one trying to keep up with the day to day.

Being the list maker that I am, I wrote down everything important that I wanted to do. This list included everything from spending time with family and friends, to blogging, playing with the cat, and relaxing with video games. At first, this was just supposed to be my wild wishful list. I thought I'd take a second look at it and cross a few items off later; however, everything seems totally doable and I don't want to cut a thing. Fortunately, I've settled into my ever changing schedule and I'm actually getting things done without falling behind too much. My wild list doesn't seem so wild now.

It should be no surprise that knitting is on my wild list of priorities. One of my many current projects is this pair of socks. They were supposed to be a birthday present almost a month ago. I didn't meet that deadline or finish this pair for my Sock-A-Month challenge. At this point, I think it's safe to say that that challenge bit the dust. Still, I'm slogging through them and, since I'm working on the cuffs right now, they shouldn't take too much longer.

Blogging is on my wild list too. You should be seeing a bit more of me around here.

September Socks

Pattern: Charade Socks by Sandra Park |

Ravelry

|

Yarn: Lion Brand Sock-Ease - Lemon Drop

Needles: US 1 (2.25 mm) DPN's

Date: Sept 3 - 27, 2010

@Ravelry (public link)

Back when I lived in New Jersey, school always started right after Labor Day and I came to think of September 1st as the start of Fall. Who goes to school in the summer anyway? It wasn't until I moved south and school started in early August that I did. Even after years of heading back to school in August, August is still summer and September is still Fall. So, I happily contented myself with casting on for a pair of woolly socks with the mistaken thought that cooler weather would soon arrive. How wrong I was. It wasn't until the Equinox, September 22, that the temps weren't in the triple digits. Today, my thermometer read 67 degrees which feels almost chilly. Maybe woolly Fall socks weren't a bad idea after all.

Besides from being woolly, these socks are YELLOW. They're so yellow that they practically give off their own light. If I hung one from each of my shoulders, I could probably read by the light they give off. They are that yellow. The photos make the yellow less apparent. Do not believe them.  They lie. As for the pattern, I used Charade which works wonderfully well with all that yellow. Plus, I've wanted a pair ever since I made the boy some. Woolly, yellow, Fall socks for the win.

P.S. I found that the easiest and fastest way to fix a missed yarn over in this pattern is, on the next row, to knit into the front and back of the stitch where the yo should have been. Once the pattern is worked on the next row, no one will be able to tell the difference. 

Pattern: Laddered Cloths

It started innocently enough with a trip to the store and the random urge to walk by the yarn. I just so happened to see a lovely ball of innocent cotton yarn with an innocent name, York Town. It was light blue, dark blue, and red. I was quite smitten and I promised myself that, if I bought this yarn, it would not be buried in the stash. Indeed, the ball was out of my stash quickly but it did take me a few tries to come up with the right pattern. This pattern happened to include US 6 needles, slipped stitches, a lot of garter, and only 2 rows. It also looks like a series of ladders.

The Laddered Cloth | Ravelry | Download | 

It turned out to be such an easy knit that I had to dig through the stash to make a few more. So, next up there were a few washcloths...

...and then a coaster for the boy.

After all this knitting, there's slightly less cotton in the stash, another towel for the kitchen, and a few gifts waiting for the right occasion. Oh, innocent ball of yarn, you've been quite helpful. Hopefully, I have a few other skeins of your ilk hiding in my stash. 

RIP

...one of my favorite sock knitting DPN's, a 2.25mm Harmony.

I'm sorry I rolled over you with my chair - several times - before I realized you had decided to roll off my desk. I'm also sorry that I thought that cracking sound meant something was wrong with my chair. Really, I am.

Your absence will be felt whenever I turn the heel of sock and don't have you to hold my middle stitches. At least you won't be alone since I snapped one of your brethren in my purse a few years back.

Good bye, my trusty friend. I hardly knew ye.

Surprise Stash

Every so often, I get The Urge. The Urge follows not the logic that I have plenty of yarn already. Numerous visits to my obsessively cataloged stash page on Ravelry mean nothing. More often then not, there's no project to buy for. Just the want, nay, need for more yarn. Most of the time I can fight off the beast but Thursday was hard since I happened to be at knit night and sitting next to the wall o' sock yarn. Thankfully, I managed to get out the door with less yarn than I came in with.

When I got home, The Urge was far from squelched but it didn't last too much longer as I got several, belated birthday presents. The first was 2 skeins of Fingering 55 by Claudia Hand Painted Yarns. Eventually, you'll see this yarn again as a pair of socks.

The second gift was two skeins of Plymouth Happy Feet. I've really enjoyed this yarn in the past and am beyond thrilled at having enough for another pair of socks. The colors are a bit out of my normal range but they've really grown on me. Now, I just need to find the right pattern.

Now, the coup de gras, two skeins of Malabrigo Sock in Stonechat. This yarn is not destined to be a pair of socks but rather a shawl of gigantic and cosy proportions. The problem with this is that I'm having a hard time choosing a pattern. On the top of my list is the Textured Shawl Recipe and Stephen Wests' Pogona. Neither of them are heavy on the lace and I can easily make them larger which is what I like about them. I still can't make up my mind though. Any suggestions for a fingering weight shawl that'll use 880 yards? I could really use the help.

Before I go, Thanks B! The yarn and all of its potential is awesome. Plus, you've silenced The Urge and I can't thank you enough for that.