Shetland Fern

I don't like to brag or show off (ok, maybe just a little). Anyway, I am very very pleased with how this sweater turned out:



Pattern: Shetland Fern by Jennifer Lindsay, from The Natural Knitter (what a gem of a book!)

Yarn: Yarns International Shetland 2000 in the same natural shades as the pattern. This yarn is not dyed, but comes directly from sheep of various colors! Check out the yarn and other awesome patterns here.

Needles: size 3 and size 2.5, not because they were specified in the pattern but because I had a lot of them in various lengths. Somehow, magically, the gauge worked out allright.



Love, love, love it. Words escape me at the moment. Let me just say that the pattern is fantastic and very well written. Here is a very pleased me:

Coming up soon...

A big finished object is currently blocking and drying (mostly drying, since I didn't do much actual blocking). When I say "big," I mean 8 months of knitting, 14 balls of yarn, 6 pairs of needles... the whole shtick.

Signs of Spring

No, not the big hairy monster, but rather the cluster of fresh grass on the side of the path. I've been looking for signs of spring since February, and I've finally found them.

Hola amigos

I spent a good part of March doing this:



And this: (they're called cenotes - usually underground springs in holes in the limestone plateau)



And this (in the tiny town of Izamal):



Some knitting got done on the bus rides through the jungle:


CookieA's famous Pomatomus socks, in Malabrigo sock violeta africana. Maya ladies on the bus were always very interested in my knitting - I guess it's not a very common sight in the Yucatan...

Gauss visits Boston

Boston. Cambridge. Lots of history and yarn stores and what not.

All I will remember, however, is this:



Is it juvenile that I crack up every time I remember this plaque? Perhaps, but I can't help it.

PS. I wasn't that impressed with Boston after all. But I only had a few hours to explore and it was $%^! cold outside.

More reasons to love my job

Besides the awesome fact that it exists and will still exist for the foreseeable future, I also love my job because it allows me to do this:



Frolic on the beach with my dog at 2.30pm on a weekday! Granted, it's one day a week that I get out so early, but it's better than nothing.

What a beautiful day - sunny for a while and not exceedingly cold. The dog's first time to the ocean, and he absolutely loved it. The water was cold, though: so cold there were still patches of ice and snow! Even the dog seems incredulous:

Red socks and red shoes

Finished and worn as I am typing:



Toe-up socks knit from Mountain Colors Bearfoot, colorway "Ruby River" on once again my slightly bent but still functional bamboo dpns size 1. I followed roughly the pattern for Interlocking Leaves, but substituted my own interpretation of the Waving Lace socks pattern. Actually, I thought I could remember the pattern but obviously switched the direction of the decreases or something. Anyhow, the socks are warm, elastic, lacey and very red; they provided much needed entertainment during travels and I am very pleased with them.



And now for something truly exciting and special. Last weekend's trip to TJ Maxx (only my second such trip ever!) yielded a particularly rich assortment of high quality, comfortable shoes at ridiculous prices. The fairest of them all:



Cole Haan demi-d'Orsay pumps with the tiniest of heels and little red laquer ribbons woven through. I am in love.