Beginnings: Augustine Shawlette

I started my Augustine Shawlette almost two weeks ago and was out of town for almost an entire week with little to no knitting time.

So this is all I have.

But I am loving this pattern and I hope to find some solid knitting time to watch it grow. Comments on the other projects seem to indicate it only gets better when you start decreasing and dropping stitches to open up the stitches between the long rows.

I’m using my Kraemer Yarns Sterling Silk and Silver that I got at Yarn Garden. I love the subtle sparkle in the yarn.

I have this bad knitting habit

I am making great progress on the DNA Scarf.

Tonight I should finish up the tenth pattern repeat and start on the eleventh (hopefully).  Tomorrow night I’ll have a lot of knitting time and finish the eleventh and will see if I have enough yarn for a twelfth repeat.

Even thought it’s taking me a while to knit, it’s totally worth it.  It’s such an interesting pattern and the DNA cables look great.

So I’ve fallen into bad habits.  Even though I have a few other projects I’d like to finish like my honey cowl and Fishtail Lace Scarf, I started looking through patterns on Ravelry with my stash in mind.

I keep thinking about how sparkly and pretty this yarn is and how I need a pretty shawl made out of it’s loveliness.

And I found what I think will be the perfect pattern. The Augustine Shawlette stuck out and I kept going back and forth and telling myself to be patient. I love the way it drapes and the way it can be worn loose like a shawl or tighter like a scarf.

My curiosity got the best of me and I had to read the pattern.  So I bought the pattern the other night just so I could read it.

I clearly cannot start this project but I couldn’t help myself.  It’s such a bad habit because there is so much joy in actually wearing the finished objects and I can’t keep tempting myself with new projects.

I guess there are worse habits.

Lancaster Yarn Stores

This past week I was in Lancaster for work.  When I found myself with some free time, I googled yarn stores and I found two great shops.

The first shop I visited was Kitnit Fine Yarns. Their website said they had Malabrigo and I thought I would buy a skein of their Chunky to try another Dolores Park Cowl in the yarn the pattern called for.  Of course I made this decision in the time it took me to drive there.

When I got there, I talked with the shop owner and she said they didn’t have any Malabrigo Chunky and they might have some other Malabrigo but it would be in their sale selection.

Their sale selection was awesome and I found some great yarns. I got some Noro for a hat for a friend that I’ll show off once it’s finished. But I also got the one skein of Malabrigo Sock in their sale selection in the Ravelry Red colorway.

I also got a skein of Louisa Harding Millais that I think will make a cute hat for a baby.

I also got a chance to visit Lancaster Yarn Shop. It’s in Intercourse which is just outside of the city of Lancaster and it’s exactly what you think of when you imagine Amish Country. It was a beautiful day so I saw so many horse and buggies, tons of laundry drying on lines and animals out on the surrounding farms.

This shop is possibly the cutest shop I’ve been in. I just loved the space, the way the yarn is organized and the pretty displays. And the owner was so friendly and nice to talk with.

I chatted with the shop owner while I browsed and she pointed me to the display of local yarns. There were about three different brands with different weights and all of them were beautiful and soft and it was difficult to choose just one. Ultimately, sparkle won out (who am I buying my second skein of yarn with sparkle?) and I chose a yarn by Crabapple Yarns.

I’m so happy with my new stash additions!