The 5-Color Challenge

In an effort to stretch myself as a designer, I looked around my house and found 5 colors of Galway that I love. My goal is to design as many items as I can with these 5 colors. This is the first successful endeavor: The "Good Day, Sunshine Slipper Socks" They were done on size 5 needles and I am so tickled with the way these colors are interacting. I think I will call the whole series Good Day, Sunshine because the colors are so happy. I am picturing a scarf, a hat and some mittens or gloves in the same stripey rib. These pics are not great because I can't get the white balance on my little camera to do much, but I will take more pictures as the project progresses.

In other knitting news, I have Randi's armwarmers almost done and the chinese lantern sweater is coming along swimmingly. I've chosen yarn for the Big Easy Gansey by Beth Brown-Reinsel. It is Plymouth's new tweedy worsted yarn. I can't remember the name at the moment. It is a beautiful leafy green, though. Gail wants my class proposals for winter classes by Friday, so I am starting on that. So far I have decided on my core classes and I think I've decided on the project classes. Stay tuned!

New York, but no yarn stores

I was able this week to go to New Jersey and New York with a very special friend. It was a wonderful time. I got to meet her oldest and dearest friend from girlhood as well as get reaquainted with another of G's friends from around here. We did the two-day New York Blitz tour. We did not go to any yarn stores because I was the only knitter in the group. K was game but we had plenty of other fun stuff to do. We drove past one of the well known shops but I can't remember the name. We were in SoHo (which, I found out, means South of Houston street), so I am sure I was within spitting distance of Purl SoHo, but I was too busy having iced hotchocolate at MarieBelle. Oh Yum. I finished Randi's first armwarmer on her birthday and have the second well in hand. They are worsted weight, so they are going like lightning. Other knitting news includes the fact that I joined Soctoberfest through Missy's blog (my former secret one-skein pal). Now that the computer is fixed, I am catching up on photo organization and emails. I got a sweet email from Kristin, my other secret pal and I AM going to reply. Things are finally settling down into a routine and I have a day pretty much to myself tomorrow.

The Son Arrives Safely

Here is a picture we got via email of Jeff in Panama with the Duffins, who are in charge of him while he's there. They are a combination of spiritual leaders, chaperones, and dorm parents. Jeff has been assigned a companion, but I don't know yet what city he'll be serving in. He will not be living with the Duffins but instead will be in an apartment somewhere in Panama with his companion. We will be able to get emails from him as long as he can find an internet access site like a library or a cafe.

We are going camping in PA for the long weekend-Blue Knob State Park. Fortunately there are individual family cabins and a lodge/kitchen/messhall that we share with about 20 other families. This is a long standing tradition and the other families are all dear friends, so even a weekend in the rain will be fun. I am taking a prayer shawl to finish for a friend and the Chinese Lantern for when I get too bored with the prayer shawl.

I still can't get photos off my camera, but soon I'll upload photos of the chinese lantern, my secret pal scarf, the socks I just finished and, yep, more handwarmers.