Popping in again

with nothing real to show, photograph-wise. I'm still really busy with school.

Knit-wise, I've done a few things. I'm still cooking along on the Tasha Shawl. and am about halfway through the edging. I can do two or three points' worth at a time before I become thoroughly sick and tired of it. It's going to end up too small for me, so it may end up in a silent auction, or it may end up as a gift.

About two weeks ago I suddenly decided that knitting a new hat was absolutely necessary, so I dug into Knitty and printed off the "Quest" pattern. On the way home from school, I stopped at our LYS, bought a skein of Misti Alpaca Handpaint, which is a worsted weight baby alpaca yarn, soft as a cloud. The resulting hat took all of a week to knit, even though I was really busy, and turned out beautifully. I think I'd like to make that pattern again, but this time with a little bit denser yarn.

Huh. Blogger won't let me put in links to the Knitty pattern. Well, there's a button in my sidebar, there to the left, that will take you straight to Knitty so you can take a look for yourself.

Also languishing on the "pick me up and finish me" pile is the second Rivendell sock. I did indeed pick it up and start working on it again on Wednesday, and have been completing a couple of rows at a time and limiting myself to that, to try to head off boredom or carelessness. I tried to start it about a month ago, but ended up frogging it after fatal errors. So far so good, but we'll see.

For some reason I'm drawn to making a cowl. I made one, kind of, last year (the Bainbridge scarf) but I'd really like to do a big, cabled beauty. The last version of the online mag Knitter's Review had a review of Prism Merino 12 bulky yarn, the writer suggested that it would be good for making a cowl, and the yarn looked scrumptious. Why am I so suggestible?

I've got this great story I want to tell you, but have been waiting to write about it until I can get a photo taken of the main character, but here -- I'll give you a teaser. Every day on my drive to school, I pass a herd of cattle. This herd is led by a magnificent red-speckled bull whom I've named Ferdinand. He's just beautiful. Even from half a mile away, I can see his horns, because that's his breed: he's a longhorn. I swear that his horns must stick out four feet on each side of his head. He's just beautiful. The herd has been in the far pasture (too far from the road to get a photo) but when the person who owns them moves them to the closer pasture, I'll try to steal an image of him.

I'll try to not take so long to write again, but I've been so busy that it just hasn't been easy.