Wrap me up, baby

First off, I made it back home A-OK. For the most part, my plan to sit in the lower-level seating on the Amtrak worked very well. Yes, I did feel a little guilty for purchasing lower-level seating that is available for the elderly and handicapped, but let me say here and now publicly that I would have gladly given up my seat if it were needed. But my reason for heading in that direction is that it is so peaceful and quiet. Also, I had very interesting knitting discussions with a few of the other ladies seated in that section; conversations I would never have had if seated above with the rowdy crowd.

So, now on about the knitting -- yep, you read the blog title right; I've decided to knit the "Wrap me up" shawl. And to add to the lunacy, I'll say that it's not for me and will be given away as a special gift (dour girl in black with fabulous hair not included). More on this project later, but if you've worked on this and have any suggestions to add, please send 'em. I downloaded the errata today and have been flipping through the Ravelry comments, though I wish there was some way to sort through the yarn yardage. Many of the projects posted used main colors supplemented by contrast yarns, so when you view the "yarn ideas" tab for this project, you'll see a summary of all of the yarns used and how many times they were used; but will still need to go to individual projects to get an idea of what the total yardage was. The pattern suggests 1200 yards (and this was verified by the only other person I know who has made this shawl); but I'm seeing folks with finished patterns post that they're using 1500 or so yards. This leads me to wonder how many Ravelers put down the number of skeins they bought for the project and don't necessarily update the project amount to reflect what they actually used when the project is finished. Hmmm...

Anyways, while I was away, here's what I worked on:

Finished the Bergere de France Trapeze Line Jacket (if following this link, scroll to the bottom). This was knit using the recommended Bergere de France yarn called Magic. I hated this yarn and will never knit with it again. It split terribly easy, which was a total pain. In person, this sweater doesn't look quite like the red blob that the photo makes it out to be.

I started and finished a pair of to-be-felted Christmas clogs for my niece Payton. These were made out of Cascade 220. And, unlike last month's felting debacle, I will make a concerted effort to take before and after measurements so that I have a good idea of what the shrinkage will be for the other pair of Cascade 220 clogs I have waiting in the wings.

I also worked on my pair of "Rick" socks by Cookie A. I've decided to forgo the heel instructions on this pair and do an after-thought heel. It worked so well on my last pair of socks that I've decided to keep using that method for heels until something better comes along. The photo here isn't all too accurate because I'm now down to the toe shaping, and the luster in the yarn (by Yarn Hollow) doesn't come through.

Lastly, all of these projects would have been done sooner, but I had spent the first week of November knitting the "Baby Cable Wrap Sweater" by Lindsay of Yarn Garden. I used Berrocco Vintage Wool and absolutely loved this yarn. It was incredibly soft and warm. This sweater was given away to a visiting scientist from Pakistan who has a 6-month old. I wanted to make this pattern and was warned by Chuck that his relatives that I originally was planning on knitting this for wouldn't be too interested in it because it was out of wool and I haven't been in an acrylic state of mind lately.