Woohoo! Vacation

Completed: the Elisa Nest Tote (with a close up of the stitch pattern)

Pattern: Elisa Nest Tote from the Purl Bee

Yarn: Butterfly 10 mercerized cotton 1 skein

Source: Pearl's Yarn Shop

Needles: Crystal Palace bamboo U.S. size 9 straight needles, aluminum dpns U.S. size 6, Clover size F crochet hook

Modifications: Yarn substitution, added two inches to the length of the bag

A great pattern and a great bag. It's very stretchy and will hold a lot, but the holes in the lace are small enough that most things won't slip or poke through. Excellent summer knitting and really quick to knit.

I only made a couple of purchases at the Knitting Guild of America's and Crocheting Guild of America's big exhibition/market thingy they held here last weekend. A beautiful sweater pattern from Tess Designer Yarns and these two skeins of yarn from the Irish Ewe. They are going to be a worsted weight Landscape Shawl. They are from organically raised sheep in Ireland, and they were spun at one of Ireland's three remaining woollen mills (no wonder I couldn't find any yarn when I was there last summer).

The glorious KnitPicks order arrived. It is intended for two pairs of felted clogs, one pair of socks, a baby sweater, and a lace wimple.

Completed: Retro Rib Socks (and a somewhat blurry closeup of the pattern)

Pattern: Retro Rib Socks by Evelyn A. Clark (from Favorite Socks)

Yarn: Regia 4-Ply Tweed, 2 balls
Source: Patternworks Yarn Shop

Needles: Crystal Palace bamboo dpns, U.S. size 2

Modifications: My gauge was a little off, so I followed the woman's size instead of the men's even though their for my uncle. It should be all right, since his feet are just a little bigger than mine and these are just a little big for me (that is my very exact scientific measuring system for the people I knit socks for: a little bigger for the men, the same size for the women except my mom, who is a little smaller)

And, a little sewing:

This is the sun hat from Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing book (simple, except for the part where I wanted to throw my sewing machine out the window). The outside fabric was leftover from a tote bag I made my mom for her birthday, and the lining is from an old pillowcase. I'm very proud of myself for figuring out the problems, and I managed to get it done just in time for our vacation at the lake this week.

So, I still have more Christmas in July projects (and July is rapidly approaching its end). I figured out a couple that I can take to the lake with me (tricky, since I'll be in close quarters with most of the people I have to make presents for) and I am starting the Tuxedo shirt from the Summer 2007 Interweave Knits for myself in an extra cone of Brown Sheep's Cotton Fine I found in the stash.

But before we head out, I have lots of packing. Including figuring out just how many projects and books I can fit in my suitcase.