EZ Rules!

What fun! Having 3.5 wheels of leftover Unspun Icelandic from Schoolhouse Press in the great color, Sumac, I decided to try Elizabeth Zimmermann's Stonington Shawl (from Knitter's Workshop, maybe? I left my book at home). Actually, this was my illicit airplane knitting: you may remember the great Bamboo DPNs Scandal of last year...well, this time I decided to be smarter. I took my KnitPicks Harmony 5.5mm tips, tucked into my briefcase beside the pens and pencils. The cable resided in an outer pocket, all on its lonely. One wheel of yarn was tucked into my rollaboard. Once settled on the plane, well after takeoff, I assembled the needles, cast on, and during my sojourn in California I have been knitting.

Today I paused to admire my brilliance in attempting a picot bind-off on the completed shawl/blanket, and here's what it looks like...cool, eh?

And here's the unblocked shawl...er, blanket. We're going to leave it here in Oakland at the apartment, so we'll have something nice and toasty to throw over our knees while we watch TV.

You may remember that I used this yarn in the Blacksheep color to make my Pi Shawl last year, and that's what we use at home in Australia for TV watching. It was a blessing having so much of the Sumac leftover from my Pansy Triangle Shawl, so I could make up this Stonington...love the pattern, love the yarn, love the color!

And today...it's off to visit some fabric shops on a quest for the perfect border fabric for Katie Rose's string quilt. Did I mention that she's chosen the words she'd like for that border? Here's the winner: Life is a song, sing it. Life is a promise, fulfill it. Life is a dream, realize it. I'll use the stronger colors from the string blocks, probably one color group for each of the three phrases, and the background will be a light pink, either a very small print or a tone on tone. That's today's quest.

And TOMORROW it's Stitches West at the Santa Clara Convention Center. I'll have a chance to meet Lynne of Yarnivorous, too...woot!