I had two days off in a row... so back to Edisto I went. While the kiddo was napping and everyone else in the family was sunning on the beach, I cast-on for the Flower Basket Shawl. I was desperate to get knitting, so I had to use a piece of twine and my finger as a crochet hook for the provisional cast-on! The Mirasol Nuna knits up nicely, is very soft, and has a pretty sheen. I'm using a size US 8 needle, which might be too large for this lace pattern... but I'm learning as I go. This is my first lace shawl, and the first time I've done much chart-reading. I finished the Upper Flower Basket chart on the beach, having to rip back once for a missed yo. Otherwise, it's been smooth sailing, and I am working on the second Lower Flower Basket repeat now. Since every other row is purling, I get a little break. I need to blow the chart up on a photocopier because it kills my eyes. Here is a WIP photo of the first twenty-four rows.



My knitting nook got a face-lift. I ordered a recycled plastic rug for the front porch to jazz it up a bit. Speaking of places to knit, I read on Ravelry about a yarn store in Summerville called the Village Knittery. It looks lovely and very well-stocked. I feel a field trip to Summerville coming on!

I am proud to report that the Monkey mission was accomplished! I finished the socks before the clock struck midnight on my birthday... In fact, around midnight I was wearing them while eating a big bowl of icecream. I had a lovely, lazy birthday, complete with blueberry pancakes, lots of knitting time while my sisters entertained the little one, a late afternoon on the beach, and then a glorious thunderstorm. Four days in a sleepy beach town is a good way to knit a sock... but I had a good headstart. My local knitting friend, Morgan and I traveled to Columbia to the Thursday night Stitch & Bitch at In the Loop on Devine Street. The Columbia knitters are so nice to host us when we are able to drop in to knit. I bought three skeins of Mirasol Nuna, a lovely merino, silk and bamboo blend to knit the Flower Basket Shawl for my friend Laura. I think I might cast-on today...

It's funny that the one thing I didn't request for my birthday was yarn... (A coworker and fellow knitter came through and gave me a ball of Noro Silk Garden sock yarn anyway!!!) This is very unlike me. There are a few knitting accessories I have been craving... I would like to try some of the Knit Picks needles (size 1 dpns for socks, of course-- nickle-plated and wooden, if you're out there reading, honey) and I love the Namaste knitting bags. But lately, I've been feeling like I have more yarn (and STUFF, in general) than I know what to do with. That said, the gorgeous ball of Noro is the only thing that got me through a long, busy day on the job. Four days off will ruin a person, apparently.

Ah, what a lovely day off! Still in the cut-off sweats & drinking coffee at 10am... Is this too much information? Please don't visualize the tangled curls and crooked glasses! Just finished kitchener stitching the toe of my Lotus Monkey sock. It is a perfect fit, and I loooove the pattern. My next socks will definitely be another Cookie A. pattern. I have crossed a few things off the to-do list this morning... mostly things that can be done over the phone/internet. Been padding around the house with one new sock on my foot, listening to WNCW online, hanging out on the front porch swing to enjoy the blooming lavender. It's been a busy morning! My goal is the complete the second Monkey by my 29th birthday-- June 16th. Is this possible? It has been taking me an average of one month to complete a sock. I will be spending four days relaxing on Edisto Island next week, so it MIGHT be an attainable goal. We shall see. Better start casting-on... Here is the solo Monkey... I love the background details of my life.. Pup-chewed ottoman, new wood floors, crocheted baby blanket, one bare foot-- oh, and those cut-off sweats...

There are a few new projects on the horizon, including socks for my sister who is moving to London. I will have her take a look at the stash sometime soon... Second is a triangular lace shawl that I will give to my college roommate as a wedding gift. I am thinking of knitting the Flower Basket Shawl by Evelyn Clark, which seems like a simple enough first lace shawl. I will have to go shopping for the right yarn for this project.

What's new with the little one? I had to work Saturday and Monday... So we made the most of our Sunday... Early morning coffee on the front porch and then a boat ride on the lake. We splurged on a bimini top for my dad's boat (a thank-you for letting us crash with them for over a month while our house was under construction.) This makes for shade for mama and baby... Soooo nice! He did great on the boat-- covered in sunscreen and then wrapped like a gypsy in my Kenyan sarong. He got to kick around in the lake with Dad too.

Home sweet home! We cleaned all day last Friday... Then enjoyed a day at the Iris Festival at Swan Lake in Sumter. We found a homemade Raggedy Andy for Little D.

Nothing like a festival to give you the worst stomach-ache from lemonade and butterflied french fries! At home (after a bath, a nap, and a rain storm), we caught our second wind and planted our new trees. My japanese maple is now in front of our large bedroom window. My idea is that when the tree grows and branches out, it will provide a privacy screen while still allowing lots of natural light. I have a lovely wall of corn across the street too! We planted the baby's white oak on my favorite side of the yard... with all of our flowering trees, azaleas, shade trees... where we will have a courtyard one day soon. Please pardon the spit-up on my dress...

Is he starting to look like me???