Achievements

I'm down to three work in progress knits.  My medal is in the mail right?  I hope it's super shiny.  Technically you could say four but I'm going to frog the sock.  Just not feeling the yarn.  Oh wait, dammit, I'm working on two pairs of socks.  Okay, revision.  I'm down to four WIPs.  My medal is going to get taken away isn't it?  Damn. 

I don't have any really nice photos of my latest finished project.  I looked super cute today so I tried taking a photo of me in the shawl but AUGH.  And I'm not being super self absorbed or self depreciating here.  I was super cute today, really.  A lot of people told me.  My  hair is finally long enough I can style it so it was all curly and smooth.  One of my students grabbed a curl and pulled saying 'spring has sprung!' which was cute and painful all at the same time.  But yes, I was cute, and the photos were awful.  Not just 'I'm not as cute as I'd like me to be' but like... like there was something really wrong with me.  Like I'd just seen something really confusing and I wasn't able to process it at all.  Regardless, just shawl on bookshelf photos today.  Overexposed because I had to take the photo inside due to the relentless rain. 

 Blocking in all it's billion pins (small shawl so not quite a billion)

The pattern is Elk Tooth by Caitlin French.  I modified it a lot due to being away from the pattern while completing things.  Simple double increase on the edges until I had 99 stitches than I followed her pattern but ran out of yarn from the full moss stitch border.  The yarn is holding the blocking to a scary degree so I'm hoping it'll loosen up with more wear.  I'd recommend the pattern totally, only I would say don't make the same mistake I did and hold two strands of yarn at once.  There's a slipped stitch over knit stitches and the slipped stitch kept on snagging one of the strands and making for a mess of the purl row. 

And this completes the first project of Knitmas 2012!  I'm determined to knit things for my cousins this year so this is destined for my cousin Jess (who doesn't read this blog) (oh gawd I hope she doesn't read this blog)(if you are reading this Jess this is not really for you- this is all a rouse for someone who does read the blog, thanks for helping out). 

Now here's a question, I want to make my own shawl pins out of sticks.  Is sanding and waxing enough to make a decent shawl pin or would that be just plain ugly?  I don't want to stain them, but I don't want them to just be sticks.  You know?  I'm hoping the wax will make them smooth and prevent any splinters.  Does anyone have any advice?

Cheers all, thanks for reading.