Oops, I Knit it Again

May I present, the Clapotis v. 3.0:

Pattern - Clapotis by Kate Gilbert (I'm sure you find it funny that I even bothered to link that)
Yarn - KnitPicks Wool of the Andes in Chisholm;
Needles - KnitPicks Harmony, Size 8 (5mm)
Shelf life - Started 4.26.08; Bound off 05.30.08

Pattern Modifications:
I knit 2 additional repeats in the straight section (that's 24 more rows, about 4" added)
To compensate, I knit an extra repeat in the decrease section as well.

Notes:
Do yourself a favor and get some of this yarn. Hand-dyed, RICH color at $1.99 per 110yd ball. Who doesn't love a bargain?
Also, if you're thinking about making a Clapotis and would like to have the row by row chart I used (with or without stitch counts), send me an email and I'll be glad to share that.
And the needles?? Like BUTTAH...I find any excuse to knit something on 8's now. I have managed to fight temptation so far, so I only have this one set of size 8 Harmony tips to try them out. Santa will undoubtedly bring me the rest of them though since he apparently knows my credit card number by heart.

This is the second time I'm that I'm knitting this wrap as a gift. My mother-in-law always compliments my knitting and asked about it while I was working on it at our Memorial Day lunch (yes I was knitting wool outside in the afternoon in Florida - hush!). She said she loved the colors, and could really use something like that when it gets cold here (hush!). Something to warm her when she's outside waiting for the bus. What more motivation could I need?? After all, considering the gift of a lifetime partner she gave me - this is but a small token. She'll get it this fall just as soon as the temperature starts to dip, or maybe I can hold out until Christmas to gift it to her. Handknit love makes the world go 'round :)

No question that I love this pattern. The only real question is....what yarn will I knit it in next?

v 1.0 - Auracania Atacama Alpaca


v 2.0 - Cascade 220 Paints


v3.0 - KnitPicks Wool of the Andes

Many humble thanks to hubby, my oh-so patient photographer who never lets this FO showcase thing get old.

Receiving is Pretty Good Too

You know the saying that it is better to give than to receive? I firmly believe in that, and like many of you, I get a whole lot of joy from giving. I mean real grin-a-kool-aid-smile kind of happiness. In fact, I'm such a fan of giving, that I started a whole blog adventure about it. One of the things I like best about giving someone something out of kindness is that moment when they realize that, at some point, you stopped alllllll the other things going on in your life to think about them. And then you didn't just think about them, you acted on that thought. You put your feelings into something tangible. In the case of giving something handmade, you put your time, your energy, your creativity and a little piece of YOU into that gift. And when you see that they appreciate it, or that it does them some good - man oh man. It's hard to beat that warm and fuzzy.

Well it's by that same token that I would now like to celebrate the wonderfulness of receiving...Yesterday I received two packages and you can just guess what was in them....

Mmmmm hmmm - some of my favorite stuff to give AND to receive. Yarn! This gorgeous, colorful, Knit! Me! Now! kind of yarn.

This one is Grandma's Blessing from Briar Rose fibers.
I received this as a Thank You from Kim - the wonderful organizer of the Hope Lodge Charity Blanket Knit-a-Long. I told her that being a part of something so meaningful was definitely thanks enough and I took that as my gift when I took part. But this squishy lovely bonus?? Why thank you very much, I receive it humbly and with much gratitude.

This next one is a yarn I've heard about for a long time, and never actually tried (I believe that counts as a double gift - new yarn, new yarn knitting experience).



This came in the mail from one of my all-time favorite podcasters, Nicole. Get this - I actually won this as a prize for knitting from my stash and decreasing it by over 1000 yards in April's Spring Cleaning Challenge [ravelry link]. In fact, I think knitting from our stash is a gift we should all give ourselves more often. And adding back to the stash through the kindness of others like Nicole and the lovely Ceylun (our challenge administrator) - now that's just good receiving! Oh what to make??! Send your suggestions pleez! I welcome them.

Sigh...I'm happy as a lark. (Why don't people say that anymore? It's just so fitting.)

The Post That Almost Wasn't

Hello my darlings!

This is the post that almost wasn't because I actually found myself hesitating about whether or not I should come out here - to my own blog - to post something. Now you may wonder, why in the world would you have to ask yourself that, Marce?

Well... I view this blog like many other things in my life - I have a great deal of patience with everyone else, but I am a perfectionist with myself. So even though this is my own private space out here in blog land, and even though I am the master of all most of what goes on here, I really wasn't sure that I was comfortable coming out here to post until I was absolutely sure of what I would talk about. Seems strange, right? The thing is, sometimes I am actually conflicted. I ask myself, should I come out here and post some things I think you might want to read about? Or should I come out here and just write the things I want to talk about? Much of the time I am so lucky in that those two things are actually one and the same. But in the last few days, I've come to a realization. I've realized that ( in my mind) I have really strayed from my original reasons for creating this space.

My original reasons included finding a creative outlet (check!); encouraging myself to write more often (check!); and connecting with others who are doing the same (a very grateful check!). But sometimes I find myself actually NOT posting even though I want to. Not because I don't have something to say-if you know me you know I ALWAYS have something to say - but moreso because I wasn't sure if I had a "complete" post ready. And that kind of thinking bothers me a little bit. This is my personal space, and because it's personal it should reflect my personality. Part of my personality is that I don't always have everything put together before I leap. I get by on ideas, plans, conversations and many things that are unplanned and not quite fully formed, but still oh so good.

So once again, you my darling cyber friends have come to the rescue. I spent the last few weeks visiting many of your blogs. Lurking on some, commenting on others, and e-mailing with some of you that I haven't talked to enough in some time. What an enlightening and refreshing experience! I learned by stepping out of my own writing space here and by stepping into yours that this blogging thing isn't about perfection, it isn't about being always precise or prepared, and it certainly isn't about only writing what others want to read. It's about keeping the personal in a personal blog, and it's about just plain old sharing.

As with all great epiphanies, I'm sure that this will be at the forefront of my mind for a good long time (three solid days at least) and then it's urgency might start to fade. But until that time I will make a greater effort to not wait until I have all my photos lined up, or all my project notes listed out, or all my links ready and set to go. If I have something I want to share, I'm going to just come out here and share it.

Just like I did today.

Pause

Yes, I know I said I'd be away for a while...but, you know what they say - sharing is caring!
Just a little sunshine and warmth from us to you...All photos get bigger if you click 'em.