while you wait…

I know you’re probably eager for news about the giveaway.  Well, there are lots of entrants, which is great!  But right now, I want to share with you a pattern that I came up with yesterday and today.  It’s for a shawl-like neck warmer.  It’s made in the usual triange/half-circle shawl shape, and if you put it on with the point towards the front and wrap the ends around your neck, you can fasten them underneath the point part under your chin with a button, if you like.  I hope you like it!

in-a-day wraplet

And if you like, I just put it on Ravelry so you can put it in your favorites or in your queue if you like.

Hope you enjoy!

newest project: wrap

Honestly I didn’t really care for the way my recent sweater turned out.  The more I look at it the more I think ‘eh, it’s OK, but do I actually want to wear it?’  It doesn’t really fit quite right and I’d have to adjust it often.  So instead, I decided to make something else to take on my Christmas trip to England this year (and if I like it I might make my mom one, too).  I’m about to start on this (pattern here):

I love it because you can wear it as pictured, or you can wear it as a shawl, and the cute tassels add a little weight to keep it in place.  I decided to make it in a more reddish color though (orange is not my thing), and my yarn just came in today!  I got it from Knitpicks, and it’s the Palette Yarn fingering weight in Rose Hip and Raspberry Heather shades:

I’m really excited about this yarn because it’s the first time I’ve ever bought yarn online without knowing what the brand feels like, and it’s actually really soft for 100% wool! It was also really appealing because of its cheap price, and I’ll definitely be buying from Knitpicks again.  I’m gonna get started on this project tonight, hopefully, while listening to the audiobook of the current Pern novel I’m on, Dragonseye.  (It’s really good, as are all the other ones I’ve read, and I recommend them highly).

On another subject that I really want to share with you, my boyfriend is starting a garden on our back patio.  He’s growing all kinds of peppers and tomatoes and herbs, and his goal is to make salsas and chowchows soon.  In his shopping at the Home Depot for plant necessities, he bought me a plant and pot of my own (he’s so sweet):

Isn’t he cute?  I named him Albert.  He’s a succulent, which I think are gorgeous, and they’re pretty hard to kill which is perfect for me (I kill every plant I touch, even aloe plants).  Hopefully Albert the Succulent will live — I think he’s so sweet!

So that’s all for today, thanks for stopping by!