High Time for WIPs

Beginning today, my knitting group has started a “Spring Cleaning” knit-along for the month of May. It’s a month to focus on WIPs and clear some out, so that we can all recklessly cast on for more projects this summer.

The first WIP that is getting attention is Flutter. I returned to her after Jemima and am just at the 50% mark ~

It looks like it will be about four feet long in the end. Just long enough!

I did wear Jemima to work yesterday, planning to have a colleague take at least some “in the office” snaps. But the day flew by and we never got the chance. On the bright side, it passed the “day of wear” test. It’s like wearing a cloud, light and soft, and will be in heavy rotation whenever the weather permits. N will be home Saturday, so pictures will likely be had on Sunday.

Speaking of the office, over last weekend I was keeping an eye on the Sierra Madre fire that started Saturday. It wasn’t a whopper, as these fires can go, but many people were evacuated. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured. However, I apparently didn’t have a strong sense of exactly where the fire was because when I arrived at work on Monday morning, I was stunned to first smell and then look up from the parking lot and see flames. It was right there. Essentially a few miles down the road and up the side of the foothills a bit. Most of Pasadena and adjoining towns are actually built on the valley floor next to the foothills. I could see it from my office as well. The developed areas a distance into the valley floor weren’t really in danger, but it was disconcerting to know that this was going on right outside my window.

Back to knitting news, shall we? The Knitty surprises just went up! A nice pair of socks and a classic cardi.

Also, WEBS has listed their anniversary sale yarns for May, in addition to the “staples” that are continuing on sale from April. Some incredible deals! I held fast in April, but I may do a spot of shopping. I do have a gift certificate Since March 1, I started keeping track of the number of skeins I have stashed on the 1st of each month. In 2 months, I have used 14 skeins! I’ve made a little room for more yarn.

It appears that another online knitting mag/store, The Garter Belt, has gone the way of the dodo. According to Elizabeth Morrison in a Ravelry thread, a frequent TGB contributor, the domain expired in March. You can read more about it here. I browsed around Ravelry and all of the primary contributors that I can remember either have their designs on Rav or on their own sites. Designers on TGB included, in addition to Elizabeth, Wendy Bernard, Marie Grace Smith, Rebecca Hatcher, Wendy Wonnacott, and Cindy Guggemos (links to each of their designer pages on Rav). A google of each of these names would quickly find their sites, too, if they have them. A lot a great designs from these ladies!

N took my little point-and-shoot and left me the SRL. I know some people will think I’m nuts, but I mostly find it heavy, awkward, and I dislike having to squint and look through a viewfinder. It does take a mean picture though. The sun was setting as I was taking pictures of Flutter, when I spotted a new iris bloom in a shady corner:

An Iris douglasiana ssp., a native California iris. Nothing brings a smile to my face faster than seeing a new flower in my garden!