Now we're getting fancy!

I put the Merci Beaucoup shawl pattern into a pdf format!! I noticed that whatever it was that I had done trying to format it in a a pretty way just wasn't working nicely in the blog post, so here's a polished version! All the bold type in the right place, all the information looking swell. I am quite pleased.

I've loaded it up onto Ravelry.

If you do not have a Ravelry account, check it out, it really is a valuable tool. But if you still don't want it, but need the .pdf, please let me know and I'll be happy to email it to you, it is free after all!!

Hmmm

Well, I think it's time for a new banner... I got a hair cut yesterday, Finally, and when I signed on this morning, the old banner bothered me. So, that means I'll change it soon, hopefully this week, but no promises as my list of "to-do" is long and changes order frequently. It's hard trying to be organized with all these new ideas popping in my head.

I'm off to the yarn shop to work a few hours, I do like the short Sunday shifts. While I'm there I will be picking out new yarn for an old pattern of mine, to see if what I wrote a few years ago makes sense. If it does, I'll share it with you here eventually. (Could I be a little more wishy-washy about deadlines??? sheesh! Maybe that's my problem!)

Anyways, here's the first version

I was in Appomattox, VA for a pottery residency (no, I don't mess with clay right now, I'm quite happy playing with textiles, but someday I'm sure I'll go back to mud.) Knitting really helped keep me sane while I was there. I'm much happier now, and am excited to rework this pattern!

Wow.

You all are awesome! I am so surprised how quickly people on Raverly found my pattern, and such encouraging, lovely comments about it! Merci Merci to all of you!

P.S. I've changed the blog's address to www.tanglesandmud.blogspot.com, instead of the old orangeknittycat, so please update your lists if I'm on any of them! I'm hoping that by making my etsy shop and blog match, I'll be motivated to post things in my shop soon!

Now, off to the store, for we have NO food!

Have a wonderful night!

First Pattern EVER

Well, first that I've written and shared with you that is I've finally gotten off my bum and have decided that since it is typed up, made twice, and I still like it, you should have it too!
So here it is, the Merci Beaucoup Shawl
I designed this pattern with my mom in mind, she wears shawls all the time, and it made sense that after helping me move from VA to NC, she needed one. And it might have been mother's day. Can't remember, the important part was helping me move. Not the easiest, not the worst, but I think the most exhausting move I've done so far. She's a brilliant woman, my momma. Hers is the shawl below in the grass, hopefully someday we will remember to take a proper photo shoot with her in it.

Hope you enjoy the pattern, and if you have questions, please leave a comment and I'll try my best to answer it. Please remember that I've made this shawl twice, but no one else has tried it, so be gentle if I've missed something! It's easy to knit through you own pattern and not notice glaring mistakes.
And a close up:

Edited to apologize for the weird html crapola that was appearing throughout the pattern. I will try to figure that out and will put it back up in its rightful place on this page soon. For now though, it is available on Ravelry.com as a free downloadable pdf. Right here, in fact. If you don't know what Ravelry is, it is SO worth signing up for. It's a vast pattern library, community, project journal... and an hour eater :)

***** Edited to add a correction to Row 3.  It should read as follows:

5 stitches in Seed st, P9, K2, * P1, purl into front of first YO, purl into back of 2nd YO, P1, K2* Repeat from * to last 14 stitches, K2, P9, 5 stitches in Seed st. 

************

xoxox

Good day sunlight!

The sun has returned to H'burg! I had forgotten how much I love March sun, so it has been a most enjoyable start to the week. AND I finished my super cool shrug arm turned knee socks tonight! (I call them the *shrug* socks) YAYYYYY!!!!

The yarn is from a local alpaca farm, Blue Ridge Farm, and I had started out with the intent to knit a shrug, but realized that I dont wear shrugs, plus the yarn could qualify in the mid-weight division of a sheading match, which I can't stand. So I ripped back and stuck a foot on the first sleeve and made a second to match. the pattern is all my own, and I'm quite proud of my cabled rib. and the fact that the cables mirror eachother, something my darling friend A suggested as a challenge. I took it, what can I say, I enjoy a challenge.

So here they are.