Miss Audrey makes her debut

On September 2, 2012 I started what I had hoped would be a challenging project. Be careful what you wish for! Sometimes it comes true.

 The beginning section was easy enough and I was enjoying the colors I chose for my shawl, Periwinkle Sheep "Audrey Hepburn" Red and Malabrigo Black, both a merino wool in fingering weight on size 4 needles. That's tiny for those of you who don't knit. By September 7th  I was ready to abandon the written pattern for the charts. By September 8th I was ready to be institutionalized! It seems my short term memory was compromised and I didn't trust it to go past two stitches without forgetting the order.

 All that made it a very intense knit and at one point I commented that I would rather poke myself in the eye with a sharp stick than ever knit another Catkin!

 But all that changed by September 13th when I started chart two A, B, and C. It looked quite intimidating but was rather easy to follow as long as I had a hefty supply of post-it notes to outline the row being knitted. I actually ran out of the red yarn on September 14th but Karin came to my rescue, having found the last skein in the same dye lot!

 

 I was on a roll last night and didn't want to stop so I kept on knitting into the wee hours of the morning. By 3:15AM on September 18th I had bound off the very last stitch! Hence my knickname "The Midnight Knitter". This morning Audrey took a dunk and now she is blocking.

 I have to say that once I got past that chart one I began to enjoy the experience again.

 Some knitters want to get to their destination as quickly as possible and some enjoy the journey. I am of the latter group. And what a journey this was!

Miss Audrey requires eight small buttons and as luck would have it, there happened to be eight pearl buttons in my button box that I had saved from clothing purchased years ago. Now I'm thinking of other colorways that would work for another! But not for a long while. Hmph! I remember saying something about burning this pattern when I was finished. Maybe not....

 This afternoon the Chicks were introduced to Audrey as she lay basking and drying. They were impressed!

 This weekend my cousin, Mania, from Connecticut came for a visit and gifted the Chicks with some knitted items and yarn. We all loved the rainbow blanket she made. Hey Mania! Can you share the pattern?!

 It was a free-for-all sorting through the selections.

 The ideas were filling our heads left and right.

 Kathleen called "dibs" on a colorful variegated yarn. Thank you Mania for all the yarn and finished items!

 Then we got down to work on our current projects. Liz is knitting this sweet top-down seamless sweater....

 only making it a solid mint green. So sweet!

 Kathleen finished a diagonal baby blanket and added it to inventory.

 She is working on a scarf now which will have fringed ends.

                                                

Barb finished the garter edge on the end of this lovely cabled wrap and will block it for next week.

I have a new orchid to show too. Mania's daughter and son-in-law brought it on their visit. Isn't she a beauty? She is loving being in the company of the Chicks.

Now that Audrey is finished I'll have to think of a new project. Lots of ideas floating in my head!