Multiple choice test:
Why has it been so long since I updated this blog?
(a) I spent all my spare time knitting and crocheting.
(b) I have been too busy tech editing patterns to update.
(c) I broke my leg and had surgery.
(d) I was away on vacation.
(e) I took a photography class.
(f) All of the above are at least partially true.
The correct answer is (f) but things didn't necessarily happen in that order. While I was away on vacation, (c) happened. That was a month ago. Breaking a leg is not recommended, especially on vacation. And breaking both your tib + fib so that now you have a titanium rod and 5 screws is really not recommended. I am currently a cabin-fever crazed woman who is looking forward to walking without crutches (and I am working on that). I will spare you the photo (HIPAA??? - ha, my kids had the xrays on Facebook the night it happened), just know that it doesn't take a trained eye to see that I did a grand job.
Truly, the point of this post was supposed to be the introduction of a new pattern, Lattice and Ivy, not just to play catch-up. I crocheted this shawl last summer, created charts, but never quite managed to put it all together until now. The center of this shawl works up really quickly. The Irish crochet leaf edging takes a little more time, but as the focal point of the shawl, the leaves are worth the time.
In my absence, winter turned to spring. Despite the leg, I managed to plant some primroses in the container on our front porch. That was something I could do sitting down. : ) Carrying liquids on crutches to water said plants is a tall order, so DH has obediently watered them for me.
He has also played the valiant role of taxi driver and sous-chef. He sets me up for the day before he goes to work and usually comes by at lunch to see if I need anything. He is a bit blown away by all the extra stuff he does on my behalf. I can't imagine what we would do if I worked outside our home.
I have been knitting. Actually, I have probably knit and crocheted more than usual. I can't vacuum or drive or do a lot of cooking, so I have taken full advantage of the down time to work on a few projects. Heck, I even had to sew one of the velcro straps on my orthopaedic boot back together. That means I operated the sewing machine with my left foot. It felt weird.
The yarn that I last posted about is now a scarf.
I call it the Cabbage Scarf -- I think it looks like a cabbage when it's rolled up. Actually, in this photo it also looks like a backwards apostrophe or a comma. The ruffles are kind of fun and different. The pattern link is here.
I got a little obsessed with using up scraps of cotton yarn and turning them into coasters. I love a 20 minute project! Except that I made 40 of these 20-minute projects and I still have scraps of cotton. I will be gifting some cotton coasters.
On the tech editing front, another issue of Petite Purls has gone live and another one is in the works. Dutch Knitting, My Little CityGirl, Woodhouse Knits and NelkinDesigns have kept me busy (to name a few), not to mention Leisure Arts.
And Easter is just around the corner... look who stopped by my desk window today. I did take a photography class in Feb-Mar and learned a lot, not that it's evident in this shot, but I didn't want to miss the opportunity.
He ate a dandelion but left my plants alone.... and he best not go near my strawberries!!!
More knitting. I finished a really different poncho that I will write up and release for the fall. I have a summer top on the needles at the itty-bitty gauge of 6.5 sts per inch. The colors in it remind me of Indian Blanket.
Stay tuned. I'll be back before another 3 months have gone by. Until then, beware of the crazy woman who drives the electric carts at Wichita stores!!!
