back in the saddle

Well, I’m at least back in Nashville.  Where it is very, very hot.  And that’s pretty much my excuse for why I have very little knitting to show you.  I might even have negative amounts of knitting, when all is said and done.

First off, the bag of sadness:

Goodbye, Shetland Tea Shawl.  There was no way this was going to work out … it would have been a petite lap blanket, not the giant fluffy blanket cloud I was hoping for.  So I ripped last night.  The malabrigo lace is holding up surprisingly well, but I made sure to be extra gentle and avoid any unnecessary tugging.  It looks like all the yarn might make it out intact.

And that’s always a good thing, especially considering that the new shawl I have in mind takes a lot of yarn.  Somehow, I just couldn’t face another start on the Tea Shawl.  Maybe another time.

But on to the good news: a new bag for my birthday!

My sister gives awesome gifts.  This is the Tom Bihn swift bag.  It’s billed as a knitting bag, though it’s so roomy and practical it’s perfect for just about everything (it was my carry-on)  … I can stuff a lot of crap in there.  And the project pouch is super.  I’m one of those people who would like to say I travel light, but I’m not: I’ve become my Grandma Doris, hauling around 10lbs. of goodness knows what, just in case.  So, yeah, this is pretty ideal.

The actual knitting — which could, of course, be put in the above-mentioned bag — is not so very exciting.

The ishbel with stripes continues to grow, and I continue to waffle about what kind of border to knit.  Lace?  Garter stitch?  Le sigh.  Still not sure.

So, I’ll leave you with my favorite part of summer: Rainier cherries!

If I had any restraint, I might be able to make this.  Alas, I do not have any restraint.