Caplotis C'est Finis

My second Clapotis is finished.
Yarn: Just over 5 Skeins Patons Grace, Tangello
Needle: US 6 (4mm) circular needle
Pattern: Clapotis
Structure: Incr/Decr Section: 8 repeats; Straight Section: 16 repeats
Total Stitches: 30,614
Time: 6 days (11.17.05-11.23.05)




I also began a scarf yesterday, for something quick & easy. I really needed a break from the FF&L shawl, which I have not worked on for about a week now. It's become a daunting project due to the sheer size of the thing. I'm just over a quarter of the way through, but there is so much more left to do. It's very overwhelming. I figured I'd extend my break from FF&L a little longer by making this scarf. I may add the darker pink to the light pink to make one big long scarf, or I may just make 2 separate scarfs. I'm not quite sure yet.

Splitz Top is "Splitz" (& FF&L Progress)

I decided to frog the Splitz Top I had been working on. I just was not happy with it and I found that there were too many errors in the pattern which I really did not want to deal with. (The errata did not catch one of the glaring errors, so I decided it just was not worth my time). Here it is in all its glory in the frog pond...



Besides that, I've got the Clapotis bug again so I started my second one last night using the yarn from the Splitz Top. I am using Patons Grace in Tangello, size 6 US (4mm). It's a 100% mercenized cotton and I like the way it is knitting up.



I'm only through row 109 on the Frost Flowers & Leaves shawl. That translates to only one row of the FF&L knit all week!!! I needed to take a break from it but will get back to it this weekend. Here are my usual stats on my progress...

FF&L: % Complete as of Friday, 11.18.05

WORKING ON 3RD REPEAT OF CHART 2 (5 rounds to go)

One round knit since my last post --> 109 total rounds completed.

• 38,392 stitches cumulative (792 since last Thursday)
• 28% of body completed (0% since last Thursday)
• 24% of entire shawl completed, including edging (1% since last Thursday)

FINALLY Finished

Well, I finally finished the pair of socks which I had started over a year ago, October 2004, during the World Series watching the Red Sox. However, I did not like the way the pattern was turning out, so I frogged the whole thing and did not start this pair again until several months later. This time I did just a basic stockinette pattern. But I put this down many, many times to work on other things, so did not finally finish it until now - OVER A YEAR SINCE THE ORIGINAL START DATE!!! Wow - I cannot believe that in a year's time, I only completed ONE pair of socks. In the 2 years prior to that, I had probably knit over 20 pairs of socks - talk about "sockknitters block..." This pair was knit with Plymouth Sockotta on size 1 US (2.5mm) Addi Turbo circular needles using the magic loop method on a base of 64 sts. I think the colorway is called Mexico.

Needless to say, I have not worked on FF&L at all this weekend.

FF&L: % Complete as of Thursday, 11.11.05

I finally switched to 29" circs, although I didn't need to. I think I could have gone several more rounds, but I wanted to be able to take some better pictures. These pics are with 2 circs - 1/2 of the sts on the 24" & 1/2 on the 29". I took the pictures during the transition round from the 24" to 29". What better opportunity to be able to spread it out a little bit for the camera...Pretty, huh????

WORKING ON 3RD REPEAT OF CHART 2 (6 rounds to go)

Three rounds knit since my last post --> 108 total rounds completed.

• 37,600 stitches cumulative (2,312 since Monday)
• 28% of body completed (2% since Monday)
• 23% of entire shawl completed, including edging (1% since Monday)

Kitty Time

Ok - what can be cuter than this? --A kitty in a box-- No, make that...A kitty in an itty bitty box. Jazz-Purr can barely fit in the box, yet he has to get in it and check it out just the same. I guess he thinks he's a lot smaller than he looks. Granted, he's under 8 pounds, but to try to make this box his bed? I don't think so...Does he think no one can see him? I don't think so..Isn't he just the cutest? I DO think so...

And I bet you all are wondering what was in this box that created such a stir. It's a universal dock for the soon to be delivered 60gb white video iPod that Jacob ordered. Lucky boy. And thank-you Steve Jobs for your continuous innovation & vision. GO APPLE!!!! Yep - you got it - I'm a huge Apple fan. Have been since 1991 when I used my first mac. It was the SE, the teeny tiny little box with a whopping 8k of memory, if I remember correctly.

