Pre-Inaugural Round-Up Rodeo -- with Wollmeise!

On Saturday Mr. T took the kids off to the mall for some hanging out and movie watching, so I finally got to graft the edging to the main body of my Madli's Shawl. No tv, no music, no interruptions, I just sat there and grafted until I was done. 206 stitches later, my hands were cramped and I had a headache, but it was done, and done right. I put stitch markers in every ten stitches along both edges, so that I would know right away if I messed something up. The markers were very helpful, even though I didn't mess anything up. They provided a a nice visual confirmation that all was well, and that I was progressing -- if ever so slowly -- toward the end. Because this is a long weekend with everyone home, friends running about, football games on the telly, etc., I haven't had a chance to block the shawl, but I can show you a picture of the portion I grafted. I actually grafted this purlwise, because of the modifications I made to the edging:


I promise that I will provide more detailed pictures when I've blocked it.

There's been too much going on for me to start something complicated, so I've been working on the Twisted Tweed socks. I hope to have these done by tomorrow afternoon at the latest. I only have a few more repeats to go before the ribbing:


I've also started those Anne socks I mentioned a couple of days ago. Sr. Jr. had a dentist appointment this morning, so I sat and knit away. I've decided that these will be plain vanilla socks, so I can work on them without thinking, and perhaps even bring them with me to work on during the waiting periods when I get my first crown put on in a couple of weeks (ouch -- I need reassurance. This won't hurt too bad, will it? It's in an accessible place. Please?) I got the toe done and about an inch of foot:


And now, what I know some of you have been waiting for --

The Wollmeise

During the last Loopy Ewe update, I managed to snag two skeins of laceweight Wollmeise, one in Dornroschen (pinks and reds) and one in Single Malt:


The Single Malt just glows. I love it. I really didn't need two skeins of laceweight, though. (I know, some people out there are snorting and laughing right now.) I mentioned on the Loopy Groopy group on Ravelry that I was dying for a skein of Wollmeise in Poison No. 5 sock yarn, and fellow Raveler Faith offered to trade me two skeins of sock yarn for the laceweight Dornroschen. She offered me Poison No. 5 (yay!) and Versuchkanichen II, so off went my Dornroschen, and in return, my precious Poison No. 5:


It's just as beautiful in person as in all the photos I've seen. This is going to have to wait for the perfect pattern! I'd seen pictures of the Versuchkanichen II on The Loopy Ewe and on the Wollmeise site, but in real life, it's even more beautiful. I know my pictures don't do it justice, but here's a full shot:


And here are some close-ups of the colors at each end:



Wollmeise yarn is just gorgeous. The problem is that it's like crack. You'd think that I'd be satisfied now that I have a couple of skeins, but I'm not. MUST HAVE MORE. More pretty colors. MORE! I completely understand why people stay up until 3 am to try to catch the updates from Germany.

This was my first swap on Ravelry and it went really well. Faith was a great swap partner!

After all the inaugural brouhaha is over and the kids are back at school, I'll block out Madli's shawl and get some good pictures for you. Then, I need to think about what to knit next. Or crochet, perhaps? I really want to improve my skills (ok, get some skills).

Tomorrow, I will be watching the Inauguration in my warm family room, with a cup of tea, my knitting, and some commemorative chocolate. I think I hear the world breathing a collective sigh of relief that the Bush era is over.