Woo-Hoo...New Toys!

Well, looky, looky! Guess who has taken the plunge into lace knitting? I've started my first shawl, and it's a bit of a cliffhanger. Can you see the two (count 'em...TWO!) lifelines I've put in there? Who's a bit of a wuss when it comes to lace? I'm hanging in there, but at this point it's not looking like knitting lace is going to be my first love. Fun, but rather fiddly. There isn't much positive tension on the needles when you're working with such fine yarn and such relatively fat needles, which makes the stitches rather floppy and unstable. Still, I'm hanging in there, and it's looking good so far. Oh, and did you notice the very cool pattern holder with the magnetic line-finders I got from Knit Picks? This is a real boon for lace knitting, or any chart knitting. Don't know how I ever lived without it! The shawl is unblocked for the moment, of course, so don't be put off by the fact that it looks rather like an amoeba... In an abundance of enthusiasm, I bought this gorgeous laceweight yarn from KnitPicks, too, and started out on Eunny Jang's Print O' the Waves Shawl, but ripped it out after several rows. Don't think I'm up yet to the challenge of repeats that cross over my stitch markers. I'll try this one again after I've completed the "easy" lace shawl above!
And when I get too overwhelmed with the teeny yarn and fiddly stitches, I've been working on some baby things for a new baby that will have arrived by the time we return to Australia. These are from the Mason-Dixon knitting book: two bibs and a kimono, knit from Peaches and Cream. Also a learning experience: found out I really don't care for knitting with cotton, but I do think the patterns are very cute, don't you?
And here's another score from this trip. Haven't started knitting anything from it yet, but I'm feeling the urge to knit with sport weight yarn and smaller needles for awhile, and there are some really cute things in this book.
And finally, I HAVE to report on my 50th high school reunion a couple of weeks ago. It was such a fun time. As you see, we gathered in the new gymnasium for a group shot. I think there were 49 students in my graduating class, and as you can see from the pic, quite a few of us turned out for the reunion. We had dinner together the night before at our favorite local Mexican restaurant, then had a tour of the high school (which is looking really great these days...new buildings, enthusiastic principal, great students), and a buffet dinner that evening. On the next day, Sunday, we gathered at the gorgeous home of one of our classmates for lunch and more catching up and sharing our experiences. What an incredible gift to see these people after so many years! Can you spot me in the second row, white t-shirt?

Now only a week left here before the long flight back to Oz, where I am hoping Spring is springing!