Portland

We're back from Oregon! I did, indeed, get lots of shawl knitting done on the plane, and the Flower Basket is starting to look like a shawl rather than a very insubstantial hankie. (just look at all those baskets!) I even made a little progress on the infamous Bonny. Oliver took my picture in front of Mabel's Cafe & Knittery, which is a great place. Oliver and my mom and brother could sit and have cool drinks while I checked out the wool, and they even helped me decide what to get, looking remarkably happy and patient about the whole thing. So I've been planning to make a new pair of mittens to go with my red winter coat, and after much fondling of various fuzzy yarns, I picked up three skeins of Cascade Bollicine Etoile in #14 "sooty." It's so soft and fluffy... So I think I'll make a lace scarf, possibly this one. As for the mittens, I searched my stash for something thick to match the mohair, and I think I've found it: some old Stahl Limbo Color in Indigo. I'll swatch it up and see how it looks.

I picked up a copy of the Stitch & Bitch Knitter's Journal at Powell's and I really like it. The graph paper and helpful tips, combined with the success of my tiny modification to the ChicKami, are inspiring me to actually consider designing my own patterns!