Ok - time to give Jazz-Purr's sisters some attention. Cleo & Scooter, it's your turn to take center stage. Scooter is the tabby & Cleo is, well, uh-hummm, just Cleo. Being a tortie she has what you would call - tortietude...She takes full advantage of any attention she can get. She even nudges her way in to get that attention when someone else is at the receiving end. She thinks she's Queen of the house. She also has to go eat or drink when ever the other 2 kids are doing that. Miss little bossy nudge-nick. But, you gotta love her!!! Scooter is our little lady. She's the quiet one, but don't get on her bad side. She'll certainly put you in your place. I guess that's why when Jazz wants to play, Cleo is usually the one he bothers (I mean plays with).

Pictures of FF&L (through round 105)

Due to popular demand, here are some progress pictures of FF&L. This is through round 105 (midway through the 3rd repeat of chart 2). It's still on the 24" needles and is about 2 rounds into the second hank of Alpaca Cloud-Peppermint.

I told you it was just a blob...although you can make out the center flower motif.

Alpaca Cloud Update on FF&L

For those of you keeping stats:

My first hank of Alpaca Cloud got me through approximately 33,500 stitches (about 3/4 of the way through round 103) of the Frost Flowers & Leaves shawl. If that holds true through out my shawl, that would put me at about 4.8 hanks needed for this project. Keep in mind that I am using smaller needles than the pattern suggested (size 3 us; 3.25mm). This is supposed to knit up to a huge shawl and I wanted mine to be somewhat smaller. I am, after all, only about 5'1" tall.

I'm still using the 24" length needles but may switch to the 29" soon. That way I can spread out the shawl a tiny bit more to get some pictures. I have the 29" in INOX, but I think that's the longest they go, so I'll have to use my 40" Addi Turbos once I outgrow the 29". The problem with the Addi's is that their tips are more blunt than those of the INOX. I like to use pointy tips for lace. Oh well, at least this pattern does not call for any K3TOG. It's at that point where you really want to use pointy needles. The only other problem I can foresee with the Addi's will be that they will be real slippery. That would be a complete disaster if my stitches fell off the needles.

I'll try to stretch out my blob of peppermint to take some pictures so you can get an idea of how things are coming along. As you know with lace, until you have blocked your project, you really cannot get a true picture of how things are progressing -- except by the size of the blob.

Jacob becomes a Bar Mitzvah: Part B-Reception

My friend from work, Marianne, just sent me these pictures of the reception. You can see what a great time everyone had.



Here's my very handsome boy...If you look closely enough, you can see his dimples!



Here's Steve & me...{VERY PROUD PARENTS}


More pictures will be forthcoming. I'm just waiting to get them from our photographer.

Jacob becomes a Bar Mitzvah: Part A-Friday Night

Jacob became a Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, November 5, 2005. He was absolutely spectacular. He did such a wonderful job, both with his Torah & Haftorah readings as well as his D'var Torah. Everyone is extremely proud of him. All the years of religious school & Hebrew school & the weekly study sessions for the 6 months leading up to his Bar Mitzvah certainly paid off.

Below are some pictures from Friday night, November 4, 2005. During Friday night services, Jacob's two grandmothers and I led the candlelighting and Jake led the Kiddush. Afterwards, we all went over to the club house at my Mother-in-Law's for dinner with all of our out of town guests. (Actual Bar Mitzvah pictures from Saturday are still to come).

The Bar Mitzvah Boy - Jacob





Jacob & his brother, Adam




Jacob's cousin, Zachary


A family gathering for dinner after Friday night services

FF&L: % Complete as of Tuesday, 11.08.05

WORKING ON 3RD REPEAT OF CHART 2 (9 rounds to go)

Ten rounds knit since my last post --> 105 total rounds completed.

• 35,288 stitches cumulative (6,488 since last Wednesday)
• 26% of body completed (5% since last Wednesday)
• 22% of entire shawl completed, including edging (3% since last Wednesday)

FF&L: % Complete as of Tuesday, 11.01.05

WORKING ON 2ND REPEAT OF CHART 2 (2 rounds to go)

Eight rounds knit since my last post --> 96 total rounds completed.

• 28,800 stitches cumulative (5,180 since last Wednesday)
• 21% of body completed (3% since last Wednesday)
• 18% of entire shawl completed, including edging (3% since last Wednesday)