Lace!

Saturday was a fun day, as sis-in-law and I trekked to the town of Bedford about 35 minutes from here to spend the afternoon antiquing. We did stop at Yarn Theory which is a delightful shop, and one I'll return to soon (I ordered yarn, yes, but that's not the only reason I'll return!). What a visual feast the shop is, with so many samples of lace and felted bags, yarn galore (of course, that goes without saying) and lovely places to sit and knit and chat. Just fabulous!

But from there, we shopped at several of the antique shops in town. I was on a mission (successful, too) for a certain kind of container that I'll share later in July, if my plans pan out as I hope, but mostly it was to enjoy a day with almost no responsibilities except to have fun! We did that, too! We ended up having dinner at The Olde Liberty Station, and I totally splurged and had a burger and fries and probably the best coleslaw I've ever had! We were too full for dessert, but I hear they have yummy cheesecake.

Before we headed out on our day, I spent the morning in the floor blocking Ishbel:

The Tonk was extremely interested in the process and began his tutelage in blocking assistantship. That's such an involved process, and I have to remind myself that the little guy does have brain damage and retention isn't his strong suit. The Meezer was in the wings, but in this early stage, she added nothing to the instruction, probably laughing under her breath at his clumsiness and the fact that I was correcting him often...

Still we managed to get everything pinned out nicely (see that lace detail shot? Wow! I LOVE Ishbel!)

I discovered in the pinning process that the little guy, who cares absolutely nothing for catnip, becomes weak in the knees for wet wool! Who knew?

When I arrived home, I unpinned the shawl and draped her for the "money shot" - The Tonk was immediately on the scene, arranging himself artistically on top of the lace.

And one second after the shutter clicked? The lace was in his teeth! He BIT ISHBEL!
(and was soundly chastised and unceremoniously lifted up and dropped about 1 foot onto the floor with a loud "NO BITE!" (our code for keeping teeth inside the mouth!)

Ishbel is now neatly folded and stored in a drawer with my other shawls...Every speck of yarn in this house is corralled either in bins or plastic zip bags, to keep the wool from a certain kitty's inquisitive nose and destructive teeth.
(sigh)
As long as it takes the little guy to learn? I may be old and gray and still saying "NO BITE!"
(with a corresponding thump on his nose)

The details on Ishbel:
Pattern: Ishbel (Ravelry Link)
Needles: Size 6 Plymouth Bamboo circulars
Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Supersocke in Augbergine (bought at Sock Summit 09, the first two skeins of the colorway!)
Time to Knit: Feb 1, 2010 to June 19, 2010 (and it could have been much sooner, but unfortunately, I don't stick with one project!)
Finished size: 68" wide by 35" deep - a perfect size for me.

Pattern notes: I LOVE this pattern. LOVE.IT. And working from the chart made my life so much happier. I started it with the written instructions and got so blasted messed up in my head. But either side of the chart is the mirror of the other, and if you can do that conversion in your head, it will go much faster. It took me about 3 minutes after I switched to the charts to figure that out. After that? Clear sailing! Whoohoo. The yarn is scrumptious (as The Tonk can attest) and I adore my Plymouth bamboos when I'm using dark yarns.

Because I didn't want The Tonk to feel too chastised and unappreciated, I pulled out the fake leopard throw I've been using at yoga practice during Savasana (Corpse Pose) and spread it out on the bedspread...
Ohh...a new blankie
I loves it, Mommie
(and not a spec of wool in the thing! HA!)