Lovely Lace for Spring

Spring Break has really just flown by, as it always does.  Although I've gotten a good deal of yard work done, there is still much left to do in the garden and a chicken coop to finish. Those chickens are getting too big for their cardboard castle in the garage.   If only Mother Nature could be more cooperative this weekend, I think we could get it wrapped up.  I still have research paper rough drafts to grade--going to have to pop into school on a Sunday morning to make copies of the rubric I think--that didn't make it home with the papers.  Today there's a forecast of thunderstorms all day, and that means that my mind is going to be on knitting.  I know that I swore off knitting lace when I did the blue Leaf Lace scarf; but with all the lace weight merino that I dyed this week, I can't help being inspired to create a new design.  I'm thinking about doing a stole with my own hand painted yarns, thinking about it hard enough that I actually did some research on antique lace patterns.  I found the one last night, as well as this great website resource for lace patterns--mind you, they just give you the pattern for the lace and you have to figure out what you are going to do with it:  Knitting Patterns from "Home Work" 1891 is the site.

So, speaking of dying lace this week, here are a few new lace additions to the Etsy shop:

Blue Hawaii Tonal

Dragon Scales

Lilacs Tonal

Tiger Lily Tonal

Also, I hope to finish up the Traveling Woman shawl today.  Rocket has big plans for me to knit up a short-sleeved cardi along the same lines as the Little Kina sweater I knit for the 12 inch doll (who still has no name).  She's picked out three colors; so I guess it will be something striped.  Still mulling it over in my brain.  But, I've promised that this will be the next project to go on the needles.  Almost finished with the butter yellow Swing cardi that I have been working on since last summer.  That baby's down to one and 1/3 sleeves left to knit.  Oh, and I started a new pair of socks this week--toe up--and that's knit almost to the beginning of the gusset.  This heel thing is stressing me out and I haven't even knit up to that part yet.  Now that we are into the 80s every few days, I am wanting to get these wool socks off the needles (they've only been on there for a week) and get down to knitting up some of my silky Spud & Cloe in the stash.  Ah, so many projects, so little time.  Oh, and did I mention that I joined a KAL to knit my first beret?  The Yarn on the House Rav group is doing one--since we are waiting to see who wins the free patterns and who has to buy it, that one can go on the back burner for at least another week. ;)

Happy knitting to all!