Holidays Taking All My Time (very little knitting of lace)

For those wondering if I'm doing any knitting at all, I have to say, not very much. I'm doing the edge for Mountain Pines as you can see. I'm mostly finishing my shopping, starting the baking and packaging book markers that will go to family members and friends as part of the gifts. This is the time to do for others rather than just a focus on my own pleasures. All the scarves for JS are done now, the gift baskets just have to be wrapped in plastic for the adult niece and nephews. There is a little on-line shopping still going on and I've left the dreaded trip to "Toys R Us" for the very last. The nice thing is that Thanksgiving will be at my sister-in-laws, sisters home this year. Millie will cook the turkey and we show up with our knitting along with our contribution to the food. This year my sister and I will bring pumpkin pie, turkey gravy (My sister is known as the 'Gravy Queen') and stuffing consisting of 3 types of bread, sausage, apple, chestnuts, etc. Very tasty and great with the from-scratch gravy my sister makes. It's an all-day affair and we watch video's and knit while the turkey cooks! Our hostess is very gracious and just remodeled her kitchen so it is now the Uber Kitchen for cooking. I can hardly wait to see it. I know it's beautiful because, along with being a highly talented woman, Millie has impeccable taste. I hope to do a lot more of the edging on this day.

I've also been writing a little for NaNoWriMo but it's not even close to 50,000 words which I guess they consider novel length. It's amusing in it's way but War and Peace it's not. I will finish it but not in the month of November! I'm almost done with Chapter 2 and will post that chapter on the link if I get it done in time.

Have a Wonderful Turkey Day!

Nanowrimo and Mountain Pines Shawl (Lace and Writing)

So here it is. The Mountain Pines border. You asked for it, you got it. I wish it was a bit more impressive, but my photography skills don't show the pretty green color of this shawl. I will try to take a good picture once the shawl has been dressed. Things always look better in daylight and shawls never show to advantage until they have been washed/stretched. This is only the second shawl I've completed from yarn that I spun myself. It's not always as consistent as manufactured laceweight yarn, but it has a lot of character. This is not all of the fiber in this color that I have, by the way. I have now decided that I will spin more of this for a future shawl. I have not decided who will get this but I have acid-free paper I got at a quilting shop and I will wrap it up until i decide. The pattern calls for a narrow Vandyke edge (12 row repeat). I was thinking of changing it, but then it might be over-kill at this point. Once this shawl is done, there happens to be a second pattern in the same booklet called "Boundary Waters". It is a square shawl knit in one piece from the center and Is also very pretty. I happen to have some pretty blue yarn that I spun.....Well you get the idea. Since it appears that these patterns are no longer available from "Two Old Bags", (patterns were published under the name 'Wool You Order') I think it would be nice to have both of them. I'll dig up my blue yarn and make a swatch!

On a different note, I have joined National Novel Writing Month. I learned about this from the Akamai Knitter as well as from the blog of an author I like to read, Lilith Saintcrow. You have the opportunity to write a novel in the month of November. I believe the goal is 50,000 words. You can also do this by bloging that number of words I believe (http://www.nanowrimo.org/). I'm going to try to write something though I doubt I will make it to 50,000 words. You can read a preliminary excerpt here.( http://www.nanowrimo.org/userinfo.php?uid=170330). It may be changed as I go along.

Until you are better paid.