given the rate that the blog says they are inviting folks – my invite should be in the next week or so

August blahs

remember that yarn I ordered from Elann? the baby lace merino – i LOVED the color and still do but the yarn – not so much.  yesterday i tried to wind the yarn – let me tell you it was NOT happening – i rewound that one ball about three times and then tried to cast on – even using size 1 lace needles – i HATED it.  I don’t think SUPERFINE yarn and I go together.

but the problem is i am CRAVING a red lace shawl – i have been drooling over the shawls in the SIMPLY STUNNING projects (Sharon Miller) and even thinking of ordering a few more from the website (although at the current exchange rate its ludicrous prices) and even to designing my own (i have her book).  but am really disappointed in finding a beautiful red – and actually like the ELANN red – so i went stash shopping and found a pretty deepish red from Mountain Colors BEARFOOT in Ruby River that I had bought earlier this year (one skein) for socks (never having done any wanted to make them in red of course). 

Love the color but its nylon, mohair and superwash – not sure how those combos will do for a lacey shawl… wonder if the superwash means not much give in the blocking process.  however LOVE the colors.

So then after a night of tossing in the lovely (that’s sarcasm folks) humidity of the august heat wave that is our weather this week (and suppose to break tonight please please)… i thought i might try to DOUBLE the Elann Baby Lace Merino.

So late this afternoon I took the one wound ball and an unwound ball – and had fun (yeah really) winding them together – i managed to get two balls of two strands each – I am not sure if I will like it after all but will try to swatch tonight.

but i am still surfing for a pretty fingering weight (i guess thats what works for me) or sock weight red.

any suggestions, please ?

as for CECE – we are stuck on SLEEVE ISLAND.  having restarted the first sleeve twice in order to figure out a good way to do the increases in the lace pattern – not as easy as it is written but finally figured out something that may work (after all how often will the underarm side be seen anyway – but you know, YOU know.)