Alien takeover

Okay, maybe “takeover” is a strong word… but I did whip up another mini-alien / impalien for Joanna: It’s nestling in a hops vine that goes crazy out of control over part of our back fence/gate.  The vine came with the house.  Apparently birds like the berry thingies in the winter (the previous owner was a far better gardener than I!).

I’ve also been working on the Pamuya shawl for my mom.  This is probably a Christmas present – I’ll want to whip up something smaller for her September (yikes) birthday.  I know what you’re thinking, but she’s not really the alien type. :) The colors are washed out a bit here but I’ll get more accurate pictures when it’s off the needles.

…and in other knitting news – as in Other People’s Knitting News – my friend Nathalie has made her third hat!  She learned to knit as a child and still had that knit/purl muscle memory, and declared a desire to knit a slouchy hat last winter.  We trekked to The Mannings and found a fun yarn, as well as a slightly cheesy looking (but very serviceable) booklet of patterns called Celebrity Slouchy Beanies for the Family (Leisure Arts #75358).  She made a very plain hat from her multi/mottled yarn and wore it all winter, and then she made a smaller men’s beanie cap out of the leftovers.  Before going on a long trip overseas this summer, she professed a desire to make a cabled hat – but ran out of time to return to Mannings.  So she shopped in my stash.  The only worsted weight yarn I KNEW I had enough yardage of for a slouchy cabled hat was left over from my Must Have Cardi, a heathered colorway called Lake Ice.  She sent photos from France (the hat hasn’t returned stateside yet) and look how great the hat came out! And here’s the best part: next, she wants to learn socks.  Be still my heart.  I bought a skein of sock yarn at the Summit with her in mind – and promised to knit her a pair myself to spur her on.  Stay tuned for future chapters of Nathalie’s Knitting Story.

I know I still haven’t flashed my SS Stash, but the weather hasn’t been conducive to photography (as witnessed by those lamish photos I took this morning).  I’m happy to report that it rained a lot yesterday, which we sorely needed.  I’ll keep waiting for the photography window.