A Nearly FO & other news

I'm very close to finishing the "Petal Shawlette" (aka Spring Shawl) :) I've completed what the pattern states to do and am well into a second rep of chart D to use up more of the yarn. It's looking really good :)
Knitty's First Fall 2011 issue is up :) I've queued a couple projects & started one: Dragon Wing Shawl by Patti Winters. There are 2 "sizes" and I have just enough Lion Brand "Vanna's Glamour" to make the small one. I have the sapphire color so I think that'll be a nice for a shimmery small shawl. Dragons & shimmer go together in my books! :)
I've been bad lately, I must confess. I've bought not only more yarn but a couple books as well. It's not my fault Sharon has started carrying some new & gorgeous yarns down at Golden Willow!! And Susie was at the KnitPicks place down in Portland & brought us back yarns. Lovely yarns :) So here's a list of the new stash acquistions:

* 2 balls (202yds each) of Lion Brand "Vanna's Glamour" in sapphire

* 6 balls (200yds each) of Bernat "Satin" in foliage
(those came from Michael's on the eastend of town)

* 1 hank (600m) of Zitron "Filigran lace no.1" in pfau (blue, green & purple laceweight merino!!!!! OMG!!! Heaven!!!)

* 5 balls (125m each) of Diamond Yarns "Luxury Collection Fine Merino Superwash DK" in 5050 (a beautiful bright blue :))
(those came from Golden Willow Natural Fibers on 13th Ave here in Regina)

* 1 ball (400?yds) of KnitPicks "Stroll Kettle Dyed" in spruce (shades of darker greens)

* 2 hanks (400?yds each) of KnitPicks "Shadow Tonal Dyed" in pacific (blue-green)
(what Susie brought and I chose)
So that's all the yarn I logged into my stash page on Rav today. A bit of a job.
And yes, I did mention books. I've got two new additions to the book shelf and I recommend them both. The new books are "Loop-d-Loop Lace" by Teva Durham and "Knits That Fit" from Potter Crafts.

"Loop-d-Loop Lace" is amazing. Teva Durham gives a fantastic overview of lace and where she drew her inspirations for the various pieces from. It's laid out in the same format as "Loop-d-Loop" was, in that there is a chapter theme (in this case Mesh, Eyelet, Samplers, Leaves & Doilies) and within that there are 6 patterns. Charts & photos for all :) I'm madly thinking of casting on "Shetland Shawl Dress" for myself. If you're on Ravelry, do search it out just to favorite it & shake your head at my lost sanity. The other pieces that leave me drooling are "Thistle Bodice" and "Hug-Me-Tight Cardigan". I've put the "H-M-T" in my queue; the other two I'm being good & only favoriting... for now ;)
"Knits That Fit" is a great book as well. It has designs by several designers (Sally Melville, Melissa Matthay, Annie Modesitt etc) as well as excerpts from some of Potter crafts other books on fit. (The 3Bs discussion is directly out of "Big Girl Knits" by Jillian Moreno & Amy Singer for example) Still, it's a great collection of tops to fit a wide range of women complete with tips on personalization. So, what's caught my eye in this one? Several as always! Melissa Matthay's "Sheila's Tank Top" is at the top of my list (and yes I find the name of this one funny!) although I'm envisioning a solid or tonal yarn for it. The "Seashell Cardi" by Berta Karapetyan is stunning & not a traditional construction, which really appeals to me. And Annie Modesitt's "Notorious Low-cut Top" I think is a must-have ;) This book isn't listed on Ravelry, but I think some if not all of the patterns are listed from being in previous Potter Craft titles. I need to do some investigating on that.
Speaking of patterns; where is the pattern for "Pyewacket"? Sorry but I've pulled a bone-head move: somehow I've misplaced the written directions for rows 57 to 74! I was in the middle of typing the darn thing in and have come to a standstill. I have everything up to there typed in & the handwritten sheet for rows 75 to 88 is sitting right here. I need to do a full-scale hunt for the missing page. I had really hoped to have it up by now. You'd almost think this project is cursed! Due to work, dance & other assorted happenings, I haven't been designing anything lately, although I'm positively itching to! I need to get organized and start working out a couple ideas floating in the ether that is my brain. ;) We'll see if anything solidifies into a pattern though.
TTFN

Done for another year

Mosaic 2011 came and went this weekend. As is usual, I spent a large portion of my time at the Irish pavilion. I danced there each of the 3 nights. If you're one of my facebook friends, I posted 3 video clips to my wall. All are from the Saturday performance. Video was shot by my good friend Lindsay; big thanks to her :) That's all my news for now on the dance front.
TTFN