Dainty Bess Progress

I have been feverishly working on this in hopes of finishing and blocking by Tuesday. Please keep your needles (or fingers) crossed for the target day! Knitting with lace weight yarn takes a loooong time to get any length ~ I had no idea. It sure has been fun and challenging to work with. We are at about 16" right now.

Here it is as of today:

Completed

Here are two little pictures of Tiger Eye all blocked.
I did not make the pattern symmetrical - just kept going to the end. It somehow seems more oganic to me that way.

Tiger Eye and Dainty Bess

Today we took my car in for 45K maintenance. Nice thing - they give us a loaner car to use! So my husband and I went shopping. We didn't buy much (with our gift cards from Xmas) but we did have a lovely morning together.

I finished the Tiger Eye Scarf and am in the blocking process. Now before you look at this, I use an old striped beach towel as a guide. It looks like he** but keeps me in line. Literally. Can't see too much of the pattern due to the lovely red stripes, so when it is dry I'll try for a better detail shot.

So here is the blocking of Tiger Eye:

Next on the needles is Dainty Bess. I bought the pattern from Knit Picks in a collection of three called Elizabeth I. This is using Knit Picks Shimmer, an Alpaca and Silk blend and #4 needles. The fingers at the top are my husbands, mine at the bottom. (No, I don't have three hands although sometimes it would be really nice!)

Merry Christmas!

It is still Christmas Eve here, but in the East you are already in this glorious day. So merry Christmas to you!

We played two church services tonight with string quintet, brass, timpani, harp, oboe, organ and choir. Quite a fete. Twice. The sermons were so short I could not get even one row knitted. I did, however get in a few between the services, so here it is so far:

Knitted Round Dishcloth (free pattern) from www.mielkesfarm.com

I am using Peaches and Cream in white with #4 needles. (Yes, I am a loose knitter who wants a dense cloth). I anticipate the Tiger Eye to be finished tomorrow, then I plan a real concentration on the Dainty Bess Lace Scarf. Pictures to follow........

Enjoy your evening and have a loving and joyful Christmas.

Already Friday

Where did this week go??? After a looooong weekend and students on Monday, I finally finished my Xmas shopping. Although there are still cards to write and send (yes, yes, I know they will be late) everything else is finished.

One of my students is entering a concerto competition, so we were recording her last night. The sound was good except for the dratted minidisc player skipping! We are re-recording today.

We put up the tree 2 weeks ago but only on Wednesday did we decorate. It has been difficult for me to get in the Christmas mood this year.

I am almost finished with the Tiger Eye scarf. I think I will keep this one for me and wear it Christmas Eve. I have not been working on the Dainty Bess but will get back to is as soon as Tiger is done.

Pics of the works soon ..... I promise.

It's Friday Again

And there are four more Nutcrackers in the works this weekend in addition to three church services. I love my work and I love to work. But I am ready to be able to stay home evenings with my husband, cook nice dinners for us, and of course, knit for an hour or two a day. After Sunday, there are only the Christmas Eve services to prepare for so the schedule will let up until January.

I haven't had much time to sit and knit and am feeling very itchy to feel the needles and the rhythm of the stitches in my hands. Maybe if we arrive at the hall early enough tonight, I can get in a row or two. I will try to take a few pictures Sunday or Monday of the Dainty Bess scarf I began, so check back after the weekend. Sadly, Tiger Eye has been on the back burner while I figure out how to knit with laceweight yarn.

I hope you have a safe and joyous weekend.

Happy Husband

Since I finished the scarf for him, my husband is happy. I bet he thought it would never get done since he sees me knitting the other projects all the time. So here it is!

This is the Irish Hiking Scarf, knitted in Simply Soft (machine washable and truly soft!) on #8 needles. Here is the free pattern link: http://www.helloyarn.com/irishhikingscarf.pdf

Sunday Link

Here is the link to the Tiger Eye Lace Scarf as requested. It is a free pattern that was posted about in Knitters Review.

www.tmooka.net/blogs/stitchingirl/patterns/tigereyescarf.pdf

I am hoping to get mine finished soon. I did finish my husband's Irish Hiking Scarf today and will post a pic as soon I can.

Hope your weekend has been joyful.

Finally Friday

And it is off to make more music this weekend. I drove to St. Stephen Presbyterian Church last night for a rehearsal. It is a remarkable building considering it was built in the 1900s. I have to go back on Sunday morning to play the service.

Tomorrow morning is a Messiah rehearsal, then home to teach. And that evening will be the last performance of "Tales of Hoffman" so I will go hear my husband and friends perform in the orchestra. Oh yes, I guess I will also listen to the singers. And yes, I will also take my knitting to do before the show since we will be there quite early.

Sunday will be busy with the early morning St. Stephen service, then another church service in the afternoon, then off to play my final Messiah performance for this Christmas season.

I sure hope I can get in some knitting here or there. Maybe during the sermons?! After all, we won't be seen up in the choir lofts and I can knit and listen at the same time. (Unlike at the Opera, thank you.) I hope to get my husband's Irish Hiking Scarf done as well as the Tiger Eye. Wish me luck!

Wintery Wednesday

The wind is blowing, the sleet is falling, the city is getting all backed up. Traveling on icy roads in an urban setting is no fun! Since we have no snow removal and lots of bridges and overpasses, the area basically shuts down. Many activities for this evening have been cancelled - gee, I wonder if my rehearsal will be cancelled?

My dear husband has a crummy cold, so I made comfort food for dinner - Chicken Shepard's Pie.
Too bad he has to drive downtown and play opera tonight. At least when he returns home, the fireplace will be burning and the room cozy and warm.

I just started the second skein of Tiger's Eye.
So here is a pic of my WIP.

First big weekend

This was the first big music weekend for the Christmas season. Today we played two performances of Ahmal and the Night Visitors (fantastic 1 hour opera by Gian Carlo Menotti) after the Messiah rehearsal. Also have the complete ~ yes, all three hours ~ Messiah tomorrow evening. In the afternoon is an opera performance (for dear husband) and I am going to hear some friends (oboe, harp and organ) perform with a choir.

Monday is sounding like a day of rest.... I hope whoever reads this has a lovely week enjoying the Christmas season.