I won a prize! A really nice prize. 🙂 And all I did was read the Twin Set blog and comment on their bloggiversary. Job well done, I must say. I received several lovely yarns, a pattern, and a Twin Set pin. My favorite yarn is the skein attached to the Twin Set pin: it is called Cheeky Monkey in color Leisure Suit! The gray alpaca is super soft and perfect for gloves. The blue yarn (on top) is a great unknown and looks like sock yarn. Thanks, Ellen and Jan!!
Did I mention it is the theater of the absurd??
October Morning in Minnesota
Jeesh.
More on the Yarn Harlot’s Lace Cowl
GinkgoKnits asked about the yarn I used. I would have mentioned the details but I was too lazy to go dig it out! It is from Just Our Yarns and is called Myne. It is micro-thin 100% cashmere (I held it double to make the cowl). Sally is the one who originally bought it so I was 100% sure she would like the color 🙂 . On their site, they warn that each color is unique, so purchase all you will need because the color varies, even within the same lot. Sally thought they said, “Buy all of it you can get your hands on.” 😉 She ended up with so much, she gave me several skeins. Enough to make many cowls, or a shawl or…you get the idea!
It’s about time, Steph! I made this cowl for Surly for her birthday last February, but could not share it on the blog because Stephanie (aka Yarn Harlot) had not shared the pattern yet. She allowed me to be an unofficial test knitter because I begged. Just. Plain. Begged. Pathetically. It is a stunningly beautiful lace cowl knit in cashmere. Here is my version (now Sally’s):
Pretty Thing Lace Cowl by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee in stash cashmere
The pattern is available on Ravelry. I love it, Sally wears it. Go make one!!
I am not a football fan. I am not a Vikings fan* (though I live in Minnesota). But even I am going to watch tonight’s game!! 
XXXXX XXXXX Hoping we win!
*Surly is a huge Vikings fan!
PS: Woo Hoo! Great game! 
PPS: Now the Twins just won a twelve-inning nail biter to become the Central Division Champs!! Again, I’m not much of a sports fan, but I can sure appreciate an exciting game!
Yes, I drove 6 hours (total, round trip) to see sweaters. None of my non-knitting peeps can fathom why anyone would do such a thing, but you — my people — will understand completely. These were not just any sweaters. These were Elsebeth Lavold’s knitwear collection at the Vesterheim Gallery — Knitting Along the Viking Trail. Special knitting friend Kathy accompanied me. We met Friday a.m. at 7 am and arrived at the Vesterheim, in total anticipation before 10:00. The exhibit did not disappoint:
We felt like kids in a candy store! It was breathtaking and wonderful and overwhelming all at once. I had brought along my copy of Viking Patterns for Knitting so we could see which designs were represented. Most were there. From the cover:
There were so many gorgeous sweaters, it is hard to pick favorites, but here are some that I really liked or recognized:
There were many more, but I have made this a long post already. I must give a shout out to a wonderful knitting store in Decorah, Iowa: the Blue Heron Knittery. It is located just a few blocks down from The Vesterheim. It is a beautiful shop, filled with gorgeous yarns and friendly people. We felt right at home and were made to feel very welcome.
After lunch and yarn shopping , we made one more pass through the gallery. I was so thrilled to be able to see these works of art in person and be immersed in the joy that is knitting. I left exhilarated, inspired and exhausted. And a special thank you to Kathy for being my companion on the journey — we laughed, we cried, we ate. What a great day!!!
On Saturday evening, I was invited to a casual birthday party for a dear friend. That afternoon, I rooted through my closet looking for something to wear. It was a beautiful day, but it was a bit cool and we were going to be out in the country where the temperatures would be lower than in DC. So I wanted a sweater.
Looking for something else — although I am not sure what — I stumbled across something stuffed into the back of a shelf. It was one of those “I finished this but I’m not sure I’m happy with it” projects. I’d never worn it. The ends weren’t even woven in — a sure sign of failure. It was a cardigan designed by Martin Storey, called Plaza. The original design has these intriguing crocheted corkscrews dangling all over the deep shawl collar:
I actually made them, put them on, and then removed them. They were lovely in the design’s photo but on me: not so much. Anyway, out of curiosity and desperation I tried the sweater on. Hey. This doesn’t look so bad, I thought. I asked my husband; he liked it.
Well, it was a casual party among friends. Why not? I wore it and got lots of compliments on it. So although it may not be my favorite sweater, I’m putting it into the rotation. And here it is:
I am so excited — my yarn arrived for this:
Dale of Norway 10903
My husband looked at the picture and, after a very pregnant pause, said, “That’s a ‘different’ sweater.” In Minnesota, that means ugly. Okay, dear, then you don’t have to wear it. He said the same thing when I showed him the yarn for Henry the VIII. It was going to be for him, but when I got that reaction, I made it for myself and called her Henrietta!
Here is the yarn kind of laid out like it will be in the pattern:
Daletta by Dale of Norway
I purchased the yarn from two sources, but I would like to highlight one of them here: Mary Ann Stephens, known as twostrands on Ravelry (who also moderates a group by the same name), is fantastic to work with. So sweet and accommodating. When I told her I wasn’t sure about the blue, she put together photos and some yarn samples for me to decide on the color. She is also notable for her designs — two of which are in the public eye at the moment: Amaryllis Mittens (mentioned in Yarn Harlot’s mitten hunt and now available as a Ravelry download), as well as the Sleepy Monkey Baby Blanket from the Spring 2009 Twist Collective.
Coincidentally, my knitting peep, Kim, just finished said blanket last night — at least she SAID she was going to complete the very last few sts of i-cord bind off when she got home 😉 . Small knitting worlds collide. Mary Ann handles everything Dale, so if you need patterns, yarn, tutorials on Norwegian steeking, help with project questions — she will do it all!
Anyway, I love the yarn and hope to get to it soon, but as you know I am sewing up a storm and have a deadline. It is unnerving to have a deadline with such dire consequences: if I don’t get it finished, I’ll be naked. If I don’t get it right, I’ll look stupid. No pressure! 
Dear MKG,
Thank you for a wonderful evening! I completely enjoyed tonight’s program: people brought their knitting entries from the Minnesota State Fair and shared the judge’s comments, back stories, etc. The meeting lasted until 10 pm because so many people had brought items. I am constantly amazed at the quality and complexity of the knitting and humbled to win any ribbons at all!
Did any of you see this dress? Victoria shared the link in a comment, and I was blown away! Drew looks absolutely stunning and the dress is amazing. The bodice looks like a tattoo! Is crochet sexy? You bet, but who could create this??
Ahhh, fall is in the air and I am loving it! Well, it is actually really hot today, but still. The Vikings are playing football and school has started, so that constitutes fall for me.
I am cobbling together the yarn to make Dale of Norway 10903 (catchy name, huh). I linked to WendyKnits blog because that is where I saw this pattern many years ago. I have loved it ever since and had it in my “I’ll get to that one someday” queue. Well, that day has arrived. The yarn hasn’t! I am going to make it as a cardigan and have changed the blue to one that is a bit darker. Now I will wait patiently for my yarn and dabble in other things. I. Will. Wait. Patiently.
In the meantime I am trying to get my SewJo back (sewing mojo 
). I have an event to attend in 2 weeks. It is a gala. Old ladies in prom dresses. I do not own a prom dress and never did. I am not the evening gown type. So what does a dud wear to a gala? I am going to wear a dressy suit. I bought some drop dead gorgeous gold/brown/black brocade for the jacket and some silky black for a longish dress to go underneath.
Of course, the beauty cannot be captured — elusive as a butterfly!
I have done the cutting and now must start the sewing. Woo Hoo!!
PS: in response to Julie — Dale of Norway 10903 does not have an official name. Wendy (of WendyKnits) named it Frida to give it a name. But if everyone calls it Frida because Wendy named it, then I guess it has a name!
